210 - trains underground; bad energy 🚇
I hate the Tube. I love the Tube.
Yes, the public transport system in London affectionately known as The Tube (aka the London Underground) is so good, but it's so bad. Having been there recently and developing a strong love-hate relationship with it, here are a few things about it for you to peruse the next time you're in London:
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It's one of the most convenient public transport systems in the world. The stations are densely located around the city, there are big, large signs for each place. Literally you walk 5-10 minutes and you can get to the next Tube station. It's SO CONVENIENT. We love that. Look how dense it is!
Also a lot of the stations have funny names like "Elephant & Castle" or "Cockfosters" or "Bermondsey" or "Canada Water" or "Seven Sisters" or "Theydon Bois" :D
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The data for public transport is elite. You can see on Google, or CityMapper, exactly when the train is coming, but also which platform it's on, and it's integrated so well into things.
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A weird quirk is that the trains aren't all controlled by one company, which is super interesting since that's the case in Melbourne. There were a few strikes, but they were only for some train lines but not others. Really fascinating.
However...
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The customer experience of taking a train in London is absolute dogshit. Holy crap I thought Metro was bad when I had to take trains...but the Tube is so bad:
- It is SO LOUD
- Steph mentioned that we should bring some earplugs to take the *train*. I nearly didn't believe her but I had some headphones that I brought just in case and OMG it was so intense. The sound grates against your ears like nails being dragged down screaming banshees - it's disgustingly intense. If I had to take that EVERY DAY to go to work I would go insane! - Here is a review from TripAdvisor so you don't just think it's me: > **Not recommended for frequent travel** - "This is a loud form of transport and very fast at the same time….. if only there was a way to silence the sound then the underground would be perfect."- It is SO CRAMPED AND CROWDED
- This is not really a specific-to-London thing, but the train designs have this weird chamfer / tapering at the doors which makes it more aerodynamic (I assume) but makes it so people lose space at those areas so everyone has to pack in even closer. I would put it as a bigger minus, but it's not *that* bad since I've seen HK and Japan trains where you can get stuffed in like salmon. At least in London they care about personal space a little bit more.- It is SO HOT AND STUFFY
- I went in late Summer, and got some really great weather topside, but when you went down into the stations, the lack of ventilation and...whatever hellscape the London Underground is connected to raises the temperature at least 5 degrees - maybe 10? It gets SWELTERING down there - I shudder to think what will happen with climate change and the heat increases! - "There's air-conditioning on the Jubilee and Piccadilly lines" OKAY THANKS I'LL JUST MELT ON THE DISTRICT LINE THEN. - Additional review from TripAdvisor so I don't look crazy just by myself: > **TERRIBLE** - "This is the most expensive tube service in the world and the WORST one... [it] is extremely HOT in summers. It is not possible to breathe. This needs to stop!! Don’t you have enough money to put air conditioner?!" -
It sent me on a spiral of 'maybe infrastructure is NEVER invested in after it's put in place because it's just too expensive to do things' and that Western civilisation is going to collapse because of it... but that maybe it's fine because, hey look! they've invested in all this great data infrastructure and 'hey did you know the Jubilee line has air conditioning' like there's just so much Stockholm Syndrome with the most ridiculous public transport system it's insane! I even caught myself being like 'well I'm sure it'll get better'. Bah.
- I went to Hong Kong when I was like...6? or something - and the MTR system at that time SHAT ALL OVER what the Tube is today. I'm sorry if you live in London and read this but Y I K E S.
- Also in Hong Kong I got cool Pokemon plushies for being a kid so where were my Pokeplushies in London huh? Hong Kong 1: London 0.
Anyway I love London so I hope to go back sooooooon <3
Chat soon :)
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✔️Real Life Recommendations
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Citymapper - I know I mentioned this above but like...it's still a good recommendation if you're traveling (at least, in London)! Better than Google Maps just a little - it gives you costs, and multi-modal routes, and allows you take a look at ridesharing apps as well. It's actually really dang feature-packed! I might start using it in Melbourne as well...
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Arome Bakery - classic French baking with Asian ingredients and flavours. I missed out on their famous apple miso danish, but I did get an egg tart (which was nostalgic but also new the way they had made it) as well as a Miso Bacon Escargot which sounds weird but is super umami! Highly recommended bakery in Covent Garden (thank you Maia!).
🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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Millennium Bridge workers hang straw bales after ancient bylaw triggered | London - old laws are gr8. I know there are a bunch of them in the UK and US - maybe Australia hasn't been around long enough to have any weird and wonderful laws that just haven't been repealed yet?
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Building a String Art Machine - a breakdown of a cool project where a guy gets a machine to make string art! Fantasticcc
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What's in Chicken Stock? - well, the first ingredient is 'Chicken Stock' so...what's in the chicken stock? And how come every chicken stock has 'Chicken Stock' as an ingredient?? The answer will be the most unsurprising capitalistic solution in the world, and yet the investigation is fascinating!