Adventures Underground…(well sort of)

One of the first things that went through my very jet-lagged and disorientated brain after arriving in London and taking a mini-cab ride from Gatwick Airport to North London (1.5 hour journey…ugh) was that I would never drive in London. It wasn’t so much the driving on the other side of the road or right hand side steering. I could get used to those things, eventually. It was more about the traffic, the narrow roads, and my general lack of understanding of the flow of traffic and roads. If I didn’t enjoy driving on the gridded out streets of Las Vegas, surely the streets of London would drive me to madness. Besides, I’ve always hated driving. I dislike traffic and despise those idiots who are clearly more important than the rest of us drivers and therefore do not feel the need to follow traffic laws or those basic common courtesies abided by decent people in society.

I figured I could safely say “never” because I knew I wouldn’t need to drive in London since London public transportation rocks (yeah, I said rocks). This is where people who live in London will feel the need to chime in and argue. They will likely say that public transport here is unreliable, dirty, crowded, blah blah blah. It’s easy to complain about something when it’s readily available to be complained about.  But, from the perspective of someone who has never had the luxury of good public transport, I think it’s fabulous.

For the past eight months I’ve use the Tube—The Underground– (Americans, please don’t call it the subway, that means something different here) as my major form of transportation. It’s efficient (most of the time), clean-ish, and, decidedly, not scary, even late at night. Once you learn how to read the Underground map¹ and figure out what lines stop at which stations or meet up with other lines, it’s pretty simple to get around the city.

Of course, there are some rules to the Tube that you really need to follow. Some are pretty basic common courtesies (those again!) while others will label you as a “tourist” if you don’t follow them. Here are a couple links for your reading pleasure.

The Ultimate Guide to Tube Etiquette: 20 Things You Need to Know to Be a Good Commuter–Time Out

The real rules of using the London Underground–Esquire

The first time I read these rules I chuckled. However, after becoming a veteran Tube traveller, I can affirm that they are oh so very true. Please do stand to the right on the escalator or you will be knocked over and it’s a long way down. And please resist the urge to chat with the person next to you, unless you know them.

Travelling underground is fast and effective in a city filled with cars and people but, lately, I’ve started utilising the bus more often. It’s not quite as efficient but I realised that I was missing a lot during my trips below ground. I knew what things looked like at my destinations but was completely clueless of the landscape of places along the way. There were neighbourhoods and areas that were being overlooked because I was speeding along underneath them.

I actually found the area where I currently reside because part of the Tube was down for maintenance over a weekend (a common woe of the Northern Line since I’ve lived here) and we had to take a replacement bus to the next open station. As we travelled south through Hampstead/Belsize Park I saw, for the first time, the beauty and quaintness of the area. I had heard good things about the area but only after seeing it for myself did I realise that I needed to find a place to live there once my friend moved back to the States.  If I hadn’t taken the bus that day, I might still be living in Hendon (a nice place if you don’t want quaint or pretty).

There is something about not having to worry about negotiating traffic that I find wonderful and relaxing. It makes the packed and sometimes smelly underground carriages bearable. It also makes it easier to tolerate those rude people rushing past you to catch the next train (because another train won’t arrive for another 3-5 minutes!). So, I always smile when I hear people complain about the Tube or having to take the bus. Maybe someday I’ll get to that point but, for now, I’m revelling in the idea that I do not have drive.