This morning I spent most of my time organizing things with participants. It seems my snowball call has generated a lot of interest, and in fact I'm surprised by that. I've been saving all of my emails and logging the exchanges so I will address that in turn. But right now I want to focus on my time spent on the tube.

So after having to deal with this sort of more administrative stuff in the morning I struck out a bit later than I had hoped for my first adventure. It was around 2 or 3pm when I finally left. I've spent a fair amount of time in London already. In the past year it's probably been about a month and a half or two total - so in some ways the flat of my friends in Brixton can be a bit of a second home. The way to "use" the tube - how to buy tickets, enter, exit, navigate and so on - is something I am quite comfortable with. However, London is probably the only city in which I am a bit out of control of my own journeys in a way. Usually when I am somewhere I try to get a very deep understanding of the layout of things and have an easy time finding my way around, but it's also a fundamental part of how I like to see myself experiencing a city. I get satisfaction about achieving some sort of "insider knowledge." However, when I'm here with friends I somehow let myself go and let decisions be made for me - so I never really push to lead. The only journeys that I ever try to make "with elegance" are ones I do on my own - typically heading out to transport hubs like train stations and airports. So, as I was heading out to ride the tube I realized that I don't really know the map like I do with other cities - and so even the decision of what I wanted to study was heavily biased by my sort of ride-a-long experience with my friends. I started with the Victoria line because, well, I am always on the Victoria line. But it seemed to make sense because it was nice to try and re-experience something with fresh eyes for me.

After I arrived in London this time I registered my Oyster card (which I had from previous times in London) so that I could get a month long travel card (registration is compulsory for anything over a week travel card). So I was all set with my Oyster card and I headed off for Brixton station. Brixton itself is always a quite manic experience and the walk to the tube stop involves a lot of people yelling, jostling, pushing, shoving, and so on. It's sort of like making your way through a jungle of people and popping out the other side right in front of the tube stop.

Outside of most (every?) station there is an Evening Standard newspaper kiosk. These have a pretty noticeable aesthetic but they are interesting because they sort of give you something to think about (not necessarily deeply) as you enter and exit the stations. Incidentally the day after this trip into the field as I was walking past the newsstand in front of Brixton station it was written that the day before had been record heat - 47 degrees in the tube and 52 on the bus. More to come on that in a bit.

One of the things I noticed about the station which I'd never seen before was a lift. It's sort of a pain in tube stations because they go quite deep and have stairs everywhere so if you have luggage its incredibly tough. many times I've hauled things up and down the Brixton station steps, and surprisingly I'm often offered help, but the lift would be a much easier choice. It's quite a high-tech looking affair on the outside with green etched glass, lots of steel and an LED display. Very much unlike the rest of Brixton station which has a more lived in / dodgy effect.

The station entrance is a wide open set of stairs where you can see down below. It's a bit different from some stations which don't have such a clear view inside due to twisty or narrower stairs. There's a lot of action at the tops of the steps, a few scruffyish black dudes who are insistently saying "travel cards, travel cards" - trying to get used travel cards - are there as usual. Though I usually don't remember seeing them out so early in the day.

Inside the station you get all of the ticket type stuff and the queue for assistance to the right hand side, and then there is a newsstand to the left. For the first time I noticed a little photo booth also on that side, and I assumed it was for getting photos in case you wanted to get the picture version of a registered Oyster card (necessary for students) but then I was remembering that you had to send away for that so I'm not quite sure what it was for. Update: today (7.20) I was discussing with my friend about the photo booths and apparently for the old long duration travel cards you did need photographs made. So it makes sense that these booths were put in, but now that use has become obsolete.

The welcome to the days journey was a big sign in the middle of the floor before the turnstiles advising people to try to "stay cool in the heat," which, as it turns out, was pretty good advice. A man from the Transport for London was leaning against the sign, and I was noticing several officials wandering around. Some of them in orange vests - it seems those are the people who make things run smoothly, work in control rooms, give advice to passengers when the service goes wonky and so on. But there were some more official looking folks like the guy leaning on the sign, not quite sure what he was up to. I started getting a bit nervous touting my camera - I wanted to snap some shots of the control room which was just beyond the turnstiles to the right, but I thought that might not be the best idea despite the fact that it's perfectly permissible.

