I love the London Underground.
There, I said it.
Your city having a more or less efficient train system gives daily life a nice bit of cadence.
Wake up, dress up, eat, leave the house, walk to your nearest Tube station, take lift or escalator down to your designated platform, feel the Tube tunnel wind on your face, notice the rats scurry around the station, look around at your fellow passengers, board carriage, get off at your stop, get on with your day.
There. It's like a nice rap waiting to happen.
Some Tube stations made more of an impression on me than others.
Let's run down my list of what-nots.
*Elephant and Castle- Built in the early 1900s, tne E and C Tube station currently hosts two lines- the Northern and Bakerloo lines. This was my home station for 11 months in London. Crowded, grimy, South London goodness at its finest. Just learned that the adjacent E and C Shopping Centre is finally set for demolition. The landscape of the E and C is ripe for major changes in the next few years. Glad that I managed to be a resident before the gentrification sword's come down.
*Bethnal Green- I only visited Bethnal Green station once or twice during my time in London. Those were enough to make me remember this station, though. Set this against the backdrop of the March 3, 1943 Bethnal Green disaster (173 people died as a result of a stampede) and what you get is a station that has with it a heavy pall of sadness and unrest.
*Westminster- Star Wars fans, rejoice! The ambiance of Westminster Tube station is more akin to that of a theme park ride than an actual train station. Why the Star Wars reference? The interiors look like that of the iconic Death Star which twice suffered unfortunate fates due to the inspiring efforts of "rebel scum".
*Chesham- The Western end of the Met Line. Went here out of a sheer curiosity about far flung termini. This Buckinghamshire-based station isn't all too unique. This made the list because of my memorable trip to the region for, of all things, a countryside run.
*Paddington- Apart from being associated with arguably the most adorable bear in existence, Paddington station is sleek, expansive, and inclusive of cute bear statue and marker. What more could you ask for?
*Waterloo- Crowded ol' Waterloo. My stop for the Southbank and Wasabi (yup, I loved grabbing food at Wasabi during days when sloth would hit my desire to cook). A part of my usual South London running route. This is also where I found myself on the night of the London Bridge terror attacks of June 2017.
*Stratford- A happy place. My stop for all those times when I raced at the Velodrome and her Madge's Olympic Park. My stop for Westfield eats post run. :)
*Wood Green- Nothing extraordinary about this stop, really. Whenever I think of Wood Green station, I think about my neighborhood gym (when I lived in Haringey), Ally Pally, and Wood Green high street where I spent many a day walking. Sad to have heard from a relative that the district's become a lot more crime-riddled since I was last there.
*High Street Kensington- A stone's throw away from the picturesque Kensington Gardens. Part of the "posh side of town". I tend to associate this station and this part of town with happy winter days, as it was then when I used this station the most.
*Clapham Common- Station beside a neat-o park (Clapham Common). Raced once here, and ran there around 1-2 other times (training).
*Leceister Square/Covent Garden- In my mind, this is the heart of touristy London. This is where you'd probably end up as a first timer in the city- wide eyed and all.
*Highgate- More like a gateway to olden times as opposed to a train station. Not very near the highlight of Highgate (the cemetery). Archway station is actually closer. The Highgate area in general is a place that I really liked. Rolling terrain. Big ol' houses. Nice views. Foliage everywhere.
*Hammersmith- This will sound idiotic, but, the name "Hammersmith" makes me think of a literal hammer. Dumb, I know. Seriously, though, this station reminds me of house hunting (almost became a Fulham resident in 2017), James Blunt (his November 2017 London show was staged at the Hammersmith Apollo), and really cool station interiors and divisions (I like how they partitioned the District and Pic lines).
*Victoria- My gateway to wonderful Brighton, and a host of other places. A nice one-stop shop for food and other essentials. Mine and my parents' home station when they visited me in London in March 2017.
There a lots of stories and thoughts I have yet to share. That's the beauty of an open ended blog.
There are no hard and fast rules.
More stories next time.
MC
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