[ANNOUNCE] [SOCIAL] The Star, Belgravia - Thursday, October the 5th

[Simon Wistow]

Remember, remember the 5th of October. Oh, wait. No. That's November.

Ah well.

The 5th of October is, fact fans, exactly 10 years to the day since I
started college. Not that you care really. Not that I care really. I
woke up 4 years later on a beach in Thailand wearing nothing but a
mortar board and Tattoo saying "Miranda 4 t3h w1N!!!11!!1"

Good times. Good times.

After the shock discovery last month that The Penderels Oak has had the 
good bits downstairs removed and replaced with some sort of cheesy teen 
disco extravangaza we've retreated to lick our wounds and plot revenge 
and a sensible place to do that is the upstairs room of The Star in 
Belgravia. 

  http://london.pm.org/meetings/locations/star_belgravia.html
  http://london.openguides.org/index.cgi?id=Star_Tavern_(Belgravia)

The Star was famously used to plan The Great Tarin Robbery (starring 
Phil Collins) so we'll be steeped in the right kind of history. Also the 
beer is good (we've persuaded the Landlord to open up the top bar) and 
the steaks are tasty (The Landlord has laid in some extra steaks 
because, well, it's us and we eat a lot of them). 

If you don't like steaks there's plenty of other food and apparently the 
vege stuff is pretty good. I can't really complain, I mena my garnish 
always looked nice but ... 

Now the standard blurb ... 

  Social meetings are a chance for people to meet up face to face for a
  quiet drink (alcoholic or not) A fair chunk of Perl is talked at the
  meetings, but also people who have no interest in the language often
  pop along to socialise.  There's no charge to enter, no agenda, and we
  tend to think of it more as pleasant drinks rather than any serious
  endeavour. 

  People normally turn up after work, and many stay until closing time. 
  Food is normally consumed at the pub by those wanting nourishment
  though sometimes small groups of people head off for food either
  during or after the meeting. 

Directions

  The Star is in walking distance of Victoria, Sloane Square, Hyde Park 
  Corner and Knightsbridge. It is located in a little cobbled street 
  behind the German Embassy. Below are directions to get there from 
  various places.


>From Sloane Square

  Essentially you want to take the north exit off the square and head up 
  Sloane Street and then take a right down Pont street till you get to  
  the embassy, and then down the cobbled mews till you find the pub.

  So, in detail: Come out of the station. Standing as you are with your 
  back to the station you want to go up the road diagonally opposite on 
  the right (so turn right, cross the crossing, and on the other side 
  turn left and walk for a bit till you come to Sloane Street - a big 
  wide street - on your right.) You want to keep going up Sloane street 
  till you come to Pont Street, the junction of which has traffic 
  lights on it. 

  Turn right (east) down this street and keep going. The road will start 
  to veer off to the left, and at this point you should see a large 
  white building with black windows that is the German embassy on the 
  left hand side (north) side of the road. In a big, tall, archway under 
  the embassy there should be a cobbled street. Head up this street and 
  The Star is on the end on the left.

>From Victoria

  Essentially you want to cross the road out of the station and then 
  head up Lower then Upper Belgrave Street so you get to Belgrave 
  Square. From here you want to take the second left exit to Pont Steet 
  and turn right though the German embassy up the cobbled mews to the 
  pub.

  In detail: From the tube lines, follow signs for main station and get 
  to the surface. Turn left and walk past starbucks and pret a manger - 
  you want to get to Buckingham Palace Road which is the road the busses 
  enter the bus station off of. Cross the road at the traffic lights and 
  use the other set of traffic lights to the left to get off the 
  mini-island you're on. You should now be in front of the deserted Usit 
  campus office. go left (west) along Buckingham Palace Road then take 
  the first right (north) up into Lower Belgrave Street. Continue up 
  this street, passing drinking establishments such as "The Victoria" on 
  your left, and the "The Plumber Arms". This road turns into "Upper 
  Belgrave Street" -  just keep on going until you come to Belgrave 
  square. Here, turn left and take the second exit off the square (the 
  one that goes directly west) down Pont Street. Almost immediately on 
  your right you should see the German embassy (a big white building 
  with black windows) and a large phallic like statue. There should be 
  an archway here under the embassy leading up a cobbled street. Go up 
  this street and The Star will be on the end on the left.

>From Knightsbridge

  Essentially you want to get out of the tube and then head south down 
  Sloane Street until you come to Cadeogan Place. Turning down here you 
  simply want to walk east for a short while until you come to the north 
  end of a cobbled mews that the pub is located on.

  In detail: To get out of the tube, take the exit signposted for Harvey 
  Nichols or Knightsbridge (south side) or Sloane Street (east side) 
  [it's signed differently in different places but these are all the 
  same exit, to the right as you come out of the Tube barriers]. When 
  you come out of the exit turn right round 180 degrees so that you are 
  on the left pavement of Sloane Street heading south. Walk down here 
  for a few minutes (past one left turning, which you should ignore) 
  and turn left into Cadogan Place.

  At this point you want to keep heading in a straight line (east.) 
  Don't follow Cadogan Place round to the right, but instead keep 
  heading roughly in the same direction. Take the zebra crossing onto 
  the right-hand pavement, and still heading in the same direction 
  eastly direction cross over Lowndes Street into West Halkin Street. 
  Follow West Halkin Street as it bends slightly to the right. Shortly 
  you should see a cashmere shop on your right on the corner. Turn down 
  this road and then you'll see an entry directly ahead of you into a 
  cobbled street. 

  The Star is in that cobbled street, on the right just after the entry.