On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 08:10:21 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message , Paul Corfield
writes
I've had almost the same reaction on telling people I went on the
Subway in New York to Brooklyn. "You did what? Do you know how
dangerous that is?" "Err, I am standing here and am still alive to tell
the tale. It wasn't that bad."
We had exactly the same reaction when we were in New York. I've been
twice and on neither occasion did I feel any more unsafe than I would
have done on the Tube. In fact I felt safer than on some Birmingham
buses at night! (Though the Birmingham Metro, with a conductor always
present feels especially safe late at night.)

Well a friend and I even used the late night subway service to get from
a bar in the lower east side back to the hotel near Madison Square
Garden. The system was very quiet but it seemed an eminently sensible
way to get around.

Still I don't believe in "doing a city" by going round in an air
conditioned tourist coach. I think it adds to the experience to travel
about how the residents do -

Yes and I feel the same about that, however bizarre that might seem to
you reading this here.

Not at all bizarre. If you're interested in a place or the people then
the best way to experience it is to put yourself in a position where you
might "collide" with day to day life. Strange things can happen but
generally human kindness shines through despite language and cultural
differences.

In mitigation, I can tell you that I try very hard when showing people
London (or anywhere else) to talk a lot about life there, experiences,
background and so on and not just - say - history. But using a real
transport system is a great way to see somewhere. My interest in trams
has taken me to some very surprising bits of actually rather famous
cities over the years!

Well trams are a great way to see a city as their permanence gives an
added reassurance to getting about with some confidence. Passenger
information is also usually a bit better which helps as well.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!