The underground is insane. Riding during morning rush hour today really showed me how much this system goes through on a daily basis. I can’t imagine using the train every morning and night to and from work, cramming into those train cars like sardines. One guy got in next to a few of us, and it looked like he barely fit in the car. We asked if he needed space, and he barely reacted, insisting he was fine. I was amazed when the doors rushed shut right above his head. Knowing exactly how to stand on such a crowded train must have taken him tons of trips to master, and I’m still impressed. I doubt we will get anywhere near that proficient at the tube during this trip, but it’s not too bad anymore! It’s pretty easy to get around once you know the general idea.
I also notice the rush hour congestion in the tube in the early morning but another time I rode the tube during a rush was around 5:30. I realize that people are getting off of work and such but it was insane just how busy the tube and the stops are. For instance I went out to the Upton park stop and even just a little bit outside of the city, the congestion went down so much that it looked like it was deserted. Another thing I noticed was that not all the tubes are underground. Juli, Eunje, and I all went to the tower hill tube stop and that station and those lines weren’t underground. It took me a good 3 minutes to figure out where I was because I thought I was going to get on a train not the tube. I know we talked about it in class but I didn’t actually think I’d see and get on and above ground tube. Navigating myself around London and outside of the city on and off the tube was a really great experience though. It allowed me to learn a lot and I had to pay attention to my surroundings, like streets and building landmarks a lot more. But it also allowed me to explore and if I saw something interesting or something I wanted to look at further, I was able to go over and do it. I was really glad we could finish at 3 because it opened a lot of doors as far as doing something new that you can’t do after 5:30 because a lot of places close.