London is massive. While certainly not the largest city in the world, it is by far the largest city I have ever lived in, dwarfing both Boston and DC. Something is always happening in different parts of the city, and while central London may be a fantastic spot to live if you're into the touristy sights, there are also plenty of other awesome places to go. On a map, it doesn't look that bad. It looks like my dorm is a hop, skip and a jump from the Thames, when in reality it's a good twenty-minute walk. There are markets everywhere - Borough, Smithfield, Portobello Road, and Camden, just to name a few. Brick Lane is the place to get Indian food, and there is a 24-hour bagel establishment as well as a forthcoming cereal café (that's right, a cereal café) in Shoreditch. I could go on and on about how many things there are to do in London (most of the above mentioned I have not even done yet). The problem with wanting to do all these things: They are ridiculously far away from each other, unless you fancy walking for a few hours. Luckily, there is no shortage of transportation in London.
First: getting here. London has six airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend and City. There are probably more. City is actually the only airport in London proper. I flew out of there to get to Dublin and it was an absolute pleasure. It was a 30 minute ride on the DLR (to be discussed later); there was one terminal, security was easy, and it appeared very clean and fairly new. I've been told by my trusty unofficial guidebooks (and yelp) to avoid Southend and Luton as they are quite difficult to get to and the experience is a pain. Stansted and Gatwick have trains and buses that go to and from them, more expensive than the tube though much less expensive than a cab. Heathrow is quite far out from the city, though being a huge international airport, not difficult to access. The Piccadilly line on the tube goes straight to the terminals, and one could also take buses, trains, cabs, minicabs, whatever suits your fancy.
Once you are finally here, you now have the pleasure of staring helplessly at a giant tube map on the wall and, once you've figured it out, cramming yourself in the train with the masses to get to your destination. However, the tube may not be the best way. Here is my personal list of transportation in London:
1. Bus. I'm sure I said this in an earlier post, but they are all double decker and it is not a myth. Go upstairs and try and get a seat at the front. The bus is great because a single ride is cheaper than the tube (bus is £1.45 and tube is £2.20 in Zone 1). Truth be told, I have only just discovered the wonders of the bus. I didn't initially allow myself to use it because there are so many buses going to so many places and I was terrified I would get on the wrong one or miss one and have to wait 20 minutes for the next one. A friend of mine introduced me to the Citymapper app about a week and a half ago and it has since changed my life and now I have learnt to use and love the bus, so here is a shameless plug for Citymapper. Take the bus.
2. Tube. It's faster than the bus, but for a ride it's 75 pence more expensive, which adds up after several rides and adds up even more after you think about the murderous exchange rate (RIP my bank account). You most likely will not have a place to sit. You also have to deal with the station's shenanigans, like people who wait until the last minute to pull out their Oyster Card (like a smart trip card), stand on the left on the escalator (DC people understand my pain), strollers, suitcases, body heat, and the maze that leads you to which platform you're looking for. But still, it's much faster than the bus, there are less stops, and you don't have to pay to switch lines (like you have to pay £1.45 again if you get on a different bus).
3. DLR. It is a tube line but it deserves its own bullet point. I took it once, to City Airport, and it is what a public train ought to be; it has big windows and ample seating, ventilation (!!!), and it runs from central to east London, which is cool if you simply want to see a different part of the city. I've heard that, if you're lucky, and if no one is sitting in the front seat, you can "drive the train" and that it's awesome but I don't know what it means and I'm kind of afraid to find out.
4. Cab. This is if you have money to burn, or if you don't and you just don't care, but it's late at night and you just want to go home. It's a good late-night option, if the night bus is somehow inconvenient to you, which it very well may be. It's easier to hail a cab than to wait in the cold for a night bus, and the cab doesn't stop, which is a relief when you just want to go home. Sure, it may cost £10 for a short ride, but it was worth it because I am now in the warmth of my own bed 30 minutes earlier than I would have been had I taken the bus. Who's the real winner here?
5. Bicycle. London has its equivalent of Capital Bikeshare, though they are operated by TfL (Transport for London). I have never ridden a bicycle in London and I do not ever plan to because I don't have a death wish. The cars drive very fast and drivers show no remorse and it's scary enough being a pedestrian; I couldn't imagine sharing a road with them, much less on a bicycle with myself all exposed to the elements and what not. The bikes would likely be a great option for riding through a park (on the paths that allow bikes) or through neighborhoods with less traffic. The other cool thing about the bicycles is that each 'station' has a post with a map of the surrounding area on it, showing walking and biking distance radii. They are everywhere, so it's hard to get lost.
I could go on about all the trains that go in and out of London, like National Rail and Eurostar but that would take ages. Many stations are under construction for a new project due to open in 2018 called CrossRail, a high speed rail system that runs the length of London from East to West. Citymapper, which tells you a myriad of different ways to get home, includes a "jetpack" option, clearly preparing users for the future and/or driving someone somewhere to finally invent a usable jetpack. As I said before, London is huge, but it's quite easily accessible, especially when you open yourself to the wonders of the bus or open your wallet to the wonders of a cab.