A Little Atti'tube

I have a love / hate relationship with the public transportation in London. Especially now that it takes up 2 hours of my day, sometimes more.

On the one hand, I love it. I feel like a real Londoner: running on the train platform to sneak in behind the closing doors; briskly climbing the escalator on the left hand side to surpass those standing; gripping one of the colorful handles while riding the tube like a surfboard moving my body with it as it turns and winds down the tracks. I also love the tube map: it's so easy to read and navigate.

Even when you are packed in like sardines, there's something very private and lonely about riding the tube. It is silent except for the low rumble, a screech here and there, or an announcement of the next stop. Nobody makes eye contact with others - everyone is focused on a game on their phone, a newspaper (they give them out for free at the stops), or a book, and people only occasionally glance up when they need to check their stop.

I love that there is no connectivity in the tube. I cannot be reached from the outside world. It is actually refreshing to disconnect and not be able to check Facebook, e-mail, Instagram or text (brings me back to my phoneless days when we first moved here!) I've also started to read on my commute in, and I've been able to read through an entire book in a week and a half.

So what is there to hate? Why start a post with the title a little atti'tube?

A bus caught in traffic, a signal delay on the line, missing a tube because it is so packed that you physically cannot fit one more body in it, trying to cram your body into a tube that is packed and getting hit by the closing doors, running towards the bus stop while watching it drive away, not having service to text a friend and say "I'm running late because I missed the bus!" - this ironic unpredictability of leaving your house at the same time everyday, taking the same route everyday, and still never arriving where you want to at the same time everyday.

A public transportation experience in London is either the best or worst, especially during rush hour - there is no in between. Because you either make a train or you don't; you get a seat or you don't; and you get to where you need to get on time or you don't.

Plus this is a little daunting to see as you are coming down the escalators:

Ah, the beauty of a little atti'tube.