h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Southend on Sea seems to be a lot bigger than what your guide entry is about.

Yes very true Wretton is a village in Norfolk so southend on sea is bound to be bigger and more exiting than Wretton.
Arthur Dent(a.k.a Mark Beazley)

Southend is always getting bigger!
My Dad wants to live in a village, but I'd rather live in the city. I like London, especially the North-West. I would really like to live in Israel, but, we can't afford it
Oh well, I guess I'm stuck in England for yet another Summer. I've never left the UK, the furthest from home I've ever been is South-West Wales, which isn't exciting.

I hate Norfolk I would like Southend On Sea, but I suppose that any where would get boring after awhile.
Arthur Dent(A.K.A Mark Beazley)

I've lived in Southend for all my life (which is 14 years) and it's OK. It's funny cos there's this minature theme park which everyone's been to and I haven't along the sea front, and I've just found out one of my friends works there and has offered me some reasonable discounts to get in there. Have you heard of Peter Pans Playground? It looks fun, but I prefer the big theme parks. i'm quite looking forward to our end-of-year school trip to Chessington, and I've been there twice before and loved it.
A lot of people say I'm lucky to live in Southend cos of the beach, but I'm not really that keen, it's nice on a hot summer's day to walk along there or a nice warm night with no wind (otherwise you can freeze), maybe you should visit sometime, in the summer it can be hell with the number of tourists, and there's the airshow at the end of May, where you attract something like 3 million people down the sea front.

I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I have to know - does Never-Never Land still exist? My parents used to take my sister and me to see the Southend Illuminations every year until I was maybe 14 or 15 years old, and because my sister was 6 years younger than me, I was still going to Never-Never Land at that relatively advanced age (that's my story and I'm sticking to it ). That was some years ago however, and although I had a friend who grew up in S.O.S., and whose parents we used to visit together quite often, I haven't been near the place where NNL was for about 30 years. I wonder if the little toadstool village is still there....

Ah yes! And it's still going strong! there's also Peter Pans Adventure Island on the other side of the road.

The illuminations are actually going on at the moment, any moment now I'll probably hear all the fireworks going off...they did say 9pm and that's now......can't hear anything, if I cross the road then I can see them!

Peter Pan's Adventure Island? I recall P.P's Playground. Has it been revamped, or is the Island something new? Do they still have that laughing sailor in a glass case, and the swinging pendulum axe? I have many fond memories of Southend, as a kid going to the lights, as a teenager going to see bands at The Kursaal, and a few years ago when visiting my friend at her parent's place. We used to go to Leigh-on-Sea each time and take a stroll through Old Leigh. And I love the houses in Southend, especially the bungalows that look like they don't belong anywhere except at the seaside. In fact, I like seaside architecture altogether. Glad to hear about NN Land btw.

they're always adding new rides!

So when was the last time you went to Southend then? It's THE place to be. I wanted to leave but since I learnt my fave band ( see my name above for a clue of who that is) happen to live in this town. I feel like the only person who doesnt see them wandering around town....anyway I'm seeing them again on Sunday in Romford then again in Southend High street as they are performing there.......catch up on old times

Romford eh? Don't know if you've been to my personal space yet, but that's where I grew up and lived until I was about 21. I hope you have a good time there. It sounds like you'll have a good time anywhere that Skandal is The last time I was in Southend was about two years ago when I went to a friend's mum's place (a different one from the other friend) to pick up some boxes that he left there, and take them up to his new house in Suffolk. Now that I'm living in Texas, it's not quite so easy to get to Southend

Oh right! Cos I was just gonna say that Southend was on TV earlier cos they had some entertainment show filming live from the sea front, they kept saying sunny southend when it was pelting with rain (nothing new)

Yeah I always have a good time whereever Skandal are. I'll let you know what Romford looks like now, I'm going to Topshop (if that helps)

I don't remember exactly where Topshop is, and they've probably moved since the last time I was there anyway. Let me know if it's in the shopping precinct or on a street. If you have time, have a look around Debenhams - that's where I had my first ever Saturday job I worked in the record dept, the foodhall, the lighting dept, menswear, all over the store. So, are the band doing an in-store show at Topshop?

Yeah, they're doing that everywhere, including Southend. I should get my pics online soon after getting them developed, if ya want I'll take a few pics of Romford in there as well so you can have a look If you want to get them before they go online you can e-mail me [email protected]

Meanwhile I'm getting hyper again.........it's probably best to stay away from me the days surrounding Sunday and next Thursday if you don't want to get deafened

I'm already pretty deaf from going to too many loud concerts when I was still living in Romford, and afterwards too . I'd love to see some pics of Romford though - why don't you email them to me at [email protected] The place must have changed so much. There are pics up on the romford.org website of places I used to go, like The Red Lion - the first pub I ever went into. The last time I was there (about 5 years ago), North Street and South Street had been pedestrianised or made buses only, and it was kinda sad to see them that way. Even though I hate traffic congestion and cars, it seemed like it was the traffic which gave them the feeling of something going on, of being busy and vibrant, and that had been ripped right out of them. Anyways, thanks for the offer and for taking the time to do it when you're there

I mainly visit Ilford, very close to Romford, and I noticed in both places there are now bus lanes there never were before, infact it's happening all over London. They want to do it in Southend but just about everywhere they want to put one there's these huge posters campagning against them, cos there's no room for them!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the e-mail addy, I'll bear it in mind. 4 days to go......

Oh yeah, I bought the Dum Dums album today...absolutely fantastic!!!!! You probably wouldn't have heard of them if you've been in America for a few years, in the past year they've been known here, not really made it big but they still have a huge following....

Ah, bus lanes. I remember them well. I've been here for a year and a few weeks, and I can tell you that there are a couple in Austin, but what they tend to do in most American cities is to designate one lane on the freeway (which usually runs through the city rather than around it, like in Britain) as a bus/carpool lane. Car drivers get annoyed about that because they figure that it's one lane less for them, but then, most American freeways have at least three and sometimes 5 or 6 lanes in each direction where they run through cities. And besides, as the carpool lane is almost always empty whilst the others are clogged up, you'd think that more people would carpool wouldn't you!

Can't say I've ever heard of Dum Dum, but I'm completely out of touch with pop these days anyway, British or American, which is quite a disadvantage for someone who works at a used cd store . I think I need to brush up on it a bit.

Ah! Just listen to the radio is my point! That's how I know everything!

BTW the Dum Dums are rock, not pop (thank God for that!)

That's the trouble with American radio - everything is either formatted (oldies, hits of the 80's and 90's, nothing older than 3 years, AOR, dance, country), or full of commercials, or commercial free and therefore constantly short of the cash to make decent stuff like the BBC does. There's hardly anything here like Radio 1, or the way that Capital Radio used to be - playing a wide range of music. Most of the radio stations are owned by big companies who own similar stations all over the country, and who send out the same playlist to all of them every week. Thank god for the internet - I can still listen to the BBC.

Hope you're having a good time in Romford

Well I took a pic of one part of Romford for ya!

I also had a fab time getting all my pics of Skandal signed by them! I can send you some if you like!

Yeah, I'd love to see them. I hear that the weather's been unseasonably warm the past few days, I hope it was a nice day for you in Romford. I guess that brings a lot of people to Southend though and clogs up the streets and the seafront. What's happening with the pier these days? Did they rebuild the bowling alley?