Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Stratford

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – ArcelorMittal Orbit Slide

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – ArcelorMittal Orbit Slide

    We were meant to go on this slide at the Sir Anish Kapoor designed ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford, which is the largest piece of public art in the country (the sculpture, not specifically the slide), a few weeks ago. However, it was having technical issues so they let our little party of two adults and two children to the observation deck and rescheduled the date for the slide. We’re rescheduling that separately and since the location let us use our vouchers for three adults instead, my friends Ross and Liam came along with me.

    It’s quite a big piece of public sculpture when you’re standing at the bottom, so I did think maybe I had been a little too brave. The sculpture was designed to be a permanent reminder of the 2012 Olympics Games which were held here, and the Olympic Stadium (now West Ham Football Club) is just over the road.

    It’s possible to see the slide merged in with the sculpture, with some gaps in the metal so that riders of the slide can have a little look out whilst plummeting down. It wasn’t designed like this, but so many people thought that the original sculpture allowed people to slide down that they added the feature in 2016.

    We had seen this a few weeks ago, but this is the slide arrangement. It goes without saying that I was beyond brave, although Ross and Liam were quite courageous as well I suppose. Liam doesn’t let anything stress or worry him, which annoys me, so he was fine. We had a wait in the queue of around thirty minutes, although we had arrived early and so that balanced out nicely. That wait is the worst bit, especially when some people decide to scream loudly down the entire slide when they’re chucked down it. It adds worry to the whole proceedings…. Whilst waiting in the queue, I had a nice conversation with the man behind who was doing the slide with his son, and we both agreed how brave I was.

    They require every rider to wear a hat and elbow protectors and I thought I looked a bloody idiot. But safety first…. After the opportunity for a photo, it was then time for my little slide. They ask you to get partly into a bag thing, lie all the way back and then shuffle forwards before plunging down into oblivion. There’s a sign saying that the staff won’t push you down, although they did help the children gently which was done rather kindly. The staff also spoke a number of languages, so a French speaker was able to talk to the French group which was handy.

    The ride reaches speeds of 15 miles an hour and although the start seemed quite sedate it all sped up quickly. There were plenty of twists and turns, including a corkscrew, before the 40 second ride is complete. There were more twists and turns that I had expected, although nothing too dramatic (although I shut my eyes for some of it). I stopped a bit short of the end, as did Liam, and the guy there was a bit grumpy telling me to shuffle along. Although he was being rude to everyone else, but he’s probably heard every line possible standing there all day. I have to say though that all the other staff (and there’s lots of them at the venue) were very friendly and conversational, so it all seemed welcoming. The venue had been great in responding to e-mails as well, trying to sort out dates and the like.

    We were allowed back up to take photos of the surrounding area, although I’d already done that a few weeks ago. I’ll add photos from that in a separate post this week (how exciting for my three readers…..). We walked back down the 430 or so steps back down, although they do let you go down in the lift.

    Whilst walking down it’s possible to see the slide winding its way down. It’s not cheap to go on the slide, about £17 each, but I had Virgin vouchers that I needed to use up. I admit to being a bit worried whilst waiting at the top, as I tend to be concerned about throwing myself down a huge tunnel, but it was an enjoyable experience and I’d do it again. One of the staff said that the split of screamers and silent riders was about the same, although I was obviously silent and placid and didn’t yell loudly, which Ross and Liam also fortunately replicated as I didn’t want us to be a raucous group.

    So, all very lovely, and I’d recommend others to chuck themselves down the slide as well. It’s not cheap, but as a staff member said, it’s an experience that can be crossed off the bucket list and it’s suitable for children of around eight years or older (and up to 22 stone, but beyond that there’s a danger of getting stuck). For those who are even braver, you can abseil down the tower as well.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Travelodge

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Travelodge

    Travelodge are doing a promotion at the moment where if you book four nights in London (and I think it’s been extended to Edinburgh and a couple of other locations), then you get the fifth night free. That meant that I had a five night stay last week in Stratford for just over £100, which I think is pretty decent value for money. This all means that I’m not spending as much time at Accor and IHG hotels, but variety is the spice of life (and Greggs).

    The room, which looks like most other Travelodges in the country, was clean and too hot. There’s not much that they can do about that given the lack of air conditioning, and there was a fan available in the room. That fan was on the entire time that I was in the room, as it was too hot (London was far too hot last week). They’d put the duvet into the bag in the corner as they said nearly all guests were content with just a sheet, and their judgement seemed sensible to me.

    The view from the room, over the delights of Stratford, the Las Vegas of London……

    I really quite liked this hotel, although I dreaded getting in it every day as the staff have to open the automatic doors (so they’re not very automatic) and so I had to stand looking confused outside. There is a doorbell, but I felt guilty pressing that (even though that’s the point of it), but the staff always seemed keen to help and said hello when I walked by.

    The amount of cleaning I saw here was also impressive, there seemed to be a staff member spending their time nearly entirely cleaning surfaces, the lifts, the floors and the like. There needs to be a bit of maintenance on the carpets in the hotel from Travelodge, but I can’t deny that the staff were making huge efforts to keep everything clean.

    As a hotel stay, I was entirely content with the value offered here, and it’s nearly opposite Stratford High Street DLR station, or just a relatively short walk from Stratford railway/underground station. For those going into an area near Liverpool Street, TFL Rail run regular services there as part of what will become the Crossrail service when the thing finally opens.

    The reviews of the hotel aren’t entirely ideal (but are much better than some others in the chain), but the problem for Travelodge is that I think it’s great value for the £20 or so per night that I paid, but I’d be less pleased if I’d paid something like £60 per night, which many have done.

    There’s a long review on Google about how someone was furious that they’d “booked a room for 3 people” and the hotel wouldn’t let them have four people in the room. I’m not entirely sure how they were planning to fit four people into a room, and seemingly, nor did the hotel. The end result of this exciting saga was that the four people were kicked out, slept in their car and remained very angry at the hotel manager. The hotel do make very clear everywhere that they never accept more than three adults in the room, it was a very brave guest that risked sneaking more in….. Sounds an exciting drama though for anyone watching events unfold.

    And there’s the review from a furious daughter that her father was smoking in the hotel and she was most upset that security asked him to leave. Not really a surprise.

    Anyway, I didn’t have breakfast or evening meals at the hotel, as adding breakfast would have increased the room price by 50% and it never looks that appealing to me anyway. But, I’d merrily stay here again, I thought it was all comfortable albeit it rather too hot. Thank goodness for the fan.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Cart & Horses

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Cart & Horses

    I walked by this pub in Stratford a couple of weeks ago (just before the second lockdown), slightly concerned that it was boarded up. It has transpired it’s just being refurbished internally and will re-open in the spring of 2021. It’s perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Iron Maiden, where the band played numerous times in the mid-1970s. I have no knowledge about Iron Maiden (nor indeed much knowledge about anything music related to be honest), but the pub’s web-site does note the band’s pyrotechnics and theatre which soon meant that the building wasn’t big enough for the number of fans who wanted to get in.

    On a different matter, CAMRA report that the pub doesn’t offer real ale (let alone craft beer), which I have to confess is more relevant to me.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Goldengrove

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Goldengrove

    There aren’t many photos of my visit to this JD Wetherspoon pub last week, as I must admit to popping in solely to benefit from the 50p half pints of real ale that were available. However, I’ve now realised that the pub is in the Good Beer Guide, and so that’s another one for my list….

    I’ve visited here before several times over the last decade, it’s a large pub which goes back further than its frontage might suggest. The pub name is a bit niche, it’s from the poem Spring and Fall by local man Gerard Manley Hopkins. Before it became a pub, the building was being used as a clothes shop.

    As for the 50p half pints, I did have six of them over the course of the night, which was a little excessive, but I knew that pubs were closing for a month…. They were the Cowcatcher from East London Brewing Company, Old Hooky from Hook Norton Brewery, Black Stallion from Arundel Brewery, Pure UBU from Purity Brewing Company, Gold from Exmoor Ales and Hobgoblin from Wychwood Brewery. The Pure UBU was the one that I liked the most, but it’s an interesting selection across different beer types and all of the ales were well-kept. I can imagine the annoyance that JD Wetherspoon had in having to get rid of all of this at 99p, but, as they said in their signage, it saved it from being thrown away.

    This photo is from a previous visit, the London Thunder which is a chocolately porter from Rooster’s Brewery.

    And, just for another photo, a chicken wrap that I’ve had here on a previous occasion. On that point, I’ve always thought that this feels like a safe pub, although there was an argument between a customer and a staff member last week, but that all adds to the drama and excitement. The pub was opened by JD Wetherspoon back in 1993 and things have changed substantially for the area, with the construction of Westfield around the corner and then the Olympics, as well as the company, which is now much bigger.

    The reviews are pretty much average for a JD Wetherspoon outlet, although several complaints are for when service is slow during football match days. West Ham moved to their new stadium in Stratford from the Boleyn Ground in 2016, shifting trade from the Millers Well pub to Goldengrove for those fans who wanted a cheap pint. At least the app makes ordering somewhat easier for customers, so although there might be a wait it does avoid standing at the bar getting annoyed when other customers are served out of turn.

    Anyway, all rather lovely during my visit (although the toilets probably need more reconstructing than cleaning), and JD Wetherspoon did well to start shifting their stock early to avoid it needing to be destroyed.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Tap East

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Tap East

    This is the only Good Beer Guide listed pub in the Westfield Centre at Stratford, with the only other in the area being JD Wetherspoon’s Goldengrove in the town centre. It’s bright, open and slightly hard to find for those who aren’t used to Westfield. I’d add that I visited just before the second lockdown, they haven’t found some exemption to stay open.

    The beer list with a suitably interesting range of beer types. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s also not unreasonable and the unit that they’re located in can’t be the lowest priced either.

    A moderately decadent choice, this is the Export Stout Raspberry from the Kernel Brewery. This was rich, beautifully fruity and slightly bitter, but very moreish. Given the price, I limited myself to half a pint, but it was smooth enough to last for some time. This is the second beer I’ve had from this brewery, I had the Dry Stout Centennial Mosaic when I visited Mikkeller Bar. I preferred this one, the raspberry gave it that extra edge.

    Service was timely, friendly and welcoming, so this was a relaxed environment. It’s not the largest location and I’m sure that this must get busy at times, but there were sufficient tables inside and outside when I visited. They have a fair few bottles and cans in the fridges as well for those who want more choice. There’s a food menu, which looked quite tempting, with hot dogs and the like available.

    It’s all slightly quirky as outlets like this aren’t normally available in shopping centres, not withstanding the Craft Beer Co outlet at the Broadway Centre in Hammersmith. But, they’ve been going for a few years and have won several awards, not least being mentioned in the Good Beer Guide. Since it’s at the side of the shopping centre, it’s not too loud, it’s a helpful hideaway for anyone who needs to escape the retail demands of the rest of the site….

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Kotch!

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Kotch!

    My friend Richard had come to London for the evening to escape Norfolk, so we decided after visiting Wetherspoons for their 99p pints of real ale (well, I had that, he had decadent and expensive gins) to go for a restaurant meal. Incidentally, the evening had started off well as I discovered Richard’s hastily booked room wasn’t as large as the one I had at the Holiday Inn Express at Stratford, so that was some positive news for everyone.

    Being a millennial (well, I’m not, but I pretend to myself that I am) I try to avoid using the phone, so Richard phoned up the restaurant to check if there was space. The restaurant is small and got busier as the evening progressed, so having the reservation was quite useful. The service was attentive, polite and friendly, so all positive there. The restaurant was clean and it had quite a homely feel to it. There’s a toilet at the rear of the restaurant and I’m grateful that the staff members noticed there was a problem, which was that it had locked itself, as otherwise I’d have been standing outside the door for some time waiting for a non-existent person to leave.

    Richard’s pizza, which looked horrible but was apparently delicious, is at the rear, whereas the much nicer Ndjua sausage pizza of mine takes pride of place in the photo. It was cooked in a woodfire pizza oven that’s visible from the seating area, giving the food that nice blackening to the sides. The base was thin and had a decent crunch to it, with the sausage having a pleasant slightly spicy taste. I liked that there wasn’t too much cheese (unlike Richard’s cheese ridden affair) and was more tomatoey, which is all more authentic Italian in my view. Since the dough wasn’t too thick, it also meant that the meal was light and not too stodgy.

    There are difficult times ahead over the next month for restaurants, although at least this Italian should be able to do plenty of takeaways and deliveries. The reviews for the restaurant are positive (which is why we went there), it was relaxed and the staff were friendly. All very lovely.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Holiday Inn Express

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Holiday Inn Express

    I booked this hotel as there was a 5,000 points IHG rewards bonus on it, which is pretty generous as 10,000 points can get a free room. It was the cheapest IHG hotel in London, coming in at just under £40 for the night, including breakfast. That’s a bit more expensive than the endless Accor hotels that I’ve been booking, but it’s a modern and clean hotel.

    The dining and bar area of the hotel. It was never particularly busy, but it’s a pleasant environment for guests who want somewhere to sit.

    A water feature. How decadent.

    The room, which I’d booked as a family room to myself, as it was the same price as the other rooms. All bright, clean and comfortable. The television was meant to allow casting from my phone, but it didn’t work and I couldn’t be bothered to make it work. The remote control was also wrapped up in a little bag which was very thoughtful in terms of the health issues.

    The rewards voucher. I’ve never lost the key folder before, but I managed to last night, I have no idea where it went. Luckily the keycard wasn’t in it and I remembered what room number I was in. In the morning, a cleaner came into the room (well, she didn’t, she couldn’t get past the key chain thing), just as I was leaving it. She looked horrified but said she thought the room was meant to be empty. Her timing was fortunate though since I was leaving, but it would have been annoying if I was having a lie-in.

    The welcome drink, this was the best I could find. It’s something a little different, although I found it a bit drab. Anyway, it was free, so I won’t complain. Well, not much.

    The breakfast arrangement.

    The hot food was served by a staff member, who was very generous on the beans front. The ingredients were of a decent quality and if it was self-serve then there might have been a lot more bacon on the plate. There was only one other hot option, which was scrambled egg, but I’m not much of a fan of that. The croissants and muffins were a bit drab, but at least the hotel had made an effort with putting some sort of breakfast on.

    And this is my final hotel of 2020. I have a trip to Bilbao booked on 3 January 2021, although given everything I’m really not sure that this will actually happen. Anyway, I’d stay here again, although I’m not sure why I’d be in the Stratford area of London….