Jaunted Embedded Travel Guides: The Great Tube Debate

April 9, 2007 at 4:34 PM | by benji | 0 Comments

Jaunted Embedded Travel Guides: London 2007

We are constantly searching for the most timely and useful travel information on locations around the world. We have always found that boots on the ground is a great way to sift through the marketing clutter and bring you the travel tips, information, and opinions you crave. However, now it is time to kick it up a notch. First, we are searching the world for folks who can take you on a field trip of their "backyard." When we find these folks, we then embed them into their local travel scene and ask them to be our eyes and ears out in the field.

We are expecting the same sort of grainy video, choppy sentences, and snapshot photos that you are use to seeing from embeds. The rub is, at the end of the day we should be left with a backyard travel guidebook like no other.

Our first embed is Benji Lanyado of London, UK. He is a budget travel columnist for the Guardian Newspaper in the UK. He also is the fearless leader of Youngin Europe, so expect his guide to skew young, but not that young, we intend to keep this thing legal. He lives in London and enjoys ranting about football.

Now that you have all the particulars, sit back and enjoy the trip.

The Great Tube Debate
Hot off the press, kind of. London's Top 3 Tube Lines.

Probably the one (maybe only) thing that unites Londoners is our beloved transport system- the tube. Like a slightly regrettable one-night stand; we've all done it, it feels a bit dirty, and when you're drunk it seems like the best thing ever.

Last week I took the decided to annoy all of my friends by spamming them with a simple question. "What's the best tube line, and why?" The results are in, and here's the top three.

The Northern Line
Star Players
Camden Town- punks, gigs, dealers, market.
Old Street- hipsters, Hoxton, clubs, trilbies.
Hampstead- restaurants, darling, bars, darling.

"Goes through all the coolest places in town, neatly avoiding West London, which is only good for fit posh girls and the Notting Hill Carnival." "Very much like an old, flea ridden dog that should have been taken round the shed and shot in the head long, long ago."

Northern Line Train

The Jubilee Line
Star Players
Westminster- drugs, corruption, vice, government
Canary Wharf- drugs, corruption, vice, business
Green Park- drugs, corruption, vice, hotels

"Great pub quiz fact; it is the only tube line which is crossed at some point by every other line on the network." "It's new, never breaks down, and looks the coolest- no walking through dark tunnels with exposed wiring." "It works."

Canary Wharf Station on the Jubilee Line Extension

The Victoria Line
Star Players
Brixton- rudeboys, drum n bass, crime, trendies
Oxford Circus- shopping, tourists, golf sales, Subway.
Finsbury Park- jerk chicken, students, pubs, freelancers.

"Because it's quick and really noisy, feels like you're actually getting somewhere." "Features the darker, scruffier street-smart of Finsbury Park and Tottenham Hale with some ace restaurants, delis and late night bars that will sadly/happily (delete where appropriate) never be discovered by the mainstream."

8:10am, Victoria Line

Look out for my review of the Docklands Light Railway next week; a celestial rollercoaster linking the City with the impenetrably un-gentrifiable fortress of Lewisham. Until tomorrow...

Specific questions about London? Ask away in the comments area below.

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Related Stories:
� The Underground Song [Backing Blair]
� Urban Skiing Takes Off [Guardian]

[Photo Credits (In Order): Anosmia, markhillary, wyzik, Nicobobinus]

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