Tube Time!



We got our Oyster Cards on Wednesday morning, and then we
headed to the station to use the tube for the first time. It was raining, so everyone
had raincoats or umbrellas. We tapped our cards, which I think they call your
ticket, and went into the station. At Russel Square, which is closest to our
hotel The Royal National Hotel, you take an elevator—sorry, lift—to the
underground. Then you have to decide if you are taking the east or west tube.
Luckily, they have big signs on the corners that are very clear about which
tube for which stations. At first, I was a little confused, but by the time the
day was over I had it figured out, and its actually pretty clear and easy, which
I appreciate as a navigationally-challenged person. Russell Square only runs
the Piccadilly line, and to get to the National Theatre we took it a few stops
to Leicester Square. At the National Theatre we saw our first show of the trip,
Boys from the Blackstuff. It took place in 1982 Britain about a group of
men struggling against the system to get legitimate, paying jobs. Total it ran
about two hours, with a 20-minute intermission. It was very good, but I imagine
it will not be the most memorable play of the trip, though in its defense it is
going to be hard to compete with all the great plays we are going to get to see!
The first half of the play, I don’t know why, but I was exhausted. Most of us
were for some reason, and we were all struggling to stay awake for the first
half. I never fell asleep fully, but I definitely had my eyes closed for a
little bit. Thankfully once it went to intermission, I went and got a cup of
water and managed to wake up a bit. So, in the second half I was much more
attentive, which was good. I was also more comfortable, because in the first
half I couldn’t get comfortable in the seat and it was irritating. Once the
play was over, we walked back across the footbridge over the Thames to
Leicester Square station. We went back the same way we came, the Piccadilly line,
which is the dark blue line if they call it that (I’m not sure), to Russel
Square station. Its only a very short walk from Russel Square to our hotel. We
were at the hotel for a bit, but then later that night we went out. This time
was our first time going without Shawn/someone who knew what they were doing,
but we figured it out! This time we were going to Tottenham Court Road station,
which meant we had to cross over to a different line for the first time. So, we
figured out to take the Piccadilly line from Russel Square to Holborn station,
which has both Piccadilly and Central (or the red) line. We crossed to Central
line and got on that tube to Tottenham Court, which was only one stop away. It
was nice that the tube system isn’t too confusing, and I think I feel pretty confident
about using it and getting around. When we were done for the night and wanted
to go ack to the hotel, we walking back to the station but it was closed.
Apparently, the tube stations close at midnight, but we didn’t know that until
later. Luckily it was only like a 20-minute walk back and it was so nice out
that it was great and I was actually glad the tube was closed so we had to walk
home. But it was a good first day of getting around, and hopefully I won’t have
any problems in the future. But overall, I am really liking London so far!!


Tube-y or not Tube-y

First time in London yay! After a very unfortunate and excruciating travel experience, I finally arrived to the UK bright-eyed (zoned out), bushy-tailed (greasy), and one suitcase wheel short. My first experience on the tube was the result of Shawn and Courtneay’s heroic rescuing, so it was one of delirium, but also relief. When Shawn was first explaining how we would get to Russel Square from Heathrow, I have to be honest, I wasn’t following. Maybe the tube is hard to figure out at first, or maybe my brain cells got pick-pocketed at DFW. However, after our excursions on the first day, I think I can navigate it. Not on my own, of course, that would be crazy. 

When I first landed at Heathrow, I heard one British man talk and it made me extremely excited because their accents are just wonderful to me. Especially the little kids! Of course, I don’t love having to wait in a queue behind a thousand first graders, but it gives me the opportunity to eavesdrop on their slang. The British accent is addicting—I catch myself slipping in and out of it. I don’t think British people would say the same about American accents. From my observations, Londoners are always in a rush and are never afraid to give you the stank eye. Not a single stranger smiled back at me when I smiled at them, which initially made me very embarrassed, but then I remembered that I’m not in the South and Londoners probably aren’t used to random people looking at them like they’ve known them forever. Especially on the tube, where everyone is equally as annoyed with having to be sardined with other humans while gripping for dear life on a pole. No random smiles there. 

