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November 05, 2007

UPDATE: St. Pancras reborn

It's hard to imagine that a building so incredibly characterful could have so recently been so hated, but the city's St. Pancras station (being re-dedicated tomorrow in a big ceremony with the Queen and all) was not too long ago seen as an "obsolete, pompous and absurd" reminder of a past that most Britons would have rather forgotten.

True, St. Pancras was and is one of the most ridiculously over the top pieces of architecture from its time standing in London today, but things change, and its lurid, red brick boastfulness is now gloriously back in vogue, new champagne bar and all.

Tomorrow's festivities celebrate the billion dollar-plus renovation and rebuild (and expansion); it's the first in a series of events leading up to November 14, when St. Pancras takes over from Waterloo as the northern terminus for Eurostar (now, speedier than ever).

Brussels will be about an hour; Paris 2 hrs 15 mins. With speeds like this, overpriced London may soon find itself becoming little more than a whistle stop on the itineraries of dollar-carrying peasants, who start to see regional cities such as Lille more attractive home bases from which to explore the region.

This dollar-carrying peasant will be on the scene at St. Pancras next week, boarding the first scheduled service to Paris; expect live reports from both cities.

Posted by David Landsel on November 5, 2007 08:41 PM

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