h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My wife & I spent ten days in London a couple of years ago, it was a great experience, due in large part to the Underground. In our hometown of Houston, Texas, USA, the automobile rules. And IMHO, the police have abandoned the freeways as being unpoliceable - the speeds average 10 - 20 MPH over the posted limit (typically 60 MPH), and many of those folks are using cell phones and on the verge of an attack of road rage if they come across anyone doing the posted limit.

The only public transportation is a bus system that doesn't even get close to our suburb. The first rail system is under construction, about five miles of light (above ground) rail that goes nowhere I want to go.

But the Tube was great, we used it every day. We stayed near the Circle Line and some mornings we just got on and decided where to go as we rode along. Of course, we were getting on AFTER the rush hour, so we missed the bad crowds. I never felt confused after the first day or so, the great Tube Map seemed perfectly understandable. I even bought a book on the history of the map itself, a marvel of information communication. The "A to Z" street maps and the bus maps, OTOH ... At least it wasn't hard to find the pub - it was always right over there