| Liverpool
Street Station |
Time in: 1300
Time out: 1310 |
| Pub 5:
Hamilton Hall |
|
| More bus fun
followed on our epic journey on a number 11 to Liverpool Street Station,
with a few of our group waving (or making other gestures) at the foreign
tourists we were passing. Within seconds of alighting at the terminus, it
was another mad sprint along the upper concourse at the station to our first
Wetherspoon pub of the day, and the realisation of the fact we weren't the
only ones pub crawling the Monopoly board that day. Jamie decided we weren't
going to be held up by them, so it was a case of down-them-and-out, and it
was back over for another bus, this time up to Islington, and The Angel. I
stop off at the Station Shop for food and nearly miss the bus... Mike and
Gary stop off at McDonalds looking for me and miss the bus. |
 |
| Angel
Islington |
Time in: 1330
Time out: 1340 |
| Pub 6: The
Angel |
|
| There was no
animal rights demonstration this year at The Angel, so we safely crossed the
road without fear of arrest, and charged into one of the busier pubs of the
day, another JD Wetherspoon establishment. Phil got the drinks in, and
somehow ended up with a few too many until we realised Mike and Gary were
probably still at Liverpool Street. After a few minutes though, they turned
up, apparently on the bus just behind us, and downed the by now warm vodka
and orange before joining the rest of us on the short walk up the hill to
Pentonville Road. The wind was starting to pick up by this point and a few
hats flew into the road, but nearly getting run over is all part of the fun! |
 |
|
Pentonville Road |
Time in:
1345 Time out: 1355 |
| Pub 7: The
Pint Pot |
|
| A Monopoly
favourite... The Pint Pot was already filled with rival crawlers when we got
here, and the tall lass with the Union Jack hat certainly caught my eye!
This place appeared even less like a pub than in previous years what with
the menus on the tables proffering a wide variety of Thai cuisine, although
I daresay it would have been a welcome break for some of our group! A few of
us sat outside on the picnic tables and enjoyed the London smog, but as the
rain began to fall, we drank up and re-grouped, before legging it across the
road in front of an approaching bus, which we all managed to catch. Another
group of crawlers made this bus as well... the aim was to make it to Kings
Cross quickly and get served before them! |
 |
| Kings
Cross Station |
Time in: 1405 Time out: 1410 |
| Pub 8:
Coopers |
|
| We all managed to
miss the stop for Kings Cross, so had to jump off just as the bus was
pulling away. Bev and I were first across the road and into the side
entrance of the station, with me slowing us down by stopping at the cash
machine. Five minutes later, anyone passing Coopers pub would have been
rubbing their eyes in disbelief at no less than FOUR distinct groups of
Monopoly pub crawlers, all competing to get served quickly by the
increasingly frustrated bar staff! The variety of silly hats on display here
had to be seen to be believed, but we didn't linger long as once again, we
wanted a head start on our rivals... |
 |
| Euston
Road |
Time in:
1415 Time out: 1425 |
| Pub 9: The
Euston Flyer |
|
| For the first time
in the day, some people began to question whether we'd complete the crawl,
though I was being optimistic as ever. Jamie reckoned we were ahead of
schedule but there was to be no slow-down in drinking speeds just yet, until
the winning post was within sight. The Flyer is another well-known Monopoly
pub, and was the point we welcomed a new addition to our group, Mr P. To get
him in the spirit, Bev suggested he should drink pints to catch the rest of
us up... a suggestion that was taken just a little too literally but caused
everyone great amusement later on! Arguments followed as we were leaving
this pub as to the quickest way to Oxford Street... in the end, the bus won,
and somehow once again, we all managed to make it onto the same one after
yet another mad hat-flying dash. |
 |
| Oxford
Street |
Time in: 1440
Time out: 1450 |
| Pub 10: The
Tottenham |
|
| By this point, it
was pelting down with rain, so I thought it might be a good idea to open the
window on the bus, but this seemed to annoy the normal passengers a little
when the damn thing refused to close. After playing dodge the tourist, we
all made it safely into The Tottenham, without a doubt the busiest pub of
the afternoon, and ordered our 10th drink of the day. Everyone was in high
spirits by this point, the heavy rain not even dampening our enthusiasm, and
as far as I can remember, our entire group of starters from Old Kent Road
was still together. |
 |
| (Great)
Marlborough Street |
Time in: 1500
Time out: 1515 |
| Pub 11:
O'Neills |
|
| After spilling out
of the last pub onto a heaving Oxford Street, we decided battling through
the throng of foreigners would take just too long, so another bus ride was
called for. Things started to go wrong at this point, with half our group
getting onto the first bus to arrive and the rest taking the second, the
latter of whom actually got off at the right place for the pub. O'Neills
here used to be a Firkin in previous years, but there is now no trace of its
former heritage. Many photos were taken after those crawlers on the first
bus turned up 10 minutes later, and a swift head count confirmed we still
hadn't lost anyone! Even Mr P is getting drunk by now. |
 |
|
Marylebone Station |
Time in: 1530
Time out: 1540 |
| Pub 12: The
Victoria & Albert |
|
| The rain had eased
slightly as we all headed for the tube to Marylebone, our last station of
the day. Alcohol was certainly kicking in by now (for some people at least)
although the escalators here posed no problem for our intrepid herd. A
Bakerloo line train was just pulling in as one of our number came onto the
