Welcome to The US Embassy London


"Seven things in Seven  Hours" 22 June 2012


How is it possible that the "Most Powerful" nation on earth has an embassy building in the heart of London that resembles a car park on the outside and a penitentiary on the inside. Its all decorated with  nicotine stain coloured walls, "graced" with a misplaced and badly hung American Flag weighed down by two ghastly "shelves" of  Warhol rubbish to the right of it. 

There are rows of  "visiting" cubicles that have screens and bars rising to the ceiling some twenty foot above....over the top or what.........whoever designed that must have some idea that Batman 'n Robin and the rest of the comic world Super heroes
 would be applying for visas from London and.......... in their boredom ( six hours without a mobile) would leap about the place playing silly buggers with the staff behind the desks.  

Come on America...we know that you are moving house at some point  in the nearish future but.........a couple of Jasper John flags cavorting with the real thing...well placed and hung by someone who loves American Culture would vastly improve the "death row" feel of the place.

...another thing why has the female voice of Hell (Hal) been given such a significant role in conducting the misery of visa processing? 

...to sum up my visit to the US Embassy today.........it felt like the drive into London through New Cross/Peckham's potholes and deprivation............nay........a journey into a far more grim unblinking, unsmiling future....bit North Korea.

What was nice about the place.........well...the view onto Grosvenor Square when the sun came out...and in those six hours "behind bars" it did twice. 

The paper work I could turn into paper gliders. 

The Chemist down the road that is an unofficial (barely) outpost of America making tons of money out of those of us who forgot to bring the right bit of paper. Fifty Third State?

The lady at the courier company desk inside the embassy who was rendered speechless at the loveliness of my glasses.............and the lady that let me have my visa. 

God Bless American Lady.




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