It started with Tigger asking, innocently, “Are you ready for an adventure?”

In the “old days”, I would have said “Yes” and put my shoes on but the Covid-19 pandemic has made me cautious, not to say a mite timorous.

“What kind of adventure?” I asked, suspiciously.

“Taking a bus to Tottenham Court Road,” stated Tigger boldly.

My silence prompted her to ask, “You don’t want to, do you?”

The truth is that I both wanted to and didn’t want to. I had lately found myself thinking of our days out with nostalgia and a trip into town would be a move towards that. But the idea of going on a bus posed anxieties of its own.

“We have to get used to travelling again soon, anyway, and today would be a good time to make a start,” said Tigger, reasonably.

Half-convinced, I put on my hat and shoes and stepped out into the street.

Masked

Transport for London requires passengers to wear masks on public transport and to limit numbers on each vehicle. So we obediently put on masks.

Masks cause me problems because their ear-loops are apt to tangle with my hearing aids, risking pulling these out. This mask is a bit tight and you can see that it is twisting my left ear. Ah well, no one said it would be easy… 🙂

We walked to the stop for the 73 bus in Pentonville Road and waited for it to appear.

On the bus

The bus arrived and we boarded. I almost forgot to pull out my travel card – forgetfulness through lack of practice! There was only one other passenger on the lower deck and we found seats half-way back in a pair of seats facing another pair of seats. Sitting on the bus generated a strange feeling of familiarity.

Keep clear

The seats opposite ours, and some other seats, bore an ahesive notice barring their use in order to maintian some semblance of social distancing. That’s all very well on a day like today with few people travelling but how well it works during the week, with many people anxious to go to work, remains to be seen.

Passing St Pancras Station

The bus sailed past several stops without setting down or picking up passengers. We passed King’s Cross and then I managed a quick snap through the bus window of St Pancras.

University College London Hospital

We srrived at University College London Hospital, known to its fans, for obvious reasons, as UCLH. Tigger calls it my home from home because I have been here so often as both an in-patient and an out-patient. We were not going here today but it was where we left the bus.

Goodbye, bus

We waved goodbye to the bus and continued along the pavement in the same direction, towards the corner. But first, Tigger removed her mask and handed me her hand sanitizer. So I removed my mask, also cleaning my hands. Did I feel better now I was off the bus? Er, maybe…

Warren Street Station

At the corner, we turned left into Tottenham Court Road. Opposite us was Warren Street tube station.

Crossroads

Looking back at the junction, I could see traffic and people but not as many as I would expect on a “normal” Sunday. One reason might be that, as we discovered, most shops, pubs and cafes were closed so that there was nothing much to do here.

Keep Left!

As we started walking along Tottenham Court Road,, we saw that all along the pavement were two rows of arrows, indicating that pedestrians should keep left to aid social distancing. Did everyone follow the arrows? Some did and some didn’t…

The BT Tower

Here we find ourselves within sight of a famous London landmark, the Post Office Tower. It was built for a specific purpose (see here) and in additiion had a revolving restaurant at the top. The restaurant was closed because of security fears and the tower’s original purpose has been outgrown so that the tower is now more or less redundant. It can be visited for guided tours, I believe.

Quiet Tottenham Court Road

This view along Tottenham Court Road shows how quiet it is. The reason is no doubt that which I already suggested, namely that very few businesses are open. More alarming still, many have closed down completely and are boarded up or empty. Others are activertising sales with huge discounts, suggesting that they too may be facing a rocky future.

BT Tower behind American International Church

Here is another view of the BT Tower visible behind and above the American International Church. (No, I don’t known anyting about this orginzation, either.)

Goodge Street Station

Goodge Street tube station is about halfway along Tottenham Court Road. The station that bears the name of the road is right down at the end (or the beginning, depending on your point of view) of the street. If you don’t know London you might be tempted to think that you could measure the distance you have walked by the number of tube stations you have passed but it ain’t necessaerily so.Tube stations vary greatly in their distance apart. Generally sppeaking, they are closer together in the centre of town than out in the suburbs but even that does not hold true in all cases.

Old Goddards Store

This handsome building was built for Goddards but closed forty-odd years ago and now serves other purposes. I wrote about it previously, see Brunch in Fitzrovia.

Artwork

At the end (or beginning) of Tottenham Court Road, we turned left into New Oxford Street. Across the road we could see a large shiny object. “Is that rubbish, abandoned furniture or art?” we asked one another. It looked as if it might be a large settee or a heap of things. So we crossed the road and went for a closer look. It turned out to be this curious work of art. It was the furrows, representing ribs, that from a distance suggested upholstery.You probably could sit on it if you were so minded. So, who is it by? I have no idea. There was no label or plaque that we could see and so the artist remains, for now, anonymous.

On the 38 bus

Crossing back to the other side of the street, we were in time to catch a number 38 bus where we occupied our favourite seats on these three-door buses – right at the back. If you can’t see where you are going, at least you can see where you’ve been!

The 38 takes us back to the Angel by a different route from the 73. This suited us because of where we were going next.

Stopping at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Eventually, here we are back in the ‘hood, that is, our part of the world. This is the last stop – Sadler’s Wells Theatre – before the Angel.

At the Angel

We dismounted at the Angel, in St Jhon Street. If you look in the centre of the picture on a level with the retreating bus, you might recognize Jusaka on the corner. But we were not going there today.

Instead, we turned back the way the bus had come then entered Chadwell Street which, as you may recall, leads towards Myddelton Square and St Mark’s Church.

Myddelton Square Gardens and St Mark’s Church

Reaching Myddelton Square, we decided for once to enter the gardens instead of going around by the road. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed though there were not many people about.

St Mark’s from the rear

I thought that while I was there, I might as well take a photo of St Mark’s Church from a slightly unfamiliar angle, so here it is.

Our next port of call, as you have no doubt guessed, was Myddelton’s deli where we bought our usual coffees. So ended our “adventure” and first bus ride since lockdown.

When we left the bus in St John Street, we removed our masks and cleaned our hands with sanitizer, and Tigger asked me whether I was now happier about travelling on the bus. I said to wait until next time: then we would see.

Mario Benedetti (1920-2009)