Had a bit more of a chance to walk around this morning, thanks to the DLR breaking down...doesn't look half as bad on a nice sunny day, does it? Well, apart from the fuming commuters, the two bikers who crashed right in front of me on the roundabout (didn't take any pictures, of course), the beggar in the underpass near the DLR entrance (who knew more about where the buses went than the members of staff) and the guy that stands directly opposite the Metro newspaper stand trying to flog copies of the Sun (but whose accent means that he is in fact asking everyone very clearly to purchase some "Sandpaper" rather than a "Sun Paper")...they, of course, just look at him slightly strangely and pick up the free alternative...did (eventually) make it to work in the end...pfff... >:S
So, the other day, for no particular reason other than arriving slightly earlier than normal (and being a bit curious), I decided to take a little walk around Lewisham...and promptly wished I hadn't bothered...*hoards* of fighting school children (yelling in no language I could identify) threatening to knock over scared looking commuters (running the gauntlet from the bus station to the entrance to the DLR)- - I didn't dare get out even my telephone in the midst of that little riot, let alone my camera...scooting past I came upon a tiny little green patch, strewn with discarded Special Brew/White Lightning cans where a small pack of (obviously well fed) stray dogs were feasting on heaps of discarded "Favorite Abhorred Fried Chicken" bones, shedding greasy stools over the tarmac - - drinking from puddles, sipping stale remnants from the cans - - and performing opportunist sniffing raids on Al Fresco breakfast plates for more greasy abandoned morsels... Put it this way, on a first impressions basis, Lewisham wasn't scoring terribly highly... I felt uncomfortable, and that feeling didn't leave me (100%) for the rest of the day, which bothered me a bit...I mean, I'm quite used to London (Per se) and have certainly seen similar, if not actually worse, (I mean, I've wandered around Chinatown in New York shooting the graffiti without the smile leaving my face) - - and I used to have the pleasure of working in pre-regeneration cash Kings Cross - - so what was it about Lewisham? My solution? I kept on going back, saying "Good Morning" to the guy that gives out the Metro, finding the local supermarket to buy my milk (instead of popping to Tesco or Waitrose in the Wharf), exploring some of the local shops, and now I'm walking around bold as brass (and shooting, as you can see)... So, maybe it was just that...a bad first impression... ;)
Here we go, just a few shots from my HTC Hero of my new Journey, unfortunately an operator came and took my place by the only clean window so my later shots are through rather a lot of grime, but actually, that improved some of them (imho)...anyway, this is where the journey on the DLR starts, Lewisham station - - I've only got down the stairs to these two platforms *twice* and not managed to walk straight onto a train and choose a seat, once was a points failure (when I ended up walking through the docklands heading for the big tower from Crossharbour), and once was a sub-station failure (last week, and was fixed in about ten minutes flat), trains come in every two minutes or so, so if one were to find both trains full, it's only a very short wait for another empty one to arrive (as this is the end of the line)... The first couple of stops are very close together, Elverson Road - - and Deptford Bridge...it's then a slightly longer hop to Greenwich (where I change for CannonStreet services on the way home), the reason why I don't change here in the morning is because all the seats have now (usually) been filled... - at Greenwich we are usually full and standing, ready to start the journey under the Thames - - stopping underground at Cutty Sark (for historic Greenwich) - - (yeah, sorry 'bout that - cameraphone no likie low lightie) - and Island Gardens, then back out into the daylight for Mudchute (named thusly as it was the dumping ground for all the mud when Millwall Dock was being dug) - - lucky really, as, as a result it became a sort of improptu nature reserve, eventually becoming home to a big urban farming project (the one on Junior Apprentice last week, if you saw it) and actually quite a pretty area - - from here it's another fairly short hop to Crossharbour (which, as I mentioned already, I now know how to walk from if needs be) - - this is a busy little shopping area, full of waterside cafes and bars, just a taste of the buzz a stone's throw away - - then on (past the foundations of the old Crossharbour stop, demolished I imagine, as the platforms were too short for the new trains), the towers of the Wharf now clearly visible glittering in the sunshine off to our right through South Quay and Heron Quays (in very quick succession) - - and then into Canary Wharf station (where I get off and walk for 30 seconds to find myself in reception, One Canada Square)...DLR Commute - Done!
