Tower Bridge, first night here
Now in London and starting my master’s at LSE, I walk often to school. It takes about a 35 minutes, from Borough on the south side of the Thames over to campus in the city center. I pass a lot of famous places, like the Borough Market, the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Courts of Justice…. and the bar that was used for Bridget Jones’ house, which is apparently one of the most popular tourist stop-offs in the area.
My flatmates and I were discussing our famous-place walk over a pint last night, one mentioning that he had been raving to friends back home about how interesting the route was. He threw in the views as well: London Eye, Tower Bridge, Big Ben (which is sort of around the river bend, but I guess if you squint?).
It got me thinking about what I really look at when I’m walking. First day, the big sights. And my map. Second day, I started noticing more. The winding streets of the old neighborhoods offer innumerable sidewalk pubs and cafes, brick residences covered in ivy and potted plants on doorsteps. Newer parts are a contemporary style, aluminum accents and trendy furniture. Small colleges, like a school training accountants (whose population seems to be mostly South Asian), and design-oriented businesses occupy some of these newer buildings. Many are also empty, and the most common sign I see is “To Let”. Which I invariably skim and read as “toilet” at first. In this one sense I do prefer the American “For Rent” as a more clear message.
I’m certainly not the first American to be amused by British signs and bulletins. Signs are something I often notice when I’m traveling, but here — perhaps it’s the coming training in Anthropology — I’m noticing more. The first is one of my favorites, on a narrow lane I cut through.
By whose definition?
Yeah, I get confused by the left and right here too.
Men's and Disabled. Ladies room?
But the real reason that all of this is here is not for my cheeky enjoyment, it’s for the people. And the people make the city.
The Millennium Bridge, a footbridge that spans the river between the Tate and St. Paul’s Cathedral, is a particularly good place for people watching. And depending on what time of day I make my pilgrimage to the city center, I encounter any array of characters. Early in the morning, it’s runners and walkers, a few teenage boys dressed in suits going to the City of London School on the north bank. A bit later, more suits go to work, women in skirts and walking shoes, heels in handbags. Mid-morning, are the school groups, the tourists, kids cutting class. And everyone is just passing through: it’s a transit point. At most, a quick stop on the bridge for a photo or a chat. And later on, the runners come back around lunchtime, and the process reverses for the rest of the day. Suits go back the other way, walkers come out to enjoy the sunset, and so on.
Busker's viewpoint
Like everyone else, I pass quickly over the bridge. Really, I don’t see much of this movement on any one day. For that, one would have to stop and observe. The only folks I’ve seen so far who do this, are the panhandlers and buskers who set up on the entrance to the south side of the bridge. What a vantage point, to watch the city rush by.
Evening on the Bridge, same (almost) point.
It’s interesting — it’s not necessarily the most famous or the biggest place that can be the most instructive. And, while I actually don’t think this is the most photogenic place in London… at all… I might consider taking photos here regularly, just to see how this very busy place looks over time.