platform so with a cry of "come on" everyone legged it through the short
corridor and onto the waiting tube, gasping for breath and generally
entertaining the other passengers. Poor Gary was just too slow though, he
came onto the platform just as the train doors closed, to excess laughter
from the rest of us on board. Another race followed up to the concourse at
Marylebone, while the bar staff in the pub sighed "oh no, not again"... |
 |
| Mayfair |
Time in: 1600 Time out: 1610 |
| Pub 13: The
Kings Arms |
|
| Thanks to the poor
ones amongst us stopping for more cash, we missed a bus to Mayfair by mere
seconds, which caused a walk to Baker Street for the tube to Green Park. Bev
must have been very drunk by now as he led half our number across the road
and back in a pied piper fashion, while the rest of us enjoyed the
intermittent sunshine. We found the tube platform without too much trouble -
Mike and I inadvertently getting into a different carriage from everyone
else however, which meant using the handy connecting door while the train
was moving. Not easy whilst under the influence. I can't really remember
much about the next pub apart from the fact a round cost an arm and a leg,
and the toilets were at the bottom of a small twisty staircase. |
 |
| (Old)
Park Lane |
Time in:
1615 Time out: 1625 |
| Pub 14: The
Rose & Crown |
|
| It was pissing
down again by now, which meant a mad dash from one pub to the next, past all
the posh hotels. A few regulars in this pub got chatting to me and Phil
about what we were doing, but sadly they declined to buy everyone a drink,
which was a shame as it was my round here. Football results were coming in
thick and fast by now so we stopped for a bit to catch up on the scores,
while the addicted amongst us (not me this time!) played the fruit machines.
Someone noticed we were actually over half way through the route, so Mr P
had another pint to celebrate. No sign of any of our rival Monopoly crawlers
for quite a while now... had they given up? |
 |
| Bond
Street |
Time in:
1635 Time out: 1645 |
| Pub 15: The
Goat Tavern |
|
| The lazy amongst
us argued for a bus to the next pub, but as we were only five minutes away,
we all walked, or rather stumbled. I know some of us went to The Goat Tavern
for this square - I don't recall whether I went in that one or The Duke Of
Albemarle, but as it wasn't my round, I wasn't paying much in the way of
attention. In an unprecedented turn of events, after leaving our respective
pubs, we found the group still intact... 15 pubs gone and not losing a
single person was pretty impressive stuff. And only a short walk to the next
pub, might we actually complete the crawl this year? |
 |
| Pall Mall |
Time in: 1715
Time out: 1725 |
| Pub 17: The
Red Lion (Crown Passage) |
|
| Half our group
found the pub straight away while the rest of us ran past it, and had to
double back. Just a quickie here... everyone has started to gain drunkenness
rapidly and cannot remember who is to buy the next round, so we decided to
buy our own from now on. We are only half way through our possible 12 hours
here, but are way ahead of schedule, this being pub number 17. Everyone was
sure we would complete the crawl by this point (failing being arrested or
falling over drunk) but just to make sure, we left quickly and moved on to
the next, and most ridiculous, pub. |
 |
| Vine
Street |
Time in:
1730 Time out: 1750 |
| Pub 18: The
Swallow Street Bar |
|
| Forsaking good old
Bentleys Cabin, we chose this new place, The Swallow Street Bar. Bev got to
the bar first and asked for our usual, single vodka and orange, only to be
told that they don't serve single measures!! Unanimously, we reckoned 6 quid
for some weird cocktail was too much to pay, so instead opted for a three
quid bottle of Stella(!). As we'd paid for the privilege, we decided to
loiter here for longer than normal and enjoy the plush surroundings, but the
disapproving looks from the rest of the clientele urged us to move on after
twenty minutes. At least it wasn't far to the next pub, Cheers, which was to
be the last point our starting group of 20 would be together that day. |
 |
| Regent
Street |
Time in: 1800
Time out: 1810 |
| Pub 19:
Cheers |
|
| I was paranoid
we'd be refused entry to Cheers as it was the only pub so far to have
doormen on duty, but we all made it in safely. Unlike two years before,
everyone managed to get served quickly this time although once again the
poor bar staff didn't get any tips in their gratuities saucer! There weren't
many hats left in evidence by this stage although I had passed mine to an
increasingly wasted Mr P before we entered this pub. On the way from here to
Coventry Street though, everyone got split up in the Saturday evening London
crowd through Piccadilly, and as a result, only me, Mike and Bev arrived at
the next stop, and ordered a drink. Had things gone wrong? |
 |
| Coventry
Street |
Time in: 1820
Time out: 1830 |
| Pub 20: The
Blue Posts (Rupert Street) |
|
| Thankfully, about
five minutes after the rest of us got here, Jamie turned up, followed by a
few other stragglers. Some crawlers had gone onto Leicester Square first and
we passed them halfway across the Square as they went back to Coventry
Street, and we headed towards Yates' Wine Lodge. Sadly, our second port of
call with doormen proved our downfall as they informed us "sorry lads, you
can't come in here" before helpfully sending us next door to Wetherspoons! I
can't confirm if everyone actually made it to the Coventry Street pub, but I
know I did! |
 |
| Leicester
Square |
Time in:
1835 Time out: 1845 |
| Pub 21: The
Moon Under Water |
|
| For a change, we
chose Yates' instead of Wetherspoons for this years Monopoly crawl, but as
they wouldn't let most of us in (a few did actually blag their way in), the
rest of us hot footed it next door to the tried and tested Moon Under Water.
