Underground

Here's the Marble Arch underground station. While we were staying in London, this was our gateway to the entire city. Our hotel, the Edward Lear, is just around the block from here. About a one-minute walk away from the tube.

Of course, the underground is world-famous. The world's oldest city subway, it's a huge system with links out to the suburbs in every direction. Its map alone is one of the most recognizable images in the world.

And it's the most straightforward, simple-to-use subway system I've ever encountered. None of those problems you get in New York if you don't know the difference between uptown and downtown (have you ever gone down the wrong side of a station and had to come all the way back out, pay again, and go back down the other side?).

We rode the tube every day while we were in London. You can buy day passes, but it worked out better for us to buy the carnets -- ten tickets for 11.50 pounds. Very convenient.

A couple of interesting underground links:

• Disused Stations on London's Underground
  
• London Underground History
  
• Emmy's London Underground Page