Lost in the crowd

Over time I’ve noticed a predictable rhythm to people passing in the street. Every morning as I walk to the local tube station my fellow pedestrians are generally businessmen and women in their suits, jackets and ties. By 10am the crowd has changed. The footpath is now dominated by young mothers and their strollers. In fact, now that the weather is warmer, they often gather by the score around a long, child-proof water feature in the local park. The sight of so many strollers and toddlers can catch you by surprise. By 6pm the demographic has once again reverted to business people returning home.

This evening, around 7.30pm, I noticed yet another slice of society on the move. The local youth was out in force, clearly on their way to a Friday night on the town. I swear couldn’t see a single person over the age of 25. I’ve noticed a similar pattern on the tube as the peak hour crowd descends past my rising escalator. Around 8am, the average age in suits is rather youthful. By 10am the average age has climbed into middle age. You get the impression that older workers have jobs with flexible working hours, while the young find themselves locked into a 9-to-5 routine.

The escalator crowd also use to change shortly after 9am. Senior citizens suddenly appeared enmasse as the City of London’s free transport policy came into effect. However, the election of a new mayor last year saw free travel privileges extended to 24 hours and this pattern has become far less pronounced.

The changing crowd is a wonderful reminder of how diverse London can be. I was reminded of this again last Friday night. As I walked home through Covent Garden and Leicester Square, snatches of passing conversations were all spoken in every conceivable language other than English. I knew I was passing through a popular tourist zone, however