I’ve always been obsessed with the London Underground. And oddly the entire experience of taking the London Underground. I’m not sure why - it’s no different than most metro services in most major cities. I love the wind tunnels, the Mind the Gap signs and the swift way in which people hop on and off the tube. I even love that it’s called the Tube. I’ve always loved that map - those little coloured dots as you move through the labyrinth under the city. I became so obsessed at once point that I actually asked my aunt to bring me a fresh map next time she visited so I could frame it (I never did).
I haven’t been to London in over a decade now so I’m not sure if the experience has changed. I think it probably has and so have I after a global pandemic and so many life events. The idea of wayfinding somewhere under a bustling city and emerging to be where you wanted to be (or perhaps not at all) is a thrill. I think, so is the constant reminder to Mind the Gap.
I’m reminded of Zora Neale Hurston’s quote, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” And I think sometimes we need to mind the gap between them. To make sure that we do the little hop. The wayfinding signposts are helpful (which way to the South Bank?). But sometimes you just emerge in a different place on the platform and go from there. Just be sure to mind that gap.