As usual, this place was packed, but you can't really argue with
Wetherspoons value drinks! Our numbers were seriously depleted by this point
although that was mainly due to some people going here before Coventry
Street! I managed to round up those of us left and we moved onto Trafalgar
Square, where we found the rest of the survivors. |
 |
| Trafalgar
Square |
Time in:
1855 Time out: 1905 |
| Pub 22: The
Chandos (St Martin's Lane) |
|
| Some of our group
were getting slightly rowdy by now, but I got the fiver back off Jamie which
he'd borrowed a few pubs back, which meant I could actually afford to buy a
drink, so I was happy! The pub here was packed out with foreign tourists,
possibly as a result of there being a massive festival in Trafalgar Square
the following day, so much chatting up of fit birds happened. All too soon
however, it was time to move on once again, but what happened next nearly
prematurely ended my day! Thank God for mobile phones on pub crawls! I went
off to the cash machine before going to the next scheduled pub, but when I
eventually got there (I got lost), there was no-one else from our group in
sight! |
 |
|
Northumberland Avenue |
Time in:
1920 Time out: 1930 |
| Pub 23: The
Sherlock Holmes |
|
| OK, I was in a
pub, so I had a drink anyway, before panicking I might not actually finish
the crawl this year AGAIN!!! Outside the pub, I finally got Bev to answer
his phone and found out they had gone to Whitehall first, with the aim of
going back to where I was afterwards, so started walking up there. Half way
though, I passed Jamie on his own going to Northumberland Avenue after
Whitehall, so I joined him, went back to The Sherlock Holmes, and had a
second drink there, before Jamie said he was going on to the next pub, and I
turned round again and went back to Whitehall. After getting lost for the
second pub in a row behind this big Police Station, I eventually found
Whitehall, and The Silver Cross. |
 |
| Whitehall |
Time in:
1945 Time out: 1955 |
| Pub 24: The
Silver Cross |
|
| Bev, Mike, Phil,
Mr P, Andy and a few others (I think) were just finishing off their drinks
in this recently refurbished pub when I arrived, so in order to keep up, I
had a double vodka and ice which could be knocked back quickly, ready to go.
However, everyone else slowed down, so I didn't really need to rush after
all! We all left here together, but that was the last I remember seeing of
Phil. Predictably, it was back to The Sherlock Holmes for my third time
(everyone else's first) so keeping in the spirit of things, I had yet
another drink there. We were into the home straight after leaving here -
only 2 pubs to go yet we are 2 hours ahead of schedule. |
 |
| Strand |
Time in:
2015 Time out: 2035 |
| Pub 25:
Lyceum Tavern |
|
| We planned to go
into The Coal Hole for The Strand square, but the doormen once again
wouldn't let us in, saying it was a couples only pub, and our protestations
that we were really all gay partners didn't cut the ice. Maybe it was a
blessing in disguise that we didn't get into our first choice pub though, as
The Lyceum Tavern which we did get into was a really top place! Andy
reckoned the barmaid here fancied him, so much so that a few of us came back
here after completing the crawl to see if she did or not, but all that
really achieved was the spectacle of Mr P falling asleep on a table. I had
semi-sobered up by this point, so much so that I was up for doing Waterworks
and Electricity Company as bonus pubs, but no-one else I was with could
really cope with that. Still in high spirits, we asked a taxi driver the way
to the last pub. He told us we were stood right outside it, and looking up,
we were! |
 |
| Bow
Street |
Time in:
2050 Time out: 2215 |
| Pub 26: The
Marquess of Anglesey |
|
| And finally, four
years after me and Jamie first attempted a Monopoly pub crawl, we got to the
end, a full two hours early! Bev, Mike and myself finished the entire crawl
together, with Andy and Mr P present also (though they joined us part way
through). Jamie and at least four others finished ahead of us and went on
somewhere else, somehow running into Bev around half past ten drunkenly
wandering the streets of Soho on his own. Andy, Mr P and I hung around the
last pub for a while chatting to anything female, before we left and headed
back to The Lyceum Tavern so Andy could chat up the cute barmaid he saw
earlier. Last orders came and went, Mr P wandered off into the night, and so
ended the 2001 (and possibly our last) Monopoly Pub Crawl. If we ever do it
again, we're going to attempt it in the order of the actual board game. Go
back to Old Kent Road. Do not pass Go. Spend over £200... |
 |
