out of the blue

I just went to London again. And I'm re-reading Neverwhere with a few friends. It's so cool that I now have first-hand experience of where some of those locations are. My hotel was very close to Oxford street, and became one of the big landmarks for getting back there from other parts of the city. So when Gaiman writes,

It was late afternoon in Central London, and, with autumn drawing on, it was getting dark. Richard had taken the Tube to Tottenham Court Road, and was now walking west down Oxford Street, holding the piece of paper. Oxford Street was the retail hub of London, and even now the pavements were packed with shoppers and tourists.

I know where it is. That's the major street corner closest to my hotel. Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. Actually, at that corner Tottenham Court Road (North) changes to Charing Cross Road (South) and Oxford Street (West) changes to New Oxford Street (East). When I go back into London with Sarah, I'm going to take Neverwhere and explore some of its locations. See if I can't find the alleyway where Richard Mayhew meets the Marquis de Carabas.