Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Desert City Names

In this area, where the Hollywood stars used to play golf and spend millions on air conditioning, there's a Frank Sinatra Drive, a Bob Hope Drive, a Dinah Shore Drive and a Gene Autry Trail. We should do this - a Philip Larkin Boulevard in Hull, a Lytton Strachey Trail in Bloomsbury, a Susan Boyle Turnpike cutting through West Lothian and an Avenue Jade Goody in Bermondsey. (Putting the 'Avenue' first makes it classy, see?)

12 comments:

  1. Janet Street Porter Street or Martha Lane Fox Lane for instance.

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  2. I think NYC knows best, especially that green bit between 59th and 110th streets.

    A much more functional rather than argumentative system, and its the only place in the world where my wife can read maps. Perfect.

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  3. I think cartoon characters should get a look in... like Fred Flintstone, Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny or maybe even... ahem.. I am too shy to suggest that maybe some tiny Avenue could be found for YT?

    Some have greatness thrust upon them...

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  4. Sydney Greenstreet Street, and there's a little park at one end called Sydney Greenstreet Street Green.

    How about Sir Steve Redgrave Row?

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  5. Prefer Erica Roe Row, especially Number 40

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  6. but surely, mahlerman, that should be Erica Roe Chase?

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  7. Glenn Close there's a ball breaker. Modern street naming committees can't compete with the old boys,
    Albert Rd, Victoria Ave, Disraeli Cresc. obviously olden times were a tad celeb lite.
    Mahlerman must be a celeb in Wiesbaden they named a Straße after him.


    Koln's Schillingstraße doesn't contain a single bank.

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  8. The Elton John Passage springs to mind. I think it would be appropriate near to Mincing Lane (London, EC3).

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  9. There's a Trescothick Close in Keynsham. Named after Marcus - yes, really.

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  10. Lovelock Lane has some kind of ring but is mentioned mainly to point to a chilling interview last week. Billions to die when the system suddenly goes from stable to unstable - with no hard evidence of this impending transition available in any measurements beforehand. And if the stability has persisted in fifty years time, what then? Or two hundred? At what point would a relieved humanity feel bound to rename Lovelock Lane to Dyson Drive? If Lovelock's right there'll be far less need for names and for places. Current repute is so transient it's amusing but this bothers me.

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  11. There's an Elf Meadow in a pretty little Cotswold village called Poulton. What lovely images must be conjured up in the minds of its inhabitants. However, it was formerly the site of an Elf petrol station.

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  12. I was pleased to see that despite the fall of communism, Colchester still has its Stalin Road.

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