HP sites (visiting)

[Carol]

Carol earlier: 
> > The bus system, in contrast, is a nightmare (IMO) because London
is emphatically not laid out on a grid.
> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Being a little older than many cities ... however, I disagree. 
Having lived in London for some years I always found the buses quite
good and they're much cheaper than the tube (get a day pass anyway,
you can use them on tubes, buses and trains). The bus routes follow
the main roads, and even though I never was a tourist in the
metropolis, I could recommend the upper deck of the double deckers for
a good view of the city while you 
> ride on them. Easy routes: Euston - Victoria, any bus from 
> Trafalgar Square going up Regent Street and any bus along The 
> Strand, I would advise a visitor to ride on. You see nothing 
> Underground.
> 
> Oh, but avoid taxis, they have become an absolute rip off and 
> should only be used if all else fails.
> 
Carol responds:

I recommend the day pass, too. Then, again, it seems to me that I
bought weekly passes that were even better. I know that I rode both
trains and buses from London to Oxford (both were called, for reasons
that escape me, the Oxford Tube.)

In any case, I still rcommend the tube rather than the bus system for
getting around (easier for Americans like me who are used to cities
laid out on grids--unlike Londoners who have the advantage of knowing
their way around), though a short stint on a red double-decker bus
(top deck) is just part of the experience of being in London (along
with red phone booths and London bobbies, at least when I was there).

Oddly, on my last day in London, I had a good experience with a tazi
driver. The shuttle that I thought would pick me up wouldn't come
directly to the hostel where I'd been staying, so I had to haul my
extensive luggage (which kept flopping over) to a hotel about half a
mile away. By the time I got there, I had missed the shuttle. I was
getting desperate, so I explained my situation to a taxi driver and
asked him to take me to Heathrow. He told me that the trip would take
too long and I'd miss my plane, so he said he would take me to
Victoria Station and I could take a train from there to the airport. I
was deeply grateful and tried to tip him when we got to Victoria
Station, but unlike American cab drivers, he refused the tip.

Bless him, whoever he is. I hope he's well and happy.

Carol, who also enjoyed being addressed as "luv" by the bus drivers on
the Oxford Tube ("mind your step!")