New Scaratings

Today I did the Quizzing Americas (UK) in London and got to meet one of the top ten quizzers in the world. After a couple of hours at the pub, he took me on a six-hour walking tour of London, which featured (several more pubs and) famous historical landmarks.

“So this is [insert a building I should recognize]. You know of it, right?”

“Oh, yes,” I say, taking a picture and a mental note to look it up later as I run to catch up with him. He walks impossibly fast for a guy who is shorter than me.

“This is a statue to commemorate [insert person I should know].”

“Of course!”

There were also some strange ones, such as a statue of George Washington, in front of The National Gallery, given as a gift from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1921.

“That’s kind of odd, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Now that you mention it ... yes.”

He’s going on Mastermind for the eleventh time next week and promised to take me to a show when I come back to London next December.

And I walked past Ian McKellan signing autographs outside of “King Lear.”

You meet the coolest people playing trivia.

Even if you play it poorly*.

I’m now on the Tube. I’d taxied it to trivia, but he said I couldn’t visit London without using public transportation. Assuming I find my way to the Hyatt Place Heathrow tonight, I’ll be on a flight home tomorrow.

* Note to Americans, my score was registered as representing the UK. So I helped you.