Getting there?
Unless it's a big occasion like a wedding, death or significant birthday, I never accept an invitation until I find out where the event is being held and how long it's going to take me to get there.
If Travel for London (TfL) tells me I have to walk for more than 12 minutes, do more than two transfers by tube, catch an unfamiliar train or (worse) bus, or the overall journey time is longer than 1 hour, I usually decline.
Case in point is Taryn's house. Although it's only around the corner in a £6 taxi, the public transport journey is a 10 minute walk followed by an irregular bus journey. I rarely visit, despite she and Hamish being two of my closest friends, and I wouldn't have gone there on Wednesday for dinner but they had my glasses from the previous Saturday.
Being able to see without squinting has become one of my day's prerequisites. Like "showers" and "moaning about the lifts in my building".
And then TFL tells me that getting home from Tom's house for dinner would have taken me an hour and a half, an unfamiliar train AND bus ride, as well as two tube transfers. And if I was feeling adventurous, I could have added a tram ride to my journey (What? A tram? In London?). I say "would have taken me an hour" because I chickened out. That type of travel is best done in groups but in pairs at a minimum.
So, what's your travel limit?
If Travel for London (TfL) tells me I have to walk for more than 12 minutes, do more than two transfers by tube, catch an unfamiliar train or (worse) bus, or the overall journey time is longer than 1 hour, I usually decline.
Case in point is Taryn's house. Although it's only around the corner in a £6 taxi, the public transport journey is a 10 minute walk followed by an irregular bus journey. I rarely visit, despite she and Hamish being two of my closest friends, and I wouldn't have gone there on Wednesday for dinner but they had my glasses from the previous Saturday.
Being able to see without squinting has become one of my day's prerequisites. Like "showers" and "moaning about the lifts in my building".
And then TFL tells me that getting home from Tom's house for dinner would have taken me an hour and a half, an unfamiliar train AND bus ride, as well as two tube transfers. And if I was feeling adventurous, I could have added a tram ride to my journey (What? A tram? In London?). I say "would have taken me an hour" because I chickened out. That type of travel is best done in groups but in pairs at a minimum.
So, what's your travel limit?