London Calling

Living without a car has turned us into devotees of the London public transport system.  However, we do find ourselves hopping into a taxi on occasion.  The iconic London Black Cab, descended from the horse-drawn Hackney carriages of the Empire’s heyday, are the publicly sanctioned conveyance of choice in this city.  Black Cab drivers are invariably courteous, entertaining, generous with advice and, above all, knowledgeable about navigating this haphazardly laid out maze of narrow alleys, roundabouts, one-way roads and obscure street names(they don’t call it Piccadilly Circus for nothing).

Unlike New York, North America’s yellow cab capitol and home of the prohibitively priced “medallion” of NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission fame, London has no limit on taxi permits.  Also unlike New York, however, London cabbies have to pass a comprehensive test proving their competence as drivers and knowledge of the city.  ”The Knowledge,” as it is known here, includes a detailed familiarity with the 25,000 streets within a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross Station, general knowledge of major arterial routes into and around London, and the location of a plethora of “squares, clubs, hospitals, hotels, theatres, government and public buildings, railway stations, police stations, courts, diplomatic buildings, important places of worship, cemeteries, crematoria, parks and open spaces, sports and leisure centres, etc, etc…”  You get the picture.

It’s not uncommon to see drivers-in-training navigating city streets on scooters with clip boards to familiarize themselves with the 400 “runs” that comprise the Blue Book of common routes on which the London Carriage Office test is based.  On a recent ride I was informed that it takes a minimum of 2 years to prepare for and pass the test, while some cabbies have taken as many as 17 to get their license, presumably while preoccupied with another career.  As we wound our way from Bloomsbury to Maida Vale in the wee hours, the same driver serenaded me with a medley of Ol’ Blue Eyes hits in a lovely voice, reminiscent of a young Chet Baker.  I’d pay that 10 pounds again.

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Softball???  Yup. Gotta keep these young city girls busy.

Thanks to the local youth sports organization, London Sports, we ex-pat dads can live out our weekend warrior fantasies, vicariously, through our children.  in addition to seasonal soccer and basketball, London Sports sponsors weekend softball and little league for kids, age 6-13, in the balmy spring months.  This season started with a pair of clinics–one for parent coaches and one for the kids–run by former major leaguers, Denny Doyle and Paul Hatzell, in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Alumni Association.  A great opportunity to learn skills from the pros(a kid benefit) and hear inside tips and tales of the game(a parent treat).  Now everyone take a knee!

(That’s Erin, back row on the left, in blue)

Home field for all activities is the Wormwood Scrubs Nature Reserve, a large open space in the Hammersmith Borough of West London.  In the shadow of notorious Wormwood Scrubs Prison, it’s a bit hard and a bit dirty.  The athletic fields, such as they are, have been designed as football pitches and our kids share the rugged facilities of the adjacent Linford Christie Track Stadium with crowds of burly, testosterone fueled weekend footballers.  But London Sports has done an admirable job of acquiring and organizing time, space and equipment for several hundred boys and girls in six leagues to get a dose of the American national pastime on foreign soil.

Erin and I will see you at The Scrubs!

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