Parts of me wanted to stay in Boston forever. The Hub, afterall, is awash in charm and leisure: nearby beaches and mountains, a small but brave theatre scene, a tapestry of dessert establishments and independent film houses galore; enough diversion in which to spend your time. Notice, however, what I didn't include in Boston's advantages: the MBTA. With major lines shutting down for weeks at a time, the T's checkered performance pushes citizens off the tracks and onto 93 South and we all know how traffic does wonders for societal cohesion and individual blood pressure.
In London, there's more here here.
"The Old Smoke," with its two-thousand-year-old history, pioneered the modern railway. Boosterism by Prince Albert certainly helped move things along (as evidenced by this clip at timestamp 3:18 of Victoria on PBS), leaving London with a legacy of options in getting around. For the modern Transport for London (TFL) includes:
675 Bus Routes 🚍
11 Tube Lines 🚆
9 Branches of the Urban-Suburban Rail Elizabeth Line
6 Newly-Named Overground Routes
5 Dockland Light Rail Routes 🚈
5 River Bus Routes 🌊
3 Branches of the Croydon Tram 🚋
and
About two dozen national rail operators emanating out from one of London's rail terminals 🚃
.jpg)
Anyone who knows me knows that I am anti-car and pro-train and thus London has proved an embarrassment of riches. As seen from ten thousand feet up, you can imagine every trek via bus, foot or train as a little circuit or nine million little circuits criss-crossing and intermingling. Whatever the image, moving around the city is a great way to get my bearings in this inaugural month. Tomorrow the first of September will mark thirty days. Call it the Thomas in London Chapter 2.0.
