Lunchless in London - Facebook to the rescue
The joys of London during a tube strike. In fact the Northern line was running yesterday. It's not much of a life down there in those jam packed train carriages. No-one can hear you scream.
One tube journey was one too many. My morning appointment, as one of the judges of the CBI's Human Capital Awards, ended early as we sprinted through the categories with not much disagreement about the winners.
Out on the streets it suddenly occurred to me that I had nothing to do. A lunch appointment had fallen through, my next appointment was at 5pm and there was a dinner in St James's in the evening.
There are guide books stuffed with things to do in London and not one of them appealed. This was a work day which by noon meant only one thing: lunch. Lunchless in London is a bleak prospect.
Yes I could have nipped to any Pret a Manger but lunch is about meeting people and conversation. The eating bit is ritual. I walked down Tottenham Court Road and cut through to the Strand and John Adam Street where I often take refuge in the Royal Society for the Arts. In the library there I could sit behind a computer and look at my emails.
I popped on to Facebook, the social networking site. One of my favourite features is a little box where you can describe your situation or mood at any particular time. Mine begins "Richard is....." and I can fill in the rest. So I filled it in: "Richard is at a loose end in London (RSA) and looking for a lunch partner, so come on Facebook, do the business."
Within a few seconds, I had a message from an old friend in the recruitment business inviting me to lunch at the Gherkin where he works. The Gherkin is the somewhat phallic tower designed by Norman Foster. At the very top, in the atrium there is a restaurant and bar for the exclusive use of those who occupy the building - and their guests.
Top lunch, excellent conversation, some of it work-related too justifying the experience if any justification is needed which it isn't. I much prefer this sort of thing to lunches that are booked in the diary, weeks in advance.
So what does this mean? It means that Facebook works. It can put two people together spontaneously in a city of 10m within half an hour's notice. It made my day. Dinner in the evening was good too - business/social with people I know and like. Work? It didn't feel like work.
One tube journey was one too many. My morning appointment, as one of the judges of the CBI's Human Capital Awards, ended early as we sprinted through the categories with not much disagreement about the winners.
Out on the streets it suddenly occurred to me that I had nothing to do. A lunch appointment had fallen through, my next appointment was at 5pm and there was a dinner in St James's in the evening.
There are guide books stuffed with things to do in London and not one of them appealed. This was a work day which by noon meant only one thing: lunch. Lunchless in London is a bleak prospect.
Yes I could have nipped to any Pret a Manger but lunch is about meeting people and conversation. The eating bit is ritual. I walked down Tottenham Court Road and cut through to the Strand and John Adam Street where I often take refuge in the Royal Society for the Arts. In the library there I could sit behind a computer and look at my emails.
I popped on to Facebook, the social networking site. One of my favourite features is a little box where you can describe your situation or mood at any particular time. Mine begins "Richard is....." and I can fill in the rest. So I filled it in: "Richard is at a loose end in London (RSA) and looking for a lunch partner, so come on Facebook, do the business."
Within a few seconds, I had a message from an old friend in the recruitment business inviting me to lunch at the Gherkin where he works. The Gherkin is the somewhat phallic tower designed by Norman Foster. At the very top, in the atrium there is a restaurant and bar for the exclusive use of those who occupy the building - and their guests.
Top lunch, excellent conversation, some of it work-related too justifying the experience if any justification is needed which it isn't. I much prefer this sort of thing to lunches that are booked in the diary, weeks in advance.
So what does this mean? It means that Facebook works. It can put two people together spontaneously in a city of 10m within half an hour's notice. It made my day. Dinner in the evening was good too - business/social with people I know and like. Work? It didn't feel like work.
Labels: atrium, CBI, Facebook, Gherkin, Human Capital Awards, John Adam Street, Norman Foster, Northern Line, phallic, Pret a Manger, RSA, St James's
posted by Richard Donkin at
9:27 AM
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