erh'm
Today I went to London to see the Seduced exhibition in the Barbican art centre. I'm not going into depth about the exhibition here - family website and all - but it's basically bits and bobs from the secret collection of the British Museum, and some more recent works of art, that are surfing the fine line between Art with a capital A and ... not to put to fine a point on it... porn. All very respectable, of course. Otherwise I wouldn't go. You knew that, right? The Barbican is a big, big centre, and I think the last time I went there may have been for GCSE drama (that's sophamore Highschool, I think? 16 years old?). Or possibly some design technology thing. I wanted to go to Seduced because there was an interesting write up in the Guardian, newspaper of bleeding hearts liberals across the UK, and because it seemed like an interesting idea, and I wanted to know how they were going to manage to present it all as educational!
The journey there was a bit on the epic side.
I made it to the Barbican, and saw round the exhibition. It was very interesting, in both senses of the word - it was interesting, and [dramatic pause] er... interesting! Nuff said. erh'm.
A friend had phoned me whilst I was looking at some Picasso sketches of... erh'm... things, and I had to dive to shut the phone off in an embarrassed way, so I returned her call and found a banksy rat on a wall, which was quite exciting. Then I had to get home. Only two tubes home this time, coz I got on at a different station, and then an hours drive in freezing fog in the dark. Woot. But I got home in one piece, in time for dinner, and to start on the christmas cheer with my mum.
The first is that decades of underinvestment, and then a new mayor, have combined to make the lines subject to huge engineering works on weekends. This means that stations, whole lines, and connective services shut, and if you're a tourist you might not have notice. The trick is to check on the TFL website in advance, where possible. It is very navigable and will suggest bus routes for alternatives. The buses also work on travel cards and Oystercards, and you get to see the city, so it's not all bad. If not, the staff will help you.
The tube map is a masterpiece of design, but in order to fit the stations on, it is nowhere near to scale. Two stations that look close on the map may be miles apart, particularly south of the river, and others that look miles away on different lines might be very close, making it worth coming above ground to walk. This means that, for example, you can save line changes by coming up at Euston Square rather than changing for Euston station. TFL's website can suggest that too.
People sometimes worry about personal safety on the tube - my father used to give me cab money if he thought I was crossing the city after dark, which of course, I pocketed and took the tube anyway. I have never seen real trouble, although I have been stuck in a tunnel whilst London Transport Police arrested two guys on the train in front. The tube is as safe, but probably not much safer, than any other underground system. If you feel uncomfortable then pick a busy carriage.
In rush hour, on weekdays, people will be very grumpy if you come on with a rucksack. They'll just have to live with that! But please don't do it if you don't have to - at 8.30 on a weekday, it's as close as makes no odds to the third circle of purgatory.
And once you get off, if you want to get a cab, get one with a license. It is totally illegal for a minicab to pick you up - you have to book them - you need a black cab. Black cabs have one of the toughest professional exams in the world, for any profession, and if one messes with you they'll have their license taken off them. Unlicensed minicabs have no such restrictions and I know several people who've been severely ripped off and one who was almost assaulted. Oh - not all Black Cabs are Black, but they all have a hackney cab license on the back. Some are even properly wheelchair adapted.
SEASONAL PS - Carry water in summer. I neqarly fainted today, and felt really silly not to have remembered.
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