Covent Garden

Photo: The Covent Garden Christmas tree

After work, I met Phil and PY at The Retro Bar, just off The Strand. It was pretty busy, and service was slow. By the time I had my drink, I needed to consume it quickly so we could be on time at the theatre at the Transport Museum in Covent Garden, where we were seeing The Truth About Harry Beck, a drama about creating the London Underground map (oops, diagram). Staged in the London Transport Museum, it's the story of Beck's life, from draftsman to designer, with his wife Nora as his biggest supporter. It's nicely done, playing off the audience a little, with a clever scene trying to visualise the map on stage. But, yes, it's a play about the tube map.

Afterwards, we had a nice meal at Joe Allen. We were a bit early, so we sat in the bar where there was live music, but we didn't get to hear much before moving to our table. I went for the crispy shrimp burger with Korean slaw and fries, which was excellent. PY and Phil went for the off-menu burger, which, I assume, everybody knows about but still pretends to be a great secret.