Despite the anxiety of losing my balance and getting uncomfortably close to someone, I actually quite like the tube. (I feel like I’m even typing in British, I can’t help it.) It is a very efficient way to get places once you realize that if you use basic common sense and reading skills, it’s easy to get around. That’s not a diss on people who don’t know how to use the tube—I’m just basically a professional because I’m a local London citizen, duh. I do wish the speakers were louder in the tube car because although I can figure out which stop I’m at, I like to have an audible reminder in case I’m not paying attention. 

One thing I really like about the tube is the color system they have. It is really nice and satisfying to follow the colors and know where to switch off. Plus, having the names of the stations pointing toward which direction to go is very smart. Getting on the tube in time does give me a little bit of anxiety, but the tubes come so quickly and often that even if I miss one, I know I will be able to catch another. 

This trip so far has made me realize two things: England should take notes from America on possibly having nicer demeanors to strangers, and the United States should take notes from England on…basically everything else. Except the water. If we lose the right to free water in public places in America, you bet I’m moving to a different country. The National Theatre is so beautiful and I can’t wait to go back when I’m not on my last breath of life, (due to travel exhaustion.). It was really awesome to see Buckingham Palace, but life is meaningless without Queen Elizabeth, so you win some, you lose some. I loved St. Paul’s so incredibly much today and was blown away by the architecture. My knee still hurts from walking stairs for what felt like a lifetime, but man, was it worth it. I can’t wait for more theatre, food, buildings and sights. Oh, and also, water, WiFi, A/C and of course, a smile from a stranger. 

Cheers!

xoxo Gossip Girl

London 101

It’s hard to believe we’ve now been in London for three days! Yesterday was our first big group excursion, and it was amazing! From taking the tube for the first time to visiting Buckingham Palace to seeing a preview of a National Theatre show, there has been a lot happening. I was definitely feeling overwhelmed by the city at first and may have started our first outing holding onto my friends for dear life, but by the end, I was beginning to get a feel for the everything and wanted to see more.

The tube was one of the things I was most nervous about because of the crowds and my fear that it would be difficult to navigate. However, I quickly found that everything is labeled SO WELL!! It is still possible to get on the wrong train, but I felt a lot better about my ability to navigate it by the time we got back from the National Theatre. I would not say I am a fan of the tube yet because it is a little chaotic and crowded. People are always moving in London, and the energy is very high. That said, I love the convenience, and will definitely be using it more in the future!

Now for some more random observations about London and the people:

Everyone in this city is on the go! As a fast walker, I appreciate that people seem to move out of the way to allow others by. Everyone walks with determination, and there seems to be a general respect and understanding throughout the city that people have places to be. At the tube stops, people were standing on the right of escalators to allow others by on the left, and I don’t believe I saw anyone break this rule. The tube and streets can get crowded, but the general understanding of how busy London is seems to keep things moving relatively well despite this.  

On a slightly more negative note, London air is not my favorite. It is very polluted, and there is lots of cigarette smoke. As someone with severe allergies, I’m not the biggest fan of this. I even had some flower or particulate that was floating through the air fly into my eye at one point, so that was not great.

However, London made up for it with the weather we’ve had these first few days. It has been in the fifties and sixties with clouds and light rain, and I LOVE IT!! I am a big fan of rainy, cloudy weather, so London has won me over in that regard.

One last interesting thing I observed is that the architecture in London changes on a dime. There are so many different styles present throughout the city, and even in areas with generally similar features, there seems to always be at least one building that looks out of place. It is so strange to see beautiful, old architecture right up against a modern building, but I love it! Every street is interesting because just when you start thinking that everything looks the same, you walk another few feet to find something completely new to be discovered.

The Tube coming in hot!
Taking the elevator down to the tube. No stairs for us, thank you!
At the gates of Buckingham Palace!
The entrance to the National Theatre! Seeing a show here was one of the things I was most excited about!

Totally Tubular

The London tube is a little overwhelming at first, but three days in and I already feel so much more comfortable and confident with it.

On the first day, we were warned that it won’t be in our favor to be hesitant at all getting on or off the train and that’s absolutely correct! Confidently stepping on like you know what you’re doing is the key.

