Goldman’s office is in an amazing location. Situated right near St. Paul's Cathedral, Paternoster Square is striking in so many regards. The square is a mixed use development that is brimming with life and activity at all times. The London Stock Exchange is here (I can peer into it from my window), as well as some big names like Merrill, AXA, and CB Richard Ellis. There are great cafes and bistros for business lunches and dinners, and because these eateries also cater to the tourists drawn by St. Paul's, they don't have that stuffy atmosphere that plagues most Wall Street area restaurants. Options abound for grabbing a quick bite, and of course there’s a Starbucks.
When the rain tapers off, everyone takes to the plaza. At lunch there is usually an event of some sort going on: earlier this week there was a string quartet performing in the Square and yesterday there was a choir gathered on the steps of St. Paul’s. Office-dwellers and visitors sit outside eating, chatting, people watching, and listening to the free concerts. What a way to recharge! The activity continues well into the evening, as crowds gather at the outdoor bars for an after-work cocktail or two. And sometimes, when the sun finally pokes out, the cocktails start before the work ends. Last night on my walk home I overheard a business-type on his cell phone talking about the Boots LBO while downing a pint.
Beyond being home to the historic Cathedral, the Square has a truly interesting back-story*. The area takes its name from Paternoster Row, where in ancient times the St. Paul’s clergy would walk around chanting the Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster is Latin for “Our Father”). In the1900’s, Paternoster Row served as a central publishing hub until it was completely destroyed by a Nazi Blitzkrieg. Developers worked on the area throughout the 60’s, but the reconstruction was an abysmal failure—Prince Charles was quoted as saying “Developers have done more damage to this City than the war.” Basically, Londoners thought the buildings were just plain ugly and hated how they overshadowed St. Paul’s.
In fact, they hated it so much that the area was demolished, re-planned and reconstructed from 1996-2003. Although some critics are clamoring for even broader diversity of use (they want to see more residential units and fewer retail outlets) the new design is widely regarded as a victory of urban planning.
* Thanks to Wikipedia and the Paternoster Square website for the info!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster_Square#External_links
http://www.paternosterlondon.co.uk/
No comments:
Post a Comment