May 25, 2004
London from the air
I visited London today and saw it from the air.
There is a relatively new icon in London--the London Eye. It is a giant Ferris wheel apparatus opposite the Houses of Parliament that elevates the visitor something like 135m over the surface of the Thames.
I'm not altogether sure what I think of it. It is certainly a tourist attraction and does give one a very unusual view of the city of London. That said, I'm not convinced that I would ever ride it more than once (nor would, I imagine, most Londoners).
I've seen a lot of changes from the London I remember of the 1970s. Most for the better. The tube is cleaner, more extensive (it now goes to Heathrow), the food in the city is much, much better. On the down side, there have been huge increases in the cost of living, the cost of homes have gone out of sight, public drunkeness has taken a serious upswing, and a lot of ugly architecture has been created (one very odd structure looks like an egg stood on end--60 floors high--it's nicknamed "The Ghurkin").
Having seen a lot of "question time"--where the Prime Minister has to account for his actions in front of the Parliament and answer questions--I remain convinced that the Parliamentary system, as practiced here, is far superior to the American system of government.
One just cannot get to be leader of a party, and Prime Minister, without having a brain and being able to think on one's feet. Some might argue that President Bush shows this is no longer (if it has ever been in the American system) a prime criteria for being leader of the free world but I think it should be.
Posted by artandscience at May 25, 2004 09:46 AM