I have yet to have any bad experiences on the tube. The people have been We indifferent. They aren’t as outwardly friendly as some American public transport is, like, I don’t have random people smiling at me. Everyone really just seems to be minding their business most of the time. That being said, it does worry me that pickpocketing is common enough for it to be a constant warning being blared in the tube system. I’ve been wearing a belt bag close to my chest at all times just in case.

I learned the hard way that the tube closes at midnight on week nights. I went to “The Roxy”, a nightclub in SOHO last night, and we took the tube there just fine but had to walk home at 2am in heels which I highly don’t recommend.

The tube itself is a bit crowded at times to where we need to wait until the next one to get one because we wouldn’t all fit on there. I am impressed with how quickly they come and go because even when we have to wait on another train, it doesn’t take long for one to come.

I’m excited to keep on using the tube system. It no longer overwhelms me anymore. If anything, I think it’s convenient and I find myself getting excited to use it! It’s proved to be a great resource for all of us and I hope the rest of the month is filled with more positive tube experiences.

Youtube? No Itube

My first overall thoughts on London was a little confusing because of the poopy weather but once we got out a little I have had a blast so far. The tube was very intimidating at first because I just thought I would get lost, however once I got on it a few more times and learned how the lines work, I think I have the hang of it!

It is really interesting to see so many different people all going to different places yet being in the same place at once. Everyone is very kep to themselves which makes sense, if I was doing that every day I think I would treat it like time to be alone even though I am surrounded by people.

I would say that the public places are WAY better than anything in the United States, one, its free, two, they are just rich with history and three, the people are just all so diverse. People watching is very fun in public here!

Overall with the Tube, I like how fast paced it all is and it really shocks me that more places in the US don’t have something like it. It gets very hot down there so being down there for long periods of time is kind of not great.

Also I would like to complain that they close! Yes, I understand there are drivers that need to sleep but there’s no way they can’t find anyone to take the night shift. We were planning on using the tube after we went out last night and it was closed at like 1:30! Therefore, we had to walk home (In heels might I add) which was not super pleasant. So I wish that it was open all night but other than that it’s fun.

Da Tube, Londoners, and Fun!

We had our first group excursion today! Yeehaw! We started with heading from our hotel to the Tube. We totally did not say “da tube” a million times. When we reached the Tube, Shawn stopped us, and held up his Oyster card. “Ready?” Oh boy were we! Emma and I held hands nearly the whole time. We hopped onto the Piccadilly Line and were on our little London way.

Shawn handing out the Oyster cards at the hotel.

Something that was much appreciated about the Tube was how efficient it runs. It is always on time, it arrives within minutes of each other, and they are CLEAN! Public transport, as us Americans know, is incredibly germy in the States. Everything associated with the Tube is contactless. Yay, no germs! While everyone had places to be, the Londoners were very respectful of personal space as they could be on public transportation. I do not like strangers bumping into me and I cannot remember a time it happened! They just brush past and say “sorry!” The Tube is definitely accessible and I will understand it better once we go through it a couple of times.

Taking the lift down to The Tube!

Our excursions included Russell Square, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus. I was sad that Piccadilly Circus did not include an actual circus. I was also a little upset with myself because I forgot my umbrella. Thankfully, the Weather Gods were on my side and it only spit on us a wee bit. Moving along, we saw a massive M&M store! I mean, it was huge! We also saw some restaurants from across the pond which include: Burger King, McDonalds, and Fridays. I got my eyes on Fridays, their beyond burgers are delicious. We stopped by Buckingham Palace as well. King Charles was actually at the palace at the time and we knew this because the Royal Standard flag was flying on the building. Courtneay is our British Royal go-to, so she was able to tell everyone some of the little quirks! We threatened to call the Hogs to get King Charles to come out and say hi.

Oh look! It is me, standing awkwardly outside Buckingham Palace!
William Shakespeare statue in Leicester Square.

Tonight, we get to experience our first ever show in London! It is called Boys from the Blackstuff at the National Theatre. I am so excited, a wee jet legged, but looking forward to my next post. See y’all then!

First Blog

Hello everyone, this is the first of many amazing, wonderful, magical blog posts from yours truly. Stay tuned to hear about my many epic adventures in London. We don’t leave for London for a few days, so you’ll have to wait a bit for my next blog post which I know as my adoring fans makes you so sad, but I promise that I will return.