I can`t believe that a person with a name like Bob O`Sullivan could write so well. His piece on ”Taking in England at a walk . . .” in the Sept. 20 Sunday Trib is superb-arch and full of the kind of back-reference that holds it together . . .
Rural England! Outside of reading, it`s my favorite refuge. Recreational walking? Perhaps a length or two in the evening.
People can`t think that a person with a name such as mine could write either. But writing is my outer garment. Reading well-done work by others is my inner strength.
You keep it up, you hear?
Appreciatingly,
SOURCE: Don Poor.
FOGGY LONDON TOWN?
DATELINE: MONMOUTH, ILL.
The thought occurred to me as I was reading Sunday`s travel section
(Sept. 27) that some of the people who write articles about England seem to have less than detailed knowledge about their subject.
Andrea Plate, who waxed eloquently if not accurately about Sherlock Holmes, is a case in point. Since the early 1960s and the abolition of open fireplace burning of charcoal, London has been blessedly free of fog. You might have to look very hard for it in the morning. The romantic conception of ”A Foggy Day in Old London Town” is pretty much a thing of the past.
Her difficulty with Northumberland Avenue and Northumberland Street is perhaps understandable-even though they are barely 100 yards apart-yet I`m not sure you really need to be a detective to locate a pub that is within four blocks of Trafalgar Square. And for goodness sakes, once you do get there, please don`t ask to lift a ”schooner of bitters.” I think the barman might be less bemused if asked for a ”pint of bitter.”
Bob O`Sullivan, in an article later in the section, makes mention of a British landlord telling him how to feed half-pound coins into an electric meter. That`s the first time I`ve heard of a 50-pence piece described that way. While on the subject of those voracious meters, however: Travelers should be leery of them. Landlords can set them to any rate they choose and the difference between what the London Electricity Board charges and what the renter pays can amount to a tidy profit for the owner.
Cheers, SOURCE: Prof. James De Young, Monmouth College. Reader comments about articles in this section are welcome. Write to The Chicago Tribune, Travel Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. The more concise the letter, the less we will have to edit it to fit our space.
