Sunday, April 10, 2016

London Underground

In the past few weeks, I've spent more time underground than a miner. Which is a gross exaggeration and I apologize to any hardworking and highly respectable miners that may be reading this blog. However, since my preferred method of transportation (after running/walking) runs on a track below the surface of the earth, it's safe to say I've become inured to the stresses of spending extended periods of time in small spaces of questionable air quality.  Sunshine and fresh air is all fine and dandy, but Londoners have so acclimated to subterranean environments, that they've become drawn to them. And I know you're going to argue "I thought Londoners loathed the tube? Don't they complain about it constantly? The smell. The occasional signal failure. The colorful cast of characters that only seem to emerge past 10 pm." Yes. But they (we) loathe it fondly. Because it's our crowd. It's our agonizing rush hour. They're our post 22:00 weirdos. And as I was saying, perhaps years of underground commutes have bred a hereditary proclivity to a life below. Because some of the coolest places I've been have been hidden underground. In fact, some of the hippest bars, clubs, and restaurants require a downward ascension to reach.

Just a few nights ago, I danced underground in a nightclub/bar called The Queen of Hoxton in uber cool Shoreditch, East London, where hipsters mingle with soft grunge punks and suited City folk. The air (breathable, but questionable- nothing new here) is smoky and thick, electrified by magenta bolts of strobe lightening and laser green LED rays shattered into glitter by disco ball diamonds. A DJ, grinning as he spins to an entranced crowd, one hand on his headphones and the other dancing on his turntable. And people, nodding and twisting, shaking, shimmying. Packed together and moving in rapid snapshots of light and sound, under the surface everybody is anybody and nobody. There's something about partying in a basement that's so much more fun.

A couple weeks ago my friend Sydney visited from Rome and I wanted to show her the vibrant, quirky London that I've come to love and have had the privilege of getting to know as a temporary inhabitant. So we, plus another friend, ventured to Brixton (home of the late, great David Bowie [they're in the process of re-naming a street after him], as well as a thriving Afro-Carribbean market scene, and some of the best jerk chicken I've ever eaten), where there's a massive church not too far from the Underground station. But it's so much more than a church. It's home to a nightclub, bar, and restaurant... and guess where all the good stuff is? Underground. Below Saint Matthew's Church. In the crypts. The restaurant/bar, Gremio De Brixton (it's the first thing that comes up when you Google "Brixton church bar"), serves a tempting range of authentic tapas and Spanish wine, and the exposed brick low archways aglow in candlelight make for an intimate and warm interior despite the fact that guests are dining in a a former sacred resting place. We ordered a range of dishes, from patatas bravas to suckling pig, and split a bottle of wine. Yet another amazing dining experience with lovely people, good conversation, and a vibrant atmosphere made all the more alluring because of its subterranean location.

Conversely, London is home to the tallest building in Western Europe- a towering glass masterpiece appropriately titled the Shard for its jarringly jagged appearance that pierces the atmosphere like a crystal dagger. It's an extreme opposite to subterranean life- a heightened alternative, a stratospheric escape. In the spirit of going to extremes, I went to a silent disco on the top of the Shard last night. Approximately 70 floors about street level, I sipped Prosecco and specialty cocktails and looked out at the illuminated veins of the city below while jamming out to the different tunes pulsing through my headphones in the company of strangers doing the same.

London is as much of a subterranean metropolis as it is a supra-terranean one. There's a novelty to the secrecy of all that goes on below the surface- from travel to dancing to dining. That being said, sometimes it's necessary to get a little high. For a healthy balance.

I'm fascinated, shocked, humbled, and invigorated by London at every altitude.