Finally, I begin the L.O.P. today. I still have no ideas of the logistics of the exercise and I have no fixed time scale attached to it. Also the London Overground is a work in progress, which is fascinating. Will it ever be finished or will it simply become a circulatory system that links the sprawling metropolis with other cities around the U.K.? I hope that this does not empower London at the expense of other cities and towns. This exercise is about learning more about the city. The beauty and its horror. Both fascinate me. The reactions of others are also of interest.
Anyhow, today I start in Dalston Junction. It's a lovely station from the outside. I am going to the Arcola Theatre, which is very near to Dalston Junction to see an adaptation of a Pushkin play called 'Queen Of Spades'. The Arcola Theatre is a curious venue. It currently resides in an old paint factory and consists of two studio theatres. It has a small bar and as a venue, it feels unfinished but its very embryonic nature is its appeal. It has a sense of character. It is not trying to be as clinical as the National Theatre on the South Bank. Austerity is not the name of the game for the Arcola Theatre. The productions it puts on tend to be more eclectic than the fare served up by the more commercial theatres. It's a theatre for people who want to be inspired as opposed to being fed the same plays over and over again. Anyhow, after the play the Citysocialising group and I are off for a meal in a Turkish restaurant with any luck. I will try to keep my heart open today to detect the nuances of Dalston. It's often more astute than my brain.
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