A Short Train Ride

I saw Captain Holly Short on the Tube today. More explicitly, I saw a young woman who strikingly resembles a fictional character from the Artemis Fowl novels, beloved books of my youth (and, let’s face it, present). I start my post with this anecdote to introduce an idea: keep your eyes open on the London Underground, and you never know who or what you might see. Here are some of my interpretations about London society, distilled from observations I have made on the Tube.

 Ignore Unspoken Rules at Your Own Peril

People make jokes about how the Brits love queuing, but there is some truth to it. There are all sorts of unspoken, generally accepted rules, especially about riding on the Underground. For example: on the Tube, you don’t talk. You stand there, you listen to your iPod, you read your paper, but you DON’T TALK. There are exceptions to the rule, such as when there are very few people in the car or it is late at night, but generally you keep yourself to yourself, even if you are traveling in a group. Another unspoken rule is no pushing. This may be hard to believe if you have seen the ridiculously packed trains during rush hour, but even with all the crowding, everyone is immensely polite. And sensible, if they see that they can’t fit on the train, they will wait for the next one and won’t try and force their way on.

Oh the People You’ll See

If you like people watching, hang out in public transportation. Everyone rides the Tube, all ages and social classes (well, maybe not the Queen…), so you see all sorts of people. Some are easy to distinguish, like University students. They usually have a backpack, are reading a textbook, or are at least hanging out with at least 2 other people with backpacks and textbooks. There are HEAPS of business people, in their suits and sensible shoes. Outside of types, there are fun, one time sightings. I was on a train where a girl with a guitar hopped on, played a song, and then asked for donations to help her get to Croatia. I am almost certain that I saw a model once. It was around London Fashion Week, so it wasn’t unlikely, and she certainly looked like a model (6 feet tall, thin as a rail, with those long straight bangs that only fashion people seem to wear).

Trendy Tubing

I have a theory that you can tell exactly how much a trend has penetrated the market by simply riding the Tube. iPods: almost universal. Kindles have a generous following, and I have seen a smattering of iPads. As far as phones, the leading Smartphone is unquestionably the Blackberry. Fashion trends are also fun to watch for. Fun fact: everyone in London wears black shoes. I thought my advisor at Elon was kidding about this, but she WASN’T. Some rebels mix it up, but the majority is overwhelmingly shod in black. Men’s ties are fun to look for. Surprisingly, the two colors I seem to see most are purple and pink, with maybe a bit of red and blue thrown in; I can’t wait to see the spring colors make an appearance. Lastly, there are the bags. Women all seem to have the big handbags that can carry their entire life and an extra change of clothes and the men seem to favor the leather satchel. I’ve mentioned that students like the backpacks, but others use them as well, including the business people.

International Fun

They say London is an International City, but it can take a while for that idea to hit home. It happened for me today during my trip to Greenwich for a class field trip. As I was sitting, minding my own business, I happened to overhear the conversations of the students nearby (we were on an overground train, so the no talking rule didn’t apply apparently). Their words weren’t what struck me, it was their accents. Between four students, there was an Indian accent, a French accent, an Irish accent, and a British accent. Ironically enough, they were talking about a fellow student who apparently “didn’t have an accent.” It was amazing to hear all these voices carrying on the same conversation, and it really made me realize how special a city London really is. And on that philosophical note, I shall leave you.