Leaving Salisbury went smoothly; I’d packed everything I possibly could, done the dishes, and even vacuumed the night before, so all I really needed to do was shower, put on the clothes I’d set out the evening before, and go, retuning the key to it’s lockbox & dumping some rubbish on the way out.
Me being me, I still did some paranoid checks of things, but the intention was good.
The train to London arrived confusingly, in that the SWR app and the station signs said it was approaching and between two stops, while the announcement said it was the empty train already at the platform. One final spooky mystery of the stay?
The trip itself? Uneventful. Pretty scenery, stops in tiny little villages, and eventually London Waterloo station. Because of my extreme cleverness of checking out on a work day Monday and not going for early check-in at my hotel, I booked another Brewdog Deskdog co-working desk, this one at their super convenient Waterloo Station site. (Which would be easier to find if they had consistent signage at Waterloo station)
The Waterloo location is specifically called out as being more expensive, and I get why now; it’s purpose built for co-working. Open early, a lot of space, a few one person pods for calls & meetings, and in a space where someone wandering in would be really obvious.
Also, there are two levels, and there’s a slide.
I’m liking the Deskdog thing. It’s an interesting space to work out of, quiet enough that I’m getting work done, and the fact that there are people around is something of a calming influence when you really want to call someone an idiot. Or worse.
There were a few other people using the ‘main” space ( set up with big tables & power outlets ), a few singles, a couple of people who seemed to be working on something together, and a group who acted like they knew each other who’d maybe all come together there for an in-person gathering.
Part of the point of this London week was to try out working in London, and to try out co-working spaces; The Company is part of one in London (Geovation), so I had an introduction session for that over teams. Felt a bit odd to be talking about a space from a different equivalent space, but it turns out that the Geovation thing is more of an incubator which has some office hubs; They’re big into networking & development & the like, which really didn’t come up when anyone at work mentioned the space. Work folks were all about hotdesks & meeting rooms.
I also did some rearranging of Gen Con Events; Gave back a ticket to something I wasn’t as keen on so that I could get something else. Not an unheard of process for me where the Gen Con schedule is concerned.
Worked from Brewdog until about 4, then scuttled off to the hotel to finish out my day from there before the Underground got too busy.
Had an early night, and I worked the Tuesday from the hotel so that I could sleep longer, which only sort of worked. Did go for a morning wander around Greenwich though, so that worked out ok.
I have a desk booked at the Geovation hub for Thursday & Friday (security needs a 24 hour warning), and another Deskdog Waterloo booking for tomorrow (Wednesday). I’d initially thought they were booked solid at Brewdog, but a bit of playing with finish times makes it look like they have a large afternoon group booked, so I’m there until 3.
Went for an afterwork walk under the Thames (some brain donor had left a couple of ride share bikes in the tunnel), then took the DLR further in & wandered around for a bit until I accidentally found St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Deskdog Waterloo continues to be good. Given the size of the Waterloo bar, it did take a while to find someone to tell me where I was supposed to be sitting (the space from Monday was roped off), but I also found a coffee shop in the bar that I’d missed the first time. Explains the “whatever you want” reaction when I’d asked what sort of coffee they can do. The seat this time (actually a booth) had a view out of the building into The Outside World, and there were a bunch of folks doing work, having meetings, that sort of thing; it’s a nice environment.
Getting there from Greenwich in the morning was easier than expected, despite the absolute maze of Canary Wharf; I don’t think I’ve ever taken the same path through that place twice when going to or from the DLR.
The environment does make it easier to not take breaks, which could be an issue.
Went for a bit of a wander in the evening, and ended up catching, if not adequately photographing, a nice sunset.
Thursday was a Geovation Hub Co-working Space day. Getting there was surprisingly easy; DLR to the end of the line, thus avoiding the Canary Wharf Experience™, and the Northern Line to the closest station, which isn’t that close because of Farringdon just being like that.
Arrived in time to get coffee with an excitingly expressive name. They had merch, and I was tempted to get a sticker for the work laptop.
For a place that made suck a big deal about booking numbered desks, I didn’t see any actual desk numbers. I sat where the little diagram said I should, or at least where it said the desks my number was in were supposed to be, because again, no desk numbers that I could see.
Sat there in the more social area by the kitchen, did work, chatted to the one other person at the table about his startup & my work, and it was nice enough, but … Not the networking powerhouse I’d expected. Mostly small/medium groups who already knew each other, presumably because they work together, keeping to themselves.
Probably it’s different when there are more people in the hub, but it felt a bit dead. Back again on Friday, so we’ll see how it looks on what I’m assuming will be an even quieter day.
Took the Elizabeth Line back, just because I could, at least as far as Canary Bloody Wharf. It’s nice, and all shiny and new and vaguely purple.