On the tube returning from our day of touring, I sat next to
a nicely dressed young man who asked if this were our first trip to
London. When I told him he had been here
thirty years ago, he asked if much had changed.
That got us thinking as we relected on our day with our feet up in the
air conditioning of our room at the hotel in Shoreditch.
The first unique thing we saw this morning was a
mini-minivan selling coffee on the street.
It was untra cool and had the cheapest coffee we’ve seen anywhere.
The subway stops were still a lot like they were. We love the feel of the little village of each
station, some with more shops than others.
We did not have to pay fifty pence to use the loo thirty
years ago. There were no oyster cards
thirty years ago.
There were helpful workers in the underground to help,
instruct, and talk to us blundering tourists.
Piccadilly Circus still has the statue of whats his name in
the center of the circle.
The bobbies now wear bullet proof vests.
There are security announcements on the underground. The recorded message still tells us to mind the
gap on the train.
Londoners are still willing to advise and help in the tube
station.
Traffic is worse in London center even though it costs
to drive there now.
More radical, trendy buildings have been built; more are
being built.
The Thames still runs.
Big Ben still strikes the hour.
The eye now sits by the Thames.
Now there are tours of Buckingham Palace. People still flock to the tourist sites.
Musicians still perform in the tube stops.
The young man I talked to on the tube assured me there was
still good fish and chips and gave us directions to what he considers the best
at the junction of Hanbury Street and Liverpool. He was a native Londoner and like many native
Londoners, his parents immigrated from another country. His parents came to London a decade before he
was born in 1983.
One thing that has definitely changed in the last thirty
years is that after eight hours of tourist activity, I am ready for a rest!
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