I woke up quite early yesterday morning and didn't fall back asleep. While I was lying there it struck me that it might be a good time to go to Abbey Road before it gets crowded. Turns out I was right. I got myself up, got on the train, and made it to the famous zebra crossing a little before 7:30 in the morning. There was only 1 group of people there when I arrived. The traffic wasn't too bad then either. Iconic as it may be, it's not like this crossing has had a museum built over it - it's just an intersection on a road. People are trying to go to work or the park or their homes, and have to dodge tourists taking too much time crossing the street or standing dangerously in it taking a photo from the right spot. At 7:30 am on a Saturday it was pretty light, so if you ever decide to make this music pilgrimage, I'd recommend going early - by 8, both tourist and traffic patterns were getting busier.
"No, no, back up, honey!" 😆
That first group of people that were there when I showed up were 3 Japanese women trying to get decent photos of each other crossing the road album-cover style. A short while later a middle-aged Japanese couple arrived with a similar mission, except he was clearly the Beatles fan, and she was the well-meaning photographer always standing in the wrong place. He had her re-try about a dozen times - she was clearly standing too close and just getting a picture of his smiling face. So that brings me to my next tip. If you have a non-Beatles fan in your party, show them a picture of the Abbey Road cover before you go so they know what you're trying to do. It was pretty hilarious to watch this drama, but I felt a bit bad for both of them by the time they left. Several other groups and individuals came and went in half-hour or so I was there - one other white dude and about 20 Japanese tourists. I found the ethnic leaning pretty interesting and I have 2 theories:
More Japanese tourists do their research and knew that earlier was better
Jet lag
I think it's probably a combo...
Not too bad on this one - one of the few people walking the right way too
The other bit you need to know if you're a non-English visitor is how zebra crossings work. There are different types of street crossings in England. At intersections with stoplights they do them like we do they in America - wait for the light and follow the "walk" and "don't walk" icons. Then there are zebra crossings - they have the wide stripes painted on the road and tall black and white poles on either side, usually with flashing lights on top. At zebra crossings, pedestrians always have the right -of-way. If you are in a car and someone is approaching a zebra crossing, it is your job as the driver to stop for them - they do not need to wait for you. So at Abbey Road there is this weird, reverse-game-of-chicken going on where the tourists are standing at the zebra crossing wanting the cars to go by so they can get their perfect cover-photo, and all the cars are stopping because there are pedestrians standing there. There are moments where they'll both stand there looking at each other thinking the other is an idiot before the driver finally angrily accelerates and continues on his way. One more reason to get there early and minimize the crossing confusion.
I've got to admit for all the amusing tourist spectating, it was a pretty spiritual experience to just sit there, listening to Abbey Road, and looking at the place where that masterpiece was created. I have only a modest appreciation for the kind of art that hangs in museums. I know what I like, and what I don't, but I don't go to art museums a lot. For me, looking at that street scene with the music in my ears was about as good a museum as there is. That is my kind of art.
Where the magic happened
Leaving my mark... wonder how often it's whitewashed
Well, I am 2 weeks into my stay as a UK resident. I've even got a Residence Permit that has replaced my driver's license in my wallet. I feel official.
In my official capacity here, I am learning what it means to be English. Mainly it means complaining a lot. Especially about the weather and about driving. I live in the western part of London and work just south-west of London, which you can see on this highly accurate map of the UK is populated with sad commuters.
My commute is 45-60 minutes each way, and let me tell you, they are stressful minutes. I am no stranger to driving in the UK. I have been doing it on work trips here for the better part of the last 15 years. Usually, I am driving fairly short distances from the hotel to the office or the train station, or longer distances through the countryside. Now that I am driving medium distances through semi-urban areas in crowded rush hour traffic, it's a whole different situation.
I have often told people that driving on the other side of the road/car is tricky at first, but you get used to it. The thing that is most difficult about driving here is the ridiculously narrow roads, which are made more perilous by cars parked wherever their drivers happened to want to get out, pedestrians, and cycles - both the motor and pedal varieties. Plus Now that I have to deal with all of those stressors for nearly 2 hours every day, it's taking a bit of a toll. I feel like a nap after I get home.
To give you a sense of what it's like, here's a video of the last mile and a half of my drive. Note that this mile and a half takes about 6 minutes to complete. This is part of the problem. My hour-long commute is a little under 18 miles. You do not move fast here. Some other things to note in the video:
Passing parked cars sticking well out into the lane
Passing oncoming traffic well into my lane
A double-decker bus about a foot from my door with a parked car about 6 inches away from the passenger side
Stopping for a good minute for no apparent reason
Jarring speed bumps every 50 yards or so
Pedestrians at zebra crossings requiring cars to stop
Bicycles zooming down the road
Good times had by no one
So towards the end of the day at work, it was raining and I was complaining about the rain and having to drive home in it and that it was slowing traffic down even further. My co-workers told me I sounded very British - well done! After a little while the sun came out and it was blazing through the window and I said, "Ugh! Now the sun will be in my eyes and I won't be able to see!" With that, my co-workers declared me fully local. Now all I need is an accent.
