No Boys Allowed

A recreation of a 1920s underground "ladies only" car at the London Transport Museum. Note the awful tube map on the wall to the left. Seriously -- the current London tube map is an absolute work of genius. Makes a potentially horrifying and confusing system completely fathomable and even easy. (That said, I still prefer the bus.)

Curry #2

What you really need on a cold day like today is some spicy Thai curry from Borough Market.

Oxford

A side trip to Oxford and the gloomy fogginess of its old colleges in the dying light of autumn. Poetic or depressing? I tend to favor the former, but I'm an incurable romantic.

Geffrye Museum

A spectrum of fall colors transforms the Geffrye Museum in the East End.

Thanksgiving, English-style

As a transplanted American in London, I obviously have to post a picture of the Thanksgiving dinner I ate last night with 15 other American students.

The ovens in our student housing aren't really big enough to do a proper roast turkey, so instead we ordered turkey and cranberry and sage and stuffing pies from Borough Market. And I found canned cranberry sauce at the local supermarket (where I bumped into several other Americans looking for the same thing). I found this hybrid of a traditional American dinner oddly comforting. And, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was also able to speak to my entire family back home via webcam.

And now I'll be eating leftover Minnesota wild rice for the next two months. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Thanks for that

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Today, I am thankful that I come from a family and a financial background that has allowed me to get the kind of high-class education that I have enjoyed in the United States and now in the United Kingdom. Tertiary education used to be free for all UK citizens just a few years ago and now the new coalition government is threatening to lift the cap on tuition so that fees could rise, conceivably to an unlimited amount (£9000 a year is the current talk).

Protests have rocked the capital (and the country) as a result of these developments. Yesterday students occupied many universities, including my own, University College London. This is a shot of some of those students gathering prior to sitting in at the UCL Finances office.

Déjà vu

You might recall this image a few weeks back of the East End as seen from a flat in North London. This is that same view on a foggy day not long ago. Needless to say, I drank a lot of tea and listened to some excellent moody music on that day.

After the rain

A power station glowing in the sun after a burst of afternoon rain. This is taken looking southwest from the Hyde Park area. Anyone know where that power station is? It might be the Battersea Power Station, and it's in about the right place, though it looks like it's missing the back two smokestacks.

Twins

Twin terraced houses in Hampstead.

the classic shot

One of the first pictures I took upon arriving in London. A bit cliché, but still a good one, I think. Totally didn't realize there was a seagull flying through the frame until just now.

Selfridges

Another selection from Museum of London. The old elevator (*ahem*lift*ahem*) once used at elite department store Selfridges.

Innit?

I was totally charmed by these colorful lollipops at Museum of London. Totally charmed.

Twentieth Century Martyrs

Westminster Abbey installed statues of "20th century martyrs" in these empty niches in the 1990s (see this article from the BBC). Can you spot Martin Luther King, Jr. in a toga?

Smithfield

There has been a livestock market on the Smithfield site for over 800 years and it's still going strong. Snapped this shot just outside the market after a hearty full English breakfast from nearby Smith's of Smithfield restaurant (I'm betting those sausages were mega fresh...).

Crepes

Crepes at La Creperie de Hampstead. They even have their own Facebook page! And, yes, those are real dark chocolate chips that she is melting on my crepe.

Sunlight

A spot of evening sunlight on this very modern rowhouse in Hampstead.

Boris bikes

A now common view in central London -- bikes for rent from Transport for London. This scheme had just started in my hometown of Minneapolis before I left so it was neat to see the same thing starting up in my new city as well.

Building

Abandoned building in Belsize Park.

Fish

Fish at Borough Market.

Oliver Cromwell

The Lord Protector's death mask at Museum of London. Not gonna lie: this blew me away. I mean, that's Oliver Cromwell.

Avebury #2

A lone stone, part of the Avebury henge, one of the largest and oldest stone circles in Europe.

Avebury

And here it is! Stonehenge's sister site, one of the largest neolithic stone circles in Europe -- Avebury! Here we see a section of the stones butting up against the 19th century village built in the middle of it.

Stonehenge

A get-away to Stonehenge! If you decide to visit this famous heritage site, can I suggest that you take the time to walk across the fields as part of your trip? Take the ancient Avenue once walked by the neolithic people who built the henge. It makes for quite a beautiful and overwhelming experience. Much more impressive than parking in an English Heritage car park, shoving your way past other tourists to look at the stone for two minutes, and then all piling back in the car. Make a day of it and visit Avebury, Stonehenge's sister site!

Tunnel #4

The last from the authorized graffiti site near Waterloo Station.

Tunnel #3

More from the authorized graffiti site near Waterloo Station.

The Tunnel #2

More from the authorized graffiti site near Waterloo Station.

Also, it's Guy Fawkes Day today! I'll be watching some fireworks and hopefully lighting some sparklers (if it doesn't pour with rain). Pictures to follow if they turn out any good.

The Tunnel

Spotted this authorized graffiti site near Waterloo Station a few weeks ago. Looked it up later and, apparently, it was all started by that devilishly wonderful artist known as Banksy but is now just a general site of tolerated graffiti art. More pictures to follow...

Parliament Hill

A sunny day on Parliament Hill.

Turkish delite

Turkish delight at Borough Market! Nowadays, Turkish delight always makes me think of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

The 24

When I first arrived in London, it rained for about two weeks straight. So this was my first impression of the city, as seen from the top of one of those iconic double-decker buses. Speaking of which, if you ever have occasion to visit London, can I suggest you travel as much as possible by bus? You see a good deal more of the city that way and they really are wonderfully convenient.

This is part of the City Daily Photo theme day, "Public Transportation." Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.