7433 - The Longest Road

On the tube ride down from Golders Green to Southeast London, while I was moving my life contained in a large suitcase and a backpack, Darren looked over at my CSU nametag on the suitcase. He read the address 7433 *&?@% !@$(#, Arvada, Colorado, USA, he turned to me and exclaimed:
"7433 - That must be the longest road in world!" In the UK (and probably much of Europe) addresses are given in sequential order beginning on one end of a street and moving towards the other end with even numbers on one side and odd on the other. Usually an average size road will go up to house number 90-100. Some only range into the 30's like my old flat at 34 Temple Grove. They can even skyrocket into the 300's depending on the length of the road. But for a house to be numbered Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty-Three is quite extraordinary. Talk about American's obsession with size and the bigger the better!
I kindly explained to Darren, after enjoying a hearty chuckle at the quaint culture shock, that we don't address houses in the same manner (though for the life of me couldn't expound upon how we do it - where is a Master's in Urban Planning when you need it?!) He still seemed highly impressed however and as we left the tube, luggage in tow, I decided that he must come to the States and see for himself the true nature of American suburbia.

P.S. I finally managed to snap a quick shot of my former flatmate Alastair, see below. We got together for a drink before he headed home for the weekend. He gave me a parting gift of a book - good man - and a note written on paper torn from his personal "Random Thoughts" journal. Quite a meaningful gesture. It must be love!