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mandragoraForbidden Planet has moved. I repeat, Forbidden Planet has moved. Went to visit FP tonight and arrived at the usual place to discover that it is now an 'annex' which sells comics only and nothing else. A brand spanking new 'Megastore' has opened a few minutes walk away, on Shaftesbury Avenue. And gosh, is it ever shiny, bright and new. No more dimly lit basement, now a pair of sunglasses would not go amis when entering the store. Which is big. Much bigger than the old one, although I think the description 'megastore' compared with, say the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street may be a tad generous. But still, more room has gotta be a Good Thing. More room for books and DVDs, and comics, and magazines and videos and did I mention books?
I'm telling everyone now that the new store is on Shaftesbury Avenue because the map FP has produced can only have been drawn by a demented monkey on crack. I mean, I know that area but I could not work out from the map where the damn store was. So, to save anyone else from wandering around (in the pouring rain in my case) the new Forbidden Planet is towards the end of Shaftesbury Avenue as you walk eastbound towards Holborn, on the left-hand side of the road. So, if you're walking down Charing Cross Road towards Leicester Square then turn left down Shaftesbury Avenue from Cambridge Circus.
Got that everyone?
Am feeling all nostalgic now 'cos when I first moved to London FP was a tiny little shop just off Charing Cross Road. The new megastore is its third incarnation. So, a definite success story and perhaps indicative of the way that SF and fantasy culture has gained increasing acceptance in recent years.
And, oooh yeah, the final Tiger and Del novel by Jennifer Roberson is finally out in paperback. *Happy sigh*
I'm telling everyone now that the new store is on Shaftesbury Avenue because the map FP has produced can only have been drawn by a demented monkey on crack. I mean, I know that area but I could not work out from the map where the damn store was. So, to save anyone else from wandering around (in the pouring rain in my case) the new Forbidden Planet is towards the end of Shaftesbury Avenue as you walk eastbound towards Holborn, on the left-hand side of the road. So, if you're walking down Charing Cross Road towards Leicester Square then turn left down Shaftesbury Avenue from Cambridge Circus.
Got that everyone?
Am feeling all nostalgic now 'cos when I first moved to London FP was a tiny little shop just off Charing Cross Road. The new megastore is its third incarnation. So, a definite success story and perhaps indicative of the way that SF and fantasy culture has gained increasing acceptance in recent years.
And, oooh yeah, the final Tiger and Del novel by Jennifer Roberson is finally out in paperback. *Happy sigh*
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Date: 10 October 2003 13:35 (UTC)Synchronistically speaking,
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Date: 10 October 2003 13:49 (UTC)And a very nice hotel it was, too *g* A group of us had drinks there one evening after 'doing' the British Museum with Killa and her man. They didn't mention the FP grand opening, so I don't think it can have happened then. Thinking about it the hotel is about 15 minutes walk from the new FP. Which is just as well, because staying right by Shaftesbury Avenue would be pretty damn noisy. Holborn, at least at night, not so much.
But I can't believe that FP moved and had a grand opening and everything and I didn't realise it was going on. Damn, I'm out of touch!
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Date: 10 October 2003 14:37 (UTC)no subject
Date: 10 October 2003 14:53 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 October 2003 03:41 (UTC)No, it did! We were there the day it opened, and we were late to Oxford because of it. We hadn't realized it was the same store you guys mentioned on Sunday, but when were walking 'home' from the theater on Saturday night, we saw them starting to set up in there, and we wondered what it was. On Tuesday night, coming home from Chinatown after dinner with Olympia and Helen, we saw they were almost finished, so Wednesday morning we went and sure enough, they were open. We spent a good two hours or more in there and hence had a very late day in Oxford. *g* It was so hard to leave the DVDs behind. And the graphic novels. And the art books. Lucky for me, they had precious little of the fandoms I really could have sunk some plastic into.
They gave us a tour of the store when we came in. *g* I think they were really proud of it. I'm very envious and yet relieved that I don't have one of these near me.
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Date: 11 October 2003 09:40 (UTC)Sniffle. And I missed it. Although as they weren't giving anything of the free variety away, I guess I can stand the disappointment. ;)
Lucky for me, they had precious little of the fandoms I really could have sunk some plastic into.
If you live locally There Is No Escape, 'cos they'll order anything you want that they haven't got...
I'm very envious and yet relieved that I don't have one of these near me.
There was a time when I went to Forbidden Planet at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times. That was when I was working in Holborn (at a building right by the tube station) and could easily nip along in my lunchbreak. But yes, it's scarily addictive even when your main addiction is books and there's only so many that interest you published at any one time.
Nowadays I go there about once a month, but have been known to leave it for as long as six weeks. Give the credit card a break. *g*
Meant to mention earlier how glad I am that you two of you had a good time in London, and I wish that I'd been able to get together with you both a bit more. Just one of those things what with work. Sigh. Anyway, please both of you come again, soon.
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Date: 13 October 2003 05:40 (UTC)We completely understood, and thank you again for taking time to get together with us, and to give us so much good information about things to do and places to eat. I know we'll be back before long. You guys are always welcome in Florida. :-) I recommend January.
Ohhhhh, shiny!!
Date: 10 October 2003 13:52 (UTC)*snort* Considering how much time I spent in that shop I should thank the gods for a new, clean and shiny place :)
Will visit tomorrow! And my credit card will never forgive me I'm sure LOL
Re: Ohhhhh, shiny!!
Date: 10 October 2003 13:55 (UTC)And yeah, I know what you mean about the credit card. Mine certainly took a battering *wry smile*. All this with me off to Z-con as well on Thursday. Oh well, it's only money...
*g*
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Date: 10 October 2003 14:43 (UTC)I never go to Forbidden Planet in Edinburgh, of course. (Okay, almost never.) It's a trashy chain store with too much bumph, and there's a lovely small independent sf/f bookshop in the Grassmarket, named Transreal. I shop there. It's only flaw is that it doesn't take book tokens.
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Date: 10 October 2003 14:57 (UTC)I've never been sure of the FP set-up, but am I right in thinking that all the Forbidden Planet branches outside London are owned by a different company? Because otherwise it doesn't make sense why the London branch is pretty damn good (and sells US SF and fantasy imports much cheaper than Murder One) but from what I hear the other branches aren't up to much.
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Date: 10 October 2003 15:22 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 October 2003 09:41 (UTC)no subject
Date: 10 October 2003 15:46 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 October 2003 09:43 (UTC)You're very welcome. If you've only got an afternoon then you really don't want to waste a minute of that essential FP browsing time. *g*