london: underground

my first impression of the underground was that it is shockingly easy to use, contrary to the jumble of lines that the tube map looks like.

one of the other things you'll immediately notice is the legendary 'mind the gap' signs and the booming mind the gap announcement. i'm very curious about what non-english speaking foreigners make of this.

we spent a fair amount of time on the tube, and hit quite a few of the unique stops during the three weeks we spent in london. we also got caught in our share of nasty line problems. one evening we hit problems on the tube and then complete stopages on the southwest train service that we needed to catch home. i think we got home sometime after 10 pm.

here's charing cross with its historic decoration.

and here's a couple shots taken at embankment.

that last shot hints at the level of ad saturation in the underground. one of the more ominous in-house ads points out how many injuries (and 1 death) that have happened due to the steep, high-speed tube escalators.

the other fascinating bit about the underground is how it is a class leveler. due to the population density of london, and the congestion of the small roads, everyone from millionaires to the working class take public transportation.

london's underground makes one wonder how anyone ever gets confused about vancouver's skytrain. given how many times a week i field questions about the difference between the 'expo line' and 'millennium line', i imagine how these poor souls would fare in london with its dozen lines and intersecting train services.

{November 17, 2004 08:13 PM}