London Observations

LONDON, U.K. -- Here are a few brief observations I made during our recent trip...

The Tube
The subway system in London, known as the 'Underground' or 'Tube', is a fantastic way to get around. It seems like there is a station in almost every neighborhood, and there is definitely one near all the major attractions. They are well-lit, well-marked, safe, and generally pretty clean.

A single cash fare per trip costs £3.00 (or about $5.25), so if you plan to be on and off the tube all day or several days in a row, it pays to buy a travelcard. A daily travelcard for Zones 1 & 2 (the bulk of the city) costs £6.20 and a 3-day travelcard costs £15.40 for the same Zones. If you plan on staying in London for any length of time, you might want to consider an Oyster Card. It's sort of like E-Z Pass here in the NY and NJ metro areas. It's a pay-as-you-go type card that requires an initial deposit which must be replenished as funds are depleted.

Be prepared for some stair-climbing (not too much), steep escalators (may cause vertigo), and occasional windy hallways. Since the tube diameters are not much larger than the trains themselves, the moving trains act like pistons to push the air in front of them and suck the air behind them.

When entering a station, there are typically 2 options... you can swipe your Oyster card over the scanner, or you must insert your ticket or travelcard into a small slot. The ticket pops up a moment later from a different slot, you grab the ticket, the gates open, and you go through. (It's good to be quick about it).

When leaving a station, you have the same 2 options. However, if you purchased a single trip ticket, you won't get your ticket back after you put it into the slot. One-day and three-day travel cards will be returned.

When a tube station is located on a slight bend in the tracks, you will notice that at some point (either towards the end or the middle of each car) there is a gap between the platform and the train. Whenever a train pulls into such stations, the recurring announcement of "Mind The Gap!" will be heard. You can now buy souveneirs with this memorable slogan emblazoned on it.

Fashions
The Tube is a good place to notice things like current fashion trends. On our first trip to London in the mid-90s, the trend was black pants, black socks and black shoes. All the locals, both men and women, seemed to follow the trend. You could easily spot the tourists (like us) in their blujeans and/or light-colored sneakers.

When we went back to London in 2002, the 'black' trend was still pretty much in vogue, so we felt like less of a stand-out in our black attire.

On this trip in 2006, things were quite different. Bluejeans were common. Typically they were bell-bottoms (not too wide), worn very long (in some cases ragged at the heel). A few khakis were spotted, also long bell-bottoms, occasionally with a cuff to keep them off the ground. The most common type of bluejean had a thin vertical fade at regular intervals (1/2" to 1") which somewhat gave them the appearance of pin-striping. This was combined with the more typical heavy fade on the front of the jeans from knees up to the pockets.

Although plenty of black shoes still abound, lighter multi-colored sneakers were quite common on men. Sometimes even radically-colored sneakers were evident. Amongst younger women however (and some who were merely young at heart), the trend seemed to be pointy shoes and mostly... boots. I mean long, very-tight points... 2" out in front of the toe and no more than 1/4" in diameter at the point. I even saw a few women in cowboy boots.

Pubs
The London Public Houses or 'Pubs' are always a great place to relax, enjoy a meal and of course a 'pint' or two. The traditional pub has a rustic feel about it, with its dark wood paneling, creeky floor boards, and a ceilings with exposed timbers or perhaps stamped tin. Upon entering, one immediately senses that hospitality has been served in this warm, cozy environment for a hundred years. Like neighborhood taverns here in the U.S., a pub gives one a good feel for the locals. The menu will consist of basic "meat and potato" type meals like... Shepherd's Pie, Lamb shank, stews, even burgers, and the like.

Unfortunately, not every pub is a "traditional" pub. On this trip, we experienced at least two pubs that had recently been renovated into modern up-scale restaurants that completely eliminated the warm rustic feel, and the basic menu of the traditional pub. Instead, we found brightly colored sheetrock walls that were all straight, square and dismally uninteresting. A trendy menu and cloth-covered tables with miniature roses at one pub completely eliminated any pretense that this was a "traditional" pub. On that particular occasion, a bottle of wine seemed more appropriate than a "pint".

Don't get me wrong. We had fun everywhere we went... even at the "faux" pubs. But in hindsight, it is somewhat disappointing to see that which is old, familiar, warm and charming being replaced by that which is modern, different, cold and uninteresting.

Ales
In London pubs, the basic question is always the same... "Lager or Bitter?" Lagers of course, are more like your standard pilsners, and Bitters are your ales. Due to the abbreviated week, I didn't get to try out as many ales as I would have liked. I was hoping to report back to Beerme with a slew of great finds. Anyway, here were my limited taste treats...

At the 'Hereford Arms' pub in Kensington, I enjoyed a local Bitter called 'London Pride'. A reddish ale, it maintained a good head and was smooth and satisfying. You can learn more about it Here.

At the 'Red Lion' pub near the Parliament, 'London Pride' was also featured, so I went for a Guinness (on tap of course). Deep and dark with a head that just won't quit... well, it was SO good and went down SO fast, I just had to have a second... (:D)

At the 'Anchor Tap' pub near the Tower Bridge, 'Old Brewery Bitter' was the local favorite. A more golden ale with a good head, I found it to be more filling, and it took me longer to drink. Some comments from others who have tried it can be found Here. Unfortunately, the 'Old Brewery' down the street where the ale once originated, is no longer there. Apparently it is now being brewed by Samuel Smith Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire.

At the 'Marquess of Anglesey' pub near the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the featured Bitter was 'Young's Bitter'. From a local brewery, Young's Bitter is far better described Here than I could ever do. However, I would add that it didn't maintain much of a head... but it went down very smooth and quick.

Thus ends my observations for today. Cheers!