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urban odyssey
Jun. 19th, 2007 10:52 amI worked out what the item sent to me by recorded delivery was - my Bloodstock ticket. So I headed out before work today to get it. That was an interesting experience. Getting a bus to Arnold, a small town about 2 miles along the road from me, shouldn't be all that difficult. Unfortunately the first bus to Arnold that came along was going to go via Bulwell, another small town approximately the same distance away but in almost entirely the wrong direction. So I took the next one, which got to the destination but went a very unfamiliar route, meaning I had to wander semi-aimlessly for a bit until I could find Arnold town centre, and from there navigate to the Royal Mail collection office. The delivery office at Arnold is better than the one in Bilborough in two ways; they actually attempt to deliver your mail, and they actually have your mail when they claim to have it.
I attempted to simplify my return route by walking down to Mansfield Road, which goes directly into the city centre. I grabbed the first bus saying 'City' on the front, and hoped for the best. Instead of 'the best', I got a circuitous route which started by immediately deviating off the main road into the city centre and which took me on a tour of several lesser-seen parts of Nottingham. I think the first stop was the little shopping centre in Mapperley, quickly followed by a trip over the hill to Carlton, passing through alternate areas of rural beauty and urban squalor, sharply juxtaposed. It was quite pleasant to be listening to the beautiful song "Death, Come Near Me" by Draconian on my mp3 player while travelling through the nearest thing to countryside I'm likely to see for a while. (Yes, I know it doesn't sound all that beautiful from the title, but there you go.)
Eventually the bus arrived in town and I got off as soon as I could, to hurry to work. The God of Public Transport saw fit to scorn me one last time however, and as I reached the office I saw that the bus I'd just alighted had gone on to stop right underneath my window. Grr!
I attempted to simplify my return route by walking down to Mansfield Road, which goes directly into the city centre. I grabbed the first bus saying 'City' on the front, and hoped for the best. Instead of 'the best', I got a circuitous route which started by immediately deviating off the main road into the city centre and which took me on a tour of several lesser-seen parts of Nottingham. I think the first stop was the little shopping centre in Mapperley, quickly followed by a trip over the hill to Carlton, passing through alternate areas of rural beauty and urban squalor, sharply juxtaposed. It was quite pleasant to be listening to the beautiful song "Death, Come Near Me" by Draconian on my mp3 player while travelling through the nearest thing to countryside I'm likely to see for a while. (Yes, I know it doesn't sound all that beautiful from the title, but there you go.)
Eventually the bus arrived in town and I got off as soon as I could, to hurry to work. The God of Public Transport saw fit to scorn me one last time however, and as I reached the office I saw that the bus I'd just alighted had gone on to stop right underneath my window. Grr!
