Questions for Londoners

[Alidar Jarok]

How is that loud, alternative market still called? On Saturday (?) Camden Market or such? I found that interresting as well... especially after all the normal sightseeing and museums its a bit varity and another side of London.

TerokNor

Camden Town. The problem is the tents are slowly being bought up and replaced by corporate stores, from what I've heard (I was there a few years ago before that fire and that's at least what people told me).

MLB, as for using oyster cards when you leave, most places will have gates that won't open until you use your card. That makes it pretty convenient to figure which is which. The only confusing one is the DLR. I'm honestly not sure what the rule is for that thing, since there aren't any doors and the thing you have to use wasn't always obvious for a tourist like me. But, unless you're planning on seeing the Docklands Museum (which is pretty cool) or Canary Wharf, I don't think there's any reason to worry about that.

 

[TerokNor]

Oh, well I was there 10 years ago.... so it might have changed.
Well... I just looked emo up myself, so something with punk style. *shrug* Yeah..like I said alternative. Still interessting to watch the going ons and the people there...at least 10 years ago.

TerokNor

 

[BrotherBenny]

NOTHING pisses me of more than when tourists block the damn escalator

Agreed. And I say this *as* a tourist.

I actually have my own question for Londoners. In preparation for when I visit my British relatives, I only have one issue: I understand that, on the Tube, you have to swipe your Oystercard when you enter *and* when you leave a station. Does this happen at *all* stations? Or just some? If the latter, how do you know to which stations this rule applies?

Also, is "Oyster" a funny name for a farecard, or what?

MLB, though I am no longer a Londoner, I was until 6 months ago.

On the Tube, as mentioned, the majority of the time the gates won't open unless you swipe the Oyster card. On the Docklands Light Rail, the swipe in/out machines are by the stairs to the entrance/exit of the stations; the gates apply to some of those as well. On the London Overground, gates and swipe in/out machines are the norm at all stations.

The Oyster is so named because of the phrase "the world is your oyster," or in this case, city.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

 

[StolenThunder]

You still have to touch your card to a reader even if you are not passing through a closed gate, as there are some stations that don't have gates/the gates are fixed open on quiet days. That's the case for the Underground and light rail anyway.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

Or you could just vault the gate in a jaunty manner ~ we British are always amused by such japes


Disclaimer ~ do not do this unless you want to get wrestled to the floor by hefty men in orange jackets and then spend a night 'At her majesty's pleasure' ~ actually that sounds quite fun

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

You still have to touch your card to a reader even if you are not passing through a closed gate, as there are some stations that don't have gates/the gates are fixed open on quiet days. That's the case for the Underground and light rail anyway.

But in such circumstances, the readers are still easy to see? So there's little risk of missing one? A tourist such as myself would indeed miss it if it's not right out in the open...

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

Or you could just vault the gate in a jaunty manner ~ we British are always amused by such japes

I couldn't vault the gate. I can barely vault a matchbox.

And given the current configuration of New York City subway turnstiles, I am already conditioned against attempting any sort of turnstile jump. In NYC, that attempt might cost a man his nads.

 

[StolenThunder]

You still have to touch your card to a reader even if you are not passing through a closed gate, as there are some stations that don't have gates/the gates are fixed open on quiet days. That's the case for the Underground and light rail anyway.

But in such circumstances, the readers are still easy to see? So there's little risk of missing one? A tourist such as myself would indeed miss it if it's not right out in the open...

Variable. Some are, some aren't. It's a flaw in the system.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I suppose it would just be easiest to follow the crowd and do whatever they do.

 

[Hermiod]

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

This only matters if you use Pre-Pay so they know how much to charge you. If you just buy a weekly Travelcard it won't make any difference.

With Pre-Pay, if you enter a station and then tap your card on a reader, and then by the time the trains shut down for the night you haven't tapped your card on the way out then the system has no way to know what journey you made and thus how much of your Pre-Pay money to take so it has to assume that you made the longest journey possible. (i.e. if you entered in Zone 1 it will assume you went all the way out to Zone 6)

For the most part this is irrelevant since you won't be able to get out of the station anyway.

The most obvious place this can happen is if you get off the Waterloo and City line at Waterloo and don't get on another Underground train from there. There are no barriers and the readers are not obviously placed.

 

[captcalhoun]

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

Or you could just vault the gate in a jaunty manner ~ we British are always amused by such japes


Disclaimer ~ do not do this unless you want to get wrestled to the floor by hefty men in orange jackets and then spend a night 'At her majesty's pleasure' ~ actually that sounds quite fun

or, more accurately shot dead by SO19 cops in front of innocent bystanders.

 

[Hermiod]

^That's extremely unlikely given that such officers aren't exactly on regular patrol. I haven't seen one for years and even that was at Waterloo Station while it still served the Eurostar.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

You still have to touch your card to a reader even if you are not passing through a closed gate, as there are some stations that don't have gates/the gates are fixed open on quiet days. That's the case for the Underground and light rail anyway.

Something I was curious about. What happens if you forget to touch your card to one?

 

[StolenThunder]

Like Hermiod said, it will assume you travelled the maximum possible distance - say out to Zone 6, and charge you accordingly.

 

[DangerMouse]

Greetings,

A friend of mine is an English teacher at the state university in Rostov na Danu, Russia. She and her class will be visiting London soon, and asked me if I could find out some information for her. Unfortunately, being an American, I'm ill equipped to answer her questions. I'm hoping you guys here can help:

• Should they be carrying Euros or Pounds? Or are both accepted?
• What are some traditional foods that must be tried? Any restaurant recommendations?
• Are there any shops at which souvenirs (or authentic cultural products that are less cliche than a model of Big Ben) can be purchased at reasonable prices?
• If you had only a week in London, as they do, what places would you visit? (In prioritized order just in case there's not enough time to do it all)

Thanks in advance!

ZS

Are these joke questions???? WTF

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ what's so funny?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Like Hermiod said, it will assume you travelled the maximum possible distance - say out to Zone 6, and charge you accordingly.

Ah, OK. When I was there, I think I had unlimited use in Zones 1 and 2, so that wasn't an issue. Good to know, though.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

So you will always know if you have to swipe to get out, because then you will have to go thru a gate? No gate, no swipe? Sounds ok.

Or you could just vault the gate in a jaunty manner ~ we British are always amused by such japes


Disclaimer ~ do not do this unless you want to get wrestled to the floor by hefty men in orange jackets and then spend a night 'At her majesty's pleasure' ~ actually that sounds quite fun

or, more accurately shot dead by SO19 cops in front of innocent bystanders.

Point taken.