Route 79

it looks so clean! is it new ? please remember that the last time i was in london was about 2 1/2 years ago and i really am not very london-savvy ... i'd like to be, but it's just so expensive.

i love your pictures, though, jag - and those buses ... well!

Hi Zed - no it's definitely not new - well not for 2 1/2 years anyway! The picture is oversaturated - which means that all the gory blemishes are not noticeable - but trust me it's pretty grotty. You can probably only just make out the fact that the right-hand-side "down" escalator is boarded up for renovation.
Basically: Warwick Avenue tube is a bit of a dump. But the supposedly "chic" Litlle Venice in my opinion is also nothing to write home about - a bit like it's serving tube station.

Oh - I forgot to say - many thx for the compliments re the pictures - that's more to do with the camera than the owner though! (The camera takes very nice pictures.)

You haven't told her yet - You mischevious person.
:Evil Grin:.
Whats so interesting about the subway pic - Are those movie posters up there on the wall?

I can't say for sure that they are all movie posters - but some of them may be. Everywhere you go in London's underground tube system you will see advertising for absolutely everything. The stuff that I see going up and down the escalators tends to be mostly adverts for films, theatre shows, books, recruitment agencies etc.

I took a picture whilst going up the escalator at Walthamstow last week and it looked almost identical to yours....similar posters, same looming perspective lines, same hunched back of weary travelling person in front.....travelling on the tube is such a universal experience like that,isn't it? no matter where you're travelling to or on which line it all looks pretty much the same, bar the detail...one could almost do it in one's sleep, it becomes so automatic

I stumbled across your blog a few weeks ago and have been checking in every few days or so. I really enjoy your humor, the pictures and especially the food.

I am a US citizen thinking of visiting/living in London someday and I have found your blog very helpful in giving a view of everyday life. Thanks!

Maisha

ps
That station beats just about every subway station I have ever seen in Chicago or NY. There's no rubbish on the ground or grafitti. And the walls are white! Wow.

warwick ave. station is one of the smaller ones and i don't use it much, but when i do i find that it's windy beyond belief. always a good idea to hold on to your ticket tightly when passing through there!

Hello Maisha - thank you so much for your nice commment! Glad to be of help and entertainment! Hope you do visit London one day - it's the coolest city in the world.

Oh - and the photographs can be very deceptive! London has a lot of dirt too.

Sherry: funny you should say that - because I do remember the very strong "wind" at Warwick Avenue! I wonder why? (Reminds me of Holborn - getting off Central Line tube train - going up the stairs - always a gale-force wind there too!)

Sue - great minds eh? :-)
But you're absolutely right - I am prolific daydreamer whilst riding the tubes and buses every day - and I often cannot account for getting on and off buses and trains or climbing stairs or riding escalators etc. My mind is usually very far away - but our bodies are hard at work getting us to work or getting us home.

Jag - I think it has something to do with the way ventilation on the underground system works. If you notice, only the new/refurbished stations (waterloo, southwark etc) have the closed doors on the platform. While that in part is probably to limit disruptions on the line because of people being pushed off the platform or losing a mobile phone or whatever, part of it is also because those stations have air conditioning and to have an open platform means the "wind" in the tunnels takes away all the cool air. The other stations get their air supply from the air that is pushed through the stations by the trains. I guess the Warwick Ave. one just lets a bit too much air through from the platform to the rest of the station.

Thanks for the explanation Sherry. Sounds plausible. Yes - and I always wondered why the platform edge doors on the Jubilee Line Extension stations. I thought it was a bit OTT for safety reasons - so aircon measures sounds like a a worthwhile reason. Would also explain why whenecer I've had to pass through stations like Westminster, London Bridge and Southwark etc. in the heat of summer they are sooo cool!