What a fantastic place St Pancras train station is. Seriously.
This video from before computers could do almost everything Kraftwerk wanted them to do really resonated with me this week.
Especially the bit about 40 seconds in when the fantastically realistic train swoops through the city. And when it appears again throughout the video, but specifically at about 3 minutes.
Getting off the train from Streatham on Friday and turning right after the escalators delivered me from the basement platforms, as soon as you step out you’re right in front of the The Francis Crick Institute.
And that made me think. This new research institute is going to be on the mainline to the mainland. Potentially within an easier commute by high speed train. Within a 10 minute walk are the new UCLH buildings, the main UCL campus, the British Library, and the Bree Louise. Given that it takes approximately an hour to get from Heathrow/Gatwick to central London, by train/taxi/wishful thinking, that gives it (in my eyes) a brilliant location for a well supported/funded biomedical research institute.
I’m not a lab monkey anymore, and I wasn’t a particularly good one when I was, but the thought of being able to get from the bench to Europe for meetings etc so easily would be particularly appealing. Especially as I had history of losing posters in airports.
I’m also listening to this right now as I type:
Anthony Daly – House/Techno mix
I will be listening to more of that at work/tomorrow on the bike. There may even be hands in the air moments at 18 minutes.
démeaux 