Point A to Point B

I alluded to bus travel in my most recent post and I'll now take the opportunity to expand on that aspect of my day-to-day existence. The bus system in London, with a fleet of approximately 8000, is quite extensive. London's various and sundry bus routes couple with the Underground subway system (colloquially referred to as the Tube owing to its circular tunnels) and my feet to serve, collectively, as my means of local transport.

As I've mentioned before, I am living in Pimlico, a neighborhood in Central London (postcode SW1) located just south of Westminster, which is home to a good many of the capital's tourist highlights. I'm exceedingly lucky in that my two local Tube stops, Pimlico and Victoria Stations, are both on the Victoria Line and so too is Warren Street Station, located near the UCL campus in Bloomsbury. That constitutes Option One when it comes to my daily commute. Option Two consists of the route 24 bus, the oldest continuously operated bus route in London. The trip by bus takes considerably longer than by Tube due largely to heavy traffic in London. What doesn't help is the fact that the route 24 could very well double as a tourist service as it passes a number of notable (and very busy) sights in the course of its journey. I sat in the front row of the upper-deck a few days ago and took a few pictures to illustrate my point. I provided a bit of commentary prior to each picture...

I pick up the route 24 bus just next to Victoria Station and it commences in a generally easterly direction along Victoria Street in the direction of Parliament Square. The first picture shows (from left to right) the London Eye, the Palace of Westminster (Parliament/Big Ben), and Westminster Abbey.

The bus then circles Parliament Square in a counterclockwise (or "anticlockwise" as would be said here...) direction. I took this next picture just as the bus prepared to make a lefthand turn onto Whitehall, the home to assorted Ministerial headquarters and of the prime minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (just off Whitehall, on Downing Street).

The bus continues in a northerly direction along Whitehall until it enters Trafalgar Square, the historic center of the British Empire. The following picture provides a good view of the 170-foot tall Nelson's Column (the big pointy bit) and the National Gallery (the stone, columned structure in the background). The bus enters the visible roundabout at 6 o'clock, circles in a counterclockwise direction, and exits at 2 o'clock to continue north on Charing Cross Road.

Charing Cross Road passes through the hustle and bustle of the West End, home to the city's theaters along with many restaurants and pubs, and eventually turns into Tottenham Court Road once north of Oxford Street, that of high-end shopping fame. This specific picture was taken just as Charing Cross Road passes between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, two major centers of tourist activity.

My ride on the 24 ends just a short while north of that final picture when I alight at Warren Street Station (the same terminus as the Tube when it comes to my commute). Then it's just a one block walk to the east and I'm at UCL on Gower Street. I've intentionally left off here and I'll be back to show you my new academic home in the next installment.