Europe's Tackiest Tourist Schlock? London's Trocadero Center
Oct 4th, 2007, 06:49 AM
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Europe's Tackiest Tourist Schlock? London's Trocadero Center
Smack plopped in the middle of tourist central in London by Piccadilly Circus and in the heart of the West End sits the Trocadero, which inside hosts a multi-floor extravaganze of toursit Schlock unparalleled in any city in Europe IME
Oh sure other cities have their tacky areas - Amsterdam's Redlight district, the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, etc. but nothing like the Trocadero in London
You enter the building by running a gauntlet of souvenir shops and board the escalator (passing scrutiny of burly bouncer types) to gain entrance to some floors of an immense video game arcade, bowling alleys, air hockey games, foos ball, pinball, and, to be sure, the Penny Falls type things, etc. as well as some simulation rides, karioke things, etc.
the attractions continually change along with the youthful types attracted here.
Walking thru presents a cacphony of sights and sounds
Now i must say that the Trocadero has become a regular event on my annual London sojourns - i always liked such entertainment emporiums and i'm always eager to traipse thru the Trocadero to see what's in ,etc.
And it seems the Trocadero serves a real purpose for tourists - mainly the legions of Continental school-age groups that perpetually throng central London, where German or French at times seems to be the local language. It gives these easily bored teen groups something to do.
But mostly i guess it's a money-making venture to tap into the funds of visitng foreign youths and i'm not opposed to that.
So to see something different in London take a tour thru the Trocadero - if you got kids let them lose there with a few pounds while you explore elsewhere - a win-win situation IMO
Oh sure other cities have their tacky areas - Amsterdam's Redlight district, the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, etc. but nothing like the Trocadero in London
You enter the building by running a gauntlet of souvenir shops and board the escalator (passing scrutiny of burly bouncer types) to gain entrance to some floors of an immense video game arcade, bowling alleys, air hockey games, foos ball, pinball, and, to be sure, the Penny Falls type things, etc. as well as some simulation rides, karioke things, etc.
the attractions continually change along with the youthful types attracted here.
Walking thru presents a cacphony of sights and sounds
Now i must say that the Trocadero has become a regular event on my annual London sojourns - i always liked such entertainment emporiums and i'm always eager to traipse thru the Trocadero to see what's in ,etc.
And it seems the Trocadero serves a real purpose for tourists - mainly the legions of Continental school-age groups that perpetually throng central London, where German or French at times seems to be the local language. It gives these easily bored teen groups something to do.
But mostly i guess it's a money-making venture to tap into the funds of visitng foreign youths and i'm not opposed to that.
So to see something different in London take a tour thru the Trocadero - if you got kids let them lose there with a few pounds while you explore elsewhere - a win-win situation IMO
Oct 4th, 2007, 08:44 AM
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Pal Q this time is spot on.
London's perpetually saturated with school parties of Eurobrats, sent here to improve their English and soak up the British Museum. The brats assent to this, though they've not the slightest interest in the language or culture, because they've heard they can get away with misbehaving here.
Mostly (apart from the Swedes) they're less interested in drinking themselves silly than the natives, and they're too spotty to find out whether English girls really are as easy as the rumours back home claim. So the Trocadero's practically the only place they can realy lout around.
Brilliant marketing - and apart from anything else, it keeps them out of our way. Because, mummy's boys all, they really are the horridest tourists we get.
London's perpetually saturated with school parties of Eurobrats, sent here to improve their English and soak up the British Museum. The brats assent to this, though they've not the slightest interest in the language or culture, because they've heard they can get away with misbehaving here.
Mostly (apart from the Swedes) they're less interested in drinking themselves silly than the natives, and they're too spotty to find out whether English girls really are as easy as the rumours back home claim. So the Trocadero's practically the only place they can realy lout around.
Brilliant marketing - and apart from anything else, it keeps them out of our way. Because, mummy's boys all, they really are the horridest tourists we get.
