2010 Conference

[mariab]

Hi Claire,
Pakistan sounds very dramatic. I think that the getaway town to K2 is Rawalpindi.
I bet that almost everyone posting on casebook is procrastinating from something!
I'll be back to work in a jiffy (after having dealt with laundry). Big stupid bureaucratical project to take care of, I'll try finishing it up tonight, but it's not a given. But first I have to deal with my boss in Chicago (which is as nice a distraction as casebook!)
I guess we'll meet in Whitechapel, but it's a long time from now, and presently I can only think about all the crap paperwork I have to fill out tonight...

[claire]

Ah well, some of it is better than none of it--hope your journey is quick and safe!
We're in Islamabad, so just the Margala Hills and the unfortunate remains of that terrible plane crash the other week just behind the house...the country seems completely blighted right now
I hear you about work: I've no idea what I'm doing on here bar procrastinating...

[mariab]

Hi Claire, I see. Kiwi (at least the one of you), but currently residing in the British Isles – and in Pakistan. (Wow! I hear about the floods, which we also had here in East Germany, due to never ever stopping rain for 3 weeks. And K2!! Now that's a place I've been dreaming about!)
I'm not coming Friday evening, I have to work, plus I'm desperately broke. (August was a no-salary month for me, and September is with a nice salary, but in Paris, which is excrutiatingly expensive.) I'm coming early saturday morning, and leaving sunday evening. I can't wait to try some routes in Whitechapel, and obviously I'm looking forward to the conference. (Well, actually, I can wait! There's so much workload right now, that I'm simply taking it one day at a time!)
Looking forward to meeting you in Whitechapel (said the Ripper), and

[claire]

Hi Maria,
Just to clarify, we're not coming from NZ! My poor husband happens to be a kiwi, bless him. This is the first time in years that we've been in striking distance of the UK, so happily will be coming--we're sort of split between Wales, London and Pakistan these days.
Are you coming to the quiz??
I'm kind of getting a bit excited even though I will be crap at the quiz and vegetoid-rapt during the lectures; the simple act of feeding my credit card details into the hotel booking page has brought home the imminent reality of it all

[mariab]

Hi Bigjon,
I think I've seen you on the JTR Forums. From Swansea, right? And I just happen to know that there is surf in close proximity to where you live. Anyway, welcome to casebook!
The internet reports complained about construction noise as recently as in July. But I totally forgot it'll be a Sunday, I wasn't even thinking!
They also complain about the elevator of the hotel never working, but that's not a problem for me, even for a room on the 6th floor. (I'm used to dealing with no elevator from Paris.) But for older people it might constitute a problem...

[bigjon]

About the Liverpool Street Travelodge.

There was noise from the building site next door at the time of the last conference. Probably been completed now though. Besides, it only happened on the monday morning and wasn't all that loud!

[mariab]

I just got SO very disappointed, I was imagining a Hitchkockian setting, with a black cat running between people's feet during the conference.
I saw a closeup of Dids opposite Martin Fido in the Knoxville conference. That cat surely comes around.

[Rob Clack]

I don't know what all the fuss is about with Dids. I'll be there, what more could anyone want

Rob

[Andrew Firth]

Can I post a VERY naive, newbie question in Ripperology? It looks like Diddles is NOT a real cat?!! Oh, what a disappointment! I almost feel like not coming... (buckets of tears...)

Shhh! Don't let Suzi hear you say that.....

Andrew

[mariab]

Can I post a VERY naive, newbie question in Ripperology? It looks like Diddles is NOT a real cat?!! Oh, what a disappointment! I almost feel like not coming... (buckets of tears...)

[mariab]

Thanks so much, Claire,
I was expecting such. email-comm is the perfect comm!
Great that you're coming all the way from NZ!!
By the way, I've booked at the “Liverpool Street“, but I'm waiting a day or 2 before buying the Eurostar tickets, so as for them to go in next month's credit card bill. I hope that the price doesn't go higher in the meantime...!

[claire]

Bugger, you just reminded me that I have to book accommodation; I'm dragging the husband with me (not, thankfully, to the conference, in which case he'd be the one coaxing poor innocents outside for a fag), so have to stay somewhere that a New Zealander won't get horribly lost. This means *expensive* so I think we'll be at the Hyatt.

Mariab--don't worry about missing documentation; it's email comms only!

[mariab]

To Trevor Bond, Rob Clack, and Andrew Firth:
Thank you all so very much! I wish I could manage Friday as well, and I find Trevor Bond's fundraising project for Frances Coles' tombstone very-very touching, but I'm actually supposed to be working both Friday and Saturday, and I'll simply “cut school“ on Saturday. I'll be coming from Paris, and if take the Eurostar I might make it to the Pub (I mean, to the conference!) just around 10.00 a.m., whereas with an easyjet flight it's 40-€ cheaper, but by bus from Luton I'd make it to the Pub (conference! another Freudian slip!!) around 11.00 a.m. at the earliest, and would miss John Bennett's presentation on the doss houses, which I'd rather like to hear. Actually Eurostar is better anyway, because one doesn't need to check luggage and crap. And I'd leave on sunday early evening, so as to have a chance for a little Whitechapel tour by daylight too. (And no worries about shoes, I almost always have old Nikes on, unless sometimes when going out in Paris, to places where high heels are “expected“.)
As for accommodation, the Premier Inn on Prescott Street has vacancies and at just £25 more than the Travelodge, but probably it's best if I stayed at the same place as the others, esp. if people arrange something for Sunday morning, when I bet that all would be a bit groggy. If I got it right, both Rob Clack and Suzie (and Diddles) will be lodging at “Liverpool Street“ (at 1, Harrow Place, which is nowhere near Liverpool Street!), which is right the corner from the Pub? I think I'll simply book there too. (And whatever nonsense the internet posters claim, that the doors don't lock?!? I'll just shove a chair against the door and go to sleep, what, is it the Ripper that's supposed to come and get me?!)
As for breakfast, I might perhaps have 2 of them! One at the Travellodge (esp. if they have porridge!) and one outside... Or I'll follow the others, if specific plans for a brunch or whatnot have been made.
Thank you all SOOO very much for being so helpful.
Oh, and by the way, I've payed to Adam Wood, I don't suppose that he'd need to send me any documents or anything? Because I put on my Berlin address, and I won't be in Berlin but for another 10 days. Otherwise I might need to give him my Paris address. (Real mix-up situation here!)
With endless apologies for bothering you all so much,
thank you so very much and until soon, then

[Andrew Firth]

If the reviews that you've been reading are on tripadvisor.com, then yes, it's the place where born complainers congregate! I've stayed at the Liv Street Travelodge, and it was fine.

One thing worth remembering if you're staying in a Travelodge though, is that the breakfasts are pretty bad. If you're expecting the best in English breakfasts, then you'll be disappointed. The best bet is to pay for a room only, and then each morning head out to somewhere like Cafe Le Jardin on Bell Lane, where an excellent full English breakfast can be had. I'm staying at the Travelodge "Tower Bridge" (which is nowhere near Tower Bridge) and I've not paid extra for the hotel's rather processed fare.

Oh, and if you take Rob up on his offer of a walk, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. I've still not fully recovered from April's London Job walk that had Rob planned out!

All the best
Andrew

[Rob Clack]

Hi Maria,

Whenever I've looked at the Premier Inn on Prescott Street they were always booked up. Travelodge charged me £70 a night which is very good.
I'm doing Friday and Saturday night (can't get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday) so if you want a little tour around the sites let me know. I know all the nice spots

Rob