Just after the turnstiles there is a board announcing the service on the lines. A bit ironic I suppose since if there isn't good service on the line you are a bit screwed since you've already purchased your ticket. There was good service on the Victoria Line but that would all change in a few hours. Incidentally I remember thinking the phrasing of "good service" versus "minor delays" was a bit ironic when I first came to London. You never see "bad service" do you? But yet it manages to be implied...

Just after the turnstiles you encounter the escalators down. The tube is fairly deep and escalators abound. There are three parallel ones in Brixton station and depending on flow of traffic sometimes two are going downwards and sometimes two are going upwards. There is a small tensa barrier indicating whether you can use two or just one up at the top. It seems I'm habituated to using the outermost ones in all cases, but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe a bit for safety, I don't really like the ones that are apart from the wall and I'm curious how other people feel. On the escalators everyone steps to the left to allow for passing, and both going up and down the passing lane tends to be utilized. In this case I was passed by several people. Ads line the walls on the ride down, each in a little silver frame. This seems typical of most of the escalators as well as some of the stairways in entrances. The ads tend to be defaced with pens and chewing gum. It some how lends a bit of grossness to the atmosphere.

When you get down off the escalator you are in an hall with huge ad posters, some of them actually quite eye catching, and you are faced with the choice of turning right or left - through two openings on either side. Both platforms head north as Brixton is the southern end of the line so the choice tends to be to try and pick the platform with the train that will depart soonest or depending on how far you need to go, to wait for a train that is going all the way to your destination (some of the trains stop short of the northern end of the line, Walthamstow). There are two signs which always seem to confuse me. One has the numbers one and two and is displayed with orange LEDs, saying how long the train will take to depart and where it is headed towards. Below that is a sign that says "First Train" and and arrow pointing to "Platform 1" or "Platform 2". It seems the numbers on the orange sign don't correspond to the platforms but rather just that the first train is 1 and the next is 2. This is endlessly confusing to me - I can never seem to keep it in mind.

When you choose a platform finally as you make your way through the short and wide corridors there are large round mirrors - I assume these are to get a sense of the perpendicular flow of people before you lunge headlong into the mix, but I'm not sure.

The first train wasn't departing for about 10 minutes so I had some time. It arrived to the platform almost straight away but then waited there for a bit. Getting on the train it seemed fairly empty - in my mind it's never packed when you first get on in Brixton. The over all effect of these carriages is light blue with a bit of a sticky plastic feel. I realized I have become habituated to the patterns of the fabric on the seats (a sort of red and blue) as being the "normal" colors of the carriages. Later on I realized that being on other lines was a different sensory experience and started wondering if other people felt the same.

I was pretty keen on checking out the trash that gets left behind. It seems I saw a lot of food wrappers, fruit pieces / peals and bottles /cans. Especially in the summer when you are wearing sandals and a lot of the refuse collects on the floor and rolls about I found myself being wary of having my toes touched by garbage.

As I was riding on the carriage I was taking plenty of photos of the inside. A sat down just opposite the door I entered into and a 30/40-something African guy sat down across from me. He was sort of dressed in khaki and I interpreted him a bit as traveling but I'm not sure he had proper luggage with him, more like a big bag. He was looking at my intensely and then switched seats across to sit next to me and asked me where he could get a camera like mine. I told him I got it online, on the internet, but he just wasn't registering what I meant. Finally I said it got it in the United States - but he was insisting where did I get it. Wanting to know where he could get the same. He then moved on asking what model it was. But it was sort of awkward, I wasn't really sure what he wanted. It's interesting because I don't think I've ever really been approached by someone on the tube like that before.

I decided that for this fieldwork I would head north on the Victoria line and get off at each station taking photos to document the look of each. Of course this mean that I lost some of the continuity of riding in the same carriage for a while, but I thought I would focus a bit on the difference between the spaces for the first run. So luckily I had an easy reason for avoiding further contact with the sort of strange gentleman when I hopped off at the next station.

The next stop north is Stockwell. Each station is well signed over and over again with the roundel of the station. Despite this sometimes it's a bit tough to see out the windows/doors to see the signage. I guess the repetitiveness is meant to help overcome that.

The platform here was a bit empty as well and when the train pulls away you can see the large ads that populate the space behind the tube - which you also see from inside the carriages as the tube rushes in and out of each station.

Some of the other things I began noticing at this stage were the sorts of signage beyond the ads. You could see lots of posters advising how to use the tube, to be careful and so on. Also the way the exits are marked always as "way out."

Stockwell is a station which has two lines (the Northern line also intersects) so you get more choices and tunnels and movement going on. But interestingly, though, the platform for the Northern line can be seen from the one for Victoria. This makes changing super quick but also allows you to sort of see people who would normally be a bit more separate from you. The journeys are intersecting in a sort of more immediate way here then.

Visually though I felt that the Northern line platform, although close to the one for Victoria, was more stimulating - more lights, more signs, more color, the coke machine. There was a noticeable contrast of sort of fullness and emptiness - especially when looking back on the photos.

When I got back on the Victoria line I was on one of the carriages that are set up a bit differently. Instead of having all the seats perpendicular to the motion, facing each other and lining the sides of the carriage, this one has little groups of seats facing each other. This forces a different sort of interaction among people and also a different sort of "rule breaking" behaviour because people can put there feet up on the seats, so you see signs advised them not to. It seems though that everyone does anyway.

Getting off at Vauxhall I noticed some interesting signage I hadn't seen before. That the "front of train" is "less crowded" - permanently put up on the walls. Interesting to see how the flows of people over time give rise to the transport authority actually adding signs. This struck me as a bit different from the OCTA where it's clear that the language of the bus was Spanish yet all of the automated announcements and LED signs inside were in English.

Additionally it seems that the stations were well "clocked" as it were. I found myself being able to find the time when necessary which is interesting since the tube itself doesn't run on a time table, but I suppose since the rail which it connects with does the clocks can be important. But I notice that often you don't see them places they might be useful. On the Portland system for instance they appeared on the buses but not the MAX.

Getting back on at Vauxhall again the train was noticeably more full up and likewise so was the platform at the next stop, Pimlico. I was starting to get a feel for the changes in density both depending on space, but time as well. I was getting to see a bit more the variation in objects people were carrying with them.

As it was super hot underground it seemed that fans were quite popular actually. But also plenty of makeshift fans - pieces of paper, newspapers, books, and even Oyster cards.

After reflecting on the photos a bit I was thinking it was interesting to see how people sort of blocked off space, and carved bits of territory for themselves in different ways. Sometimes by placing bags on the seats next to them, which when the train was super crowded didn't seem an option, but then also using their own bodies in conjunction with the affordances of the carriage - like this man grabbing the pole both for stability but also to ensure his position as first out the door.

I decided to get off at Oxford Circus to grab some supplies for the project (and A-Z and a copy of the magazine Smoke, since I'm interviewing the editor). The station is completely tattered because it's underground renovations but the feel of it is so much like a distopian underground nightmare or something. Chicken wire everywhere, and bleak grey walls. Also since it is such a major hub, there are so many twists and turns. It had quite a surreal effect. It didn't quite feel dirty, more like sinister.

At the turnstiles I spent a bit of time watching people exit. People generally moved quite swiftly past, and it seemed most people had Oyster cards. It was interesting to see the style with which they passed the cards over the reader. When people did have tickets they moved quickly as well. The overall feeling was one of efficiency, as the gates snapped open and shut and the sounds of beeping filled the air.

Oxford Circus is one of the busiest stations with many many exits, and so the informational maps detailing what's going on above ground that you encounter after you exit the turnstiles seemed rather useful. I noticed several people consulting them. It felt that on the way in and in moving about between platforms and lines underground the assisting signs were much more helpful, but when you had to then go and reorient to the above ground world, there was a bit less helpful signage, but that the task itself could be a bit daunting. This station, more than Brixton for instance, has an intense flow of people, a tide that is easy to get swept up in. Stopping to stand and get your bearings can only practically be done off to the sidelines, but even then it can be difficult to make it there.

Here the entrances and exits to the station are separated so you find people only moving in one direction. This had the affect of different sorts of refuse accumulating.

I saw fliers, bottles/cans, wrappers, tissues/napkins and discarded tickets. On the way back in to the station the "tide" was even stronger so I didn't manage to snap a photo of the 10s of cigarette butts all lining the tops steps - presumably from people discarding their smokes just as they traveled in.

Back inside after the supply run I noticed a digital display indicating the service on the lines. Visually it was a bit confusing compared to the others because the lines are now listed in two columns rather than one. Also, with the paper display, you can get a quicker sense of what is going on with the lines because often those not in "good service" have their status written in with black marker. As you can see the Victoria line is now in a bit of trouble.

I saw several people using their mobile phones but they appeared to be waiting to go in to the tube. I had sort of assumed that most of the use happens after coming out from the underground because you have been out of contact for a while. But it seems logical, the preparation for going underground, the reverse, would be true.

The buskers in the tube have specialized places where they can stand to place music - little black semicircles that have the underground logo and "carling live - underground music" written on them. As well as a white chalked square. Where presumably the musician must stand. Busking is apparently not allowed on all lines as I saw some signs for fines.

The informational signs in the between bits of the escalator tend to collect trash which seems to obscure their usefulness.

Back down it was rush hour - around 5:30 and it was super packed. Wall to wall people and you could see much. So I got on the train going north and basically the doors stayed wide open for about 20 minutes and there were loads of announcements on the PA and by the transit workers saying we were strongly advised to seek alternate routes because of a signal failure at the northern most station on the line. People were coming and going from the train as they would make the choice to abandon hope or seek alternate routes. It was packed, hot, stifling, and I was rather sweaty. People still pressed on though reading books, magazines and listening to music.

At this stage I was noticed a lot of people still carrying their Oyster cards in their hands, and their tickets as well. Not sure what to make of that yet but it seems a bit to me like something quite valuable to be holding in the open. I suppose though it does feel a bit disposable. After sitting around for about 20 minutes without moving I decided I would just try to return back home. This of course was also problematic.

I boarded the train headed south but again it was stopped and remained stopped for about 25 minutes before moving. I saw a few people using their cell phones like the woman above who was using it to play solitaire.

The announcements about being "strongly advised" to seek alternative routes were being broadcast on this side as well and I overheard a few people planning out those routes. The line changes were being debated - was it even possible to get there by tube? If the Victoria line was essential the plan might be foiled. I saw two woman discuss the plan for a bit and then stand up to take action. Another couple, the people above, were discussing intensely around the tube map in the guy's hand.

The health warnings about the heat in the tube seemed appropriate at this stage and people were dealing with the heat in different ways. One guy had crossed his arms over his knees and put his head down while another gentleman was reading a paper and listening to music. Some checked the posted maps and routes.

Many people waited just outside or inside the train doors occupying a sort of firmly tentative position.

One guy was super vocal about the whole affair. He was quite loud with a strong Cockney accent saying that we had been waiting here "20 minutes." As people approached the train he would tell them there was no need to run as we'd already been there for ages. With time he kept repeating 20 minutes and you could hear comments from the crowd saying that at this stage it would be longer. Finally he began upping the time for to 25 and then 30. The more he yelled about his displeasure the more people began to laugh in the carriage. At first people were trying to ignore it but then it seemed to become comical as strangers exchanged glances and then finally openly made comments to one another. When finally he referred to the train conductor making announcements as a bastard the laughter was quite loud. Two women next to me got to talking about how long it might take and possible alternative routes although they weren't together, and a gentleman across the way a few times interjected comments but at one stage when he was beginning to say something which seemed to be more substantial the guy who was yelling said something quiet loud and the fellow across the way fell silent. After this fun experience we moved one station south to Green Park and endured the waiting for a while longer. Eventually after about 15 minutes I decided it would be best to get out of the heat and to try and take a bus home. In order to do this I first took the Jubilee line to Waterloo.

The aesthetic is more high tech as well. With more silvery looking or lit up bits. Also the two stations I passed through - Westminster and Waterloo - had a sort of second set of doors on the platform, so that there was a barrier between where the people stood and the tracks. Presumably for safety but it changed the feel of the stations quite a bit. Like hopping into a futuristic tunnel. This also has the function that there is a physical indicator of where the doors to the carriage will be.

The aesthetic was generally cleaner and more futuristic and it seemed to affect the way that the ads were presented as well.

However trash still managed to make its appearance.

After this I took a bus home. The experience was strikingly different, just being able to see the city after being underground for so long. It was still amazingly hot but visually I was able to look further away - which was interesting for me. I finally made it home and more or less collapsed. Best perhaps to not spend so much time in the heat.

Out of synch note: I can't remember which station it happened in but on my journey north as I was holding my camera a sort of Mid-Eastern looking man with a shaved head and nice looking, sort of business casual, black outfit approached me and said "don't use your camera in the underground, it's dangerous." He said it in a way that lead me to believe he thought I was being a danger to others. I decided not to ask him why :]