I'm afraid of Americans

Having spent a long weekend in New York, the one thing that stands out for me was the overwhelming confidence that seeps out of every pore. America is confident about its position in the world- despite a debatable foreign policy and an economy that is on the brink of a major downturn.
The star-spangled banner is everywhere, far more than is possibly healthy- I cannot imagine Britain ever flying as many flags. I always thought of the US as a melting pot of nationalities with no real allegience a single flag- this is clearly not the case anymore. Perhaps 9/11 changed it all in the US, I don't know.
I also thought that New York was heavily influenced by the Irish and Italians. I have to say I found little of this. The overwhelming visible culture was one of black America. The music was dire hip-hop/rap/R&B, blaring from almost every bar, store or passing car. Since my last visit in 1994, I would say that there has been a huge influx of immigrants in New York.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sights of New York, notably the Empire State Building, The Music of Modern Art and Central Park. The city seems very safe and relatively clean- certainly cleaner than London, which is an obvious improvement since the 1970s and 1980s. It is not so much the city that never sleeps, because when we went shopping in SoHo, early on Saturday morning, it was closed. But it is the city that offers absolutely everything, at a good price at the moment for Brits.
The New Yorkers claim that the city is the greatest in the world. I'm not so sure. It is certainly the loudest and most brash I have come across. Give me Paris, Prague or Berlin...

Seven Stars is a five star pub

The City of London and most parts of London are awash with branded bars such as “All Bar One”. These establishments have pushed the traditional pub to one side- in fact, in the City there are few pubs worthy of a mention. That’s why I invited to friends to enjoy an ale or two at The Seven Stars in Carey Street (behind the Law Courts). Now this pub is an old one but does not play the “Olde worlde” game played by some pubs that want to give off the air of an old-fashioned pub- the type that used to sit on every London street corner, according to folklaw.
One of my friends, a refugee from Canary Wharf, the town of glitzy chrome and glass, was none too impressed with The Seven Stars, claiming it was too old, falling apart and in need of some renovation work. But we are talking here about genuine shabby, genuine character and a rather unique atmosphere – although admittedly, we stood outside on a balmy evening. The landlady, one Roxie Beaujolais, was not in situ, so we were not treated to the flame red hair and the tap-room language for which she is so well known.
Yes, the toilets may be a little precarious, and should the cat really sit on the bar?, but the Seven Stars is the genuine article – and a big plus point given it sits outside the City boundary, there are no braying City-types acting the prize mellon.

Life on the hard shoulder

I was passing through the Waltham Cross area recently and walking along the hard shoulder were three women clad in what can only be described as “romany-wear”. I asked my cab driver, who ironically had been complaining incessantly about the number of immigrants pouring into the North London area, who they were. “Romanians,”he said, grimacing. “They come here and take all our jobs.” My tax driver as a Cypriot and was horrified at the presence of Eastern Europeans. “They live over the hill, just over the hard shoulder,” he added, and lo and behold, they walked up the hard shoulder, up the grass bank and down the other side, which looked to be a well ploughed field.
Basically, they were living rough, which begs the question, indeed hundreds of questions. “Is life so bad where they come from that a life on the hard shoulder is an improvement?.”
Many people are worried about the shape of Britain and the dramatic influx of people from “the third world of Europe”. Is life so much better for them in Britain? Is it not a bit like the misfits who used to stream into London because they have heard the streets are paved with gold, only to end up lost, homeless and alone in the city?
Britain has always been a home for immigrants, dating back to Roman times. Indeed, London was full of different races for centuries. This latest influx is worrying, however. Not withstanding the lawless element that has left its mark- witness the stabbing of a policeman in Luton this week – Britain is in danger of becoming a dumping ground and I may be looking a little too deep, but could we see the sort of shanty town that is prevalent in Brazil. Tin shack villages full of peasants?

Drapers Gardens is down and out

I noticed during a lunchtime stroll that the old Nat West building, Drapers Gardens, is no more. The building, which before the building of the famed NatWest Tower, was the bank’s flagship building, is the tallest building ever to be demolished in London. It is another sign that the old NatWest empire, which comprised the Threadneedle Street complex, Old Broad Street, the tower and Drapers, has all but gone. Drapers Gardens was one of the first high-rise buildings in the City of London, and when I worked for the then-prestigious National Westminster Bank, it was a terrific restaurant. You could look over the City and enjoy “pork chop, chips, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms” for around £ 1.00! For some reason I always knew that Richard Seifert designed it, as he did the tower, and I do believe I went to Drapers for my first interview with the bank in 1975! It’s a long time ago, and it did not take long to realise that Nat West was not the place for a long term career, although some former colleagues are still ploughing their way to retirement! A shame about Drapers, though.