Getting to Hogwarts

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 104056

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <asian_lovr2 at y...> 
wrote:
Asian_lovr2:
 
> For the most part, I think this is one of those things we aren't
> suppose to think about. This is fiction, so some things are just 
left
> to the imagination, and have no real-world explanation.
> 
> However, if we apply our imaginations, let's see what we can come 
up with.
> 
> 
> First, in the real world, London is a very old and historic city, 
it's
> not that uncommon to see someone in a period costume walking about 
the
> city. 
> 
> Plus, I'm lead to believe the London is also a very very diversified
> city. You see an amazing cross-section of people; rude boys, punks,
> rockers, Mods, ravers, high fashion, low fashion, weirdos of all
> shapes and sizes. 


Geoff:
Plus a large number of tourists who are often very casually dressed.
 

> Travel gets a little more complicated. We know that people can
> certainly get to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. Charring Cross
> Road is slighly North of Central London, 

Geoff:
/Very/ slightly north. Charing Cross itself is considered to be the 
centre point of London in terms of mileage measurements and the 
southern end of Charing Cross Road is within a couple of hundred 
yards of the actual cross.

Steve/asian_lovr2;
and King's Cross Station is a
> ways north and slightly east of Charring Cross Road/Oxford. 
> 
> Using www.map24.com I measured the street distance from Charring 
Cross
> Rd and Oxford St to King's Cross Station (north on Trottingham Court
> Rd and east on Euston Rd), at about 2.25km or about 1.4 miles. From
> the south (farthest) end of Charring Cross Rd along the same route,
> the distance is about 3km or about 1.9 miles. 
> 
> Straight line distance, Charring Cross Rd/Oxford to Kings Cross =
> 1.8km (1.1miles), or Leicester Square (south Charring Cross) to 
Kings
> Cross = 2.5km (1.6miles). This all ignores one way streets. I'm 
pretty
> sure Charring Cross Rd is a one-way heading south, but like I said,
> I'm ignoring that for the moment.

Geoff:
North I think because the extension of Charing Cross Road goes into 
Tottenham Court Road which is paralleled by Gower Street as a 
southbound one-way.

A more usual route from Charing Cross, certainly by bus would be 
Strand-Aldwych-Kingsway-Southampton Row-Euston-Euston Road-Kings 
Cross. In London terms it si a fairly short (but rather slow!!) 
journey.



> The point is that from the Leaky Cauldron or Diagon Alley to Kings
> Cross Station is not very far; 1.5 to 2 miles depending on where The
> Leaky Cauldron actually is. I'm guessing most wizards could endure a
> taxi ride for that short distance. But that brings up the question,
> how do they get a cab? Could a whole crowd of student wizards hail a
> fleet of taxis from outside the Leaky Cauldron? Could they telephone
> for a cab? Where would they get a telephone? 
> 
> After all that analysis, truth be told, I'm drawing a blank, and
> that's a very rare occurance. I could suggest horse drawn carriages,
> that which we here in the USA call 'handsome cabs'. But, again, you
> would need a fleet of them. 
> 
> Perhaps there is a combined muggle/magic or muggle-born's business
> near Kings Cross that allows witches and wizards to use their
> fireplace. I've often speculated that there are a lot of mixed
> marriage wizard/muggle businesses that act as go betweens for the
> muggle and magic world. 
> 
> That's probably the best I can come up with. The idea that near 
Kings
> Cross is a muggle who is married to a magic person who runs a tea 
shop
> or other business, and the wizard world pays them a small fee for
> access to their fireplace.
> 
> Can anybody come up with anything better? 
> 
> Of course, I suspect there is no real answer, but I'm still 
interested
> in what other might speculate as a solution.
> 
> Steve/asian_lovr2