I recently returned from 16 days in England, including 5 days alone in London. It's all still there. The Tube is more of a mess than ever, the Russell Square station had only 1 working lift.

J. D. Wetherspoon's is taking over the city, good news for beer drinkers of all (legal) ages, bad news for the local pubs.

The Shakespeare's Head, (a Wetherspoon?s pub) is just a few steps from the Holborn station, has pints of several good lagers and ales for well under £2. if you?re on a budget they have selected meals at 2 for £6.99 or less.

Another nice Wetherspoon's is on Chancery Lane between High Holborn and Fleet Street and is called The Knights Templar. A barman from The Old Bank of England (pub) told me that there are more than 25 Wetherspoon's in London alone now + some clubs called Lloyds which is owned by the same consortium.

For the traveler on a budget they are a godsend, for everyone else they're just another plague like Starbucks, The Gap, and McDonalds.

Speaking of which, I had a bacon cheeseburger at a McDonalds in London and it was FABULOUS, smoky bacon and real cheese. Came home and tried the same sandwich in America to find fat, undercooked bacon and a piece of too-yellow plastic "cheese". You live, you learn.

Thank you for your analysis of London transport - "The Tube is more of a mess than ever, the Russell Square station had only 1 working lift. " - I wasn't aware there was only one station, and I'm not even a tube user. But, this is from someone who had a " had a bacon cheeseburger at a McDonalds in London and (thought) it was FABULOUS"

wetherspoon's is a plague in a way but in a way it is not.

what's good - support of local, small breweries is better than most "local" pubs. support meaning the stocking, education, and promotion of local beers. no music, no sports...while many pubs are like clubs (yates for example) spoons creates *somewhat* of a traditional pub atmosphere.

also, sad as it is, the pub culture is waning in england. a pint of ale is your dad's drink (according to the lads). kids mostly drink lagar or archers, breezers and the like and prefer the pub/clubs. people stay home more, watch movies, and get take-away. cheap beer is plentiful in the grocery stores encouraging drinking at home. staying at the pub instead of being with the family is less accepted these days.

so my point is that spoons is not killing the pub but keeping it alive (albeit in a different - and maybe not as good form).

i do not disagree with your concern but there are two sides to it.

glad you enjoed London and found some bargains here and there.

Somehow I knew "Cheap beer in London" would attract m_klingon2.

m kingdom...sorry you're in such a bad mood today, dearie. I've been to London regularly for many years and each year the city grows noticably more congested and the Underground suffers from it. I used Russell Sq. as an example. However, to make it a bit clearer for you, it was merely to indicate that one of London's very, very busy stations has only one lift. This meant that a very great many people had to wait a very long time to get in or out of the Underground.

I suppose I could have given you a complete rundown for every one of the thirty or so stations I passed through, but I don't really think it is necessary...I think MOST people understood the jist. Sorry about you.

And yes, lovey, the burger was GREAT. If they were that good in the States even a sourpuss like you might get your panties out of a wad long enough to enjoy them.

My dear, how vulgar, how vile, you're a prime example of why I don't dine in McDonald's, and prefer walking to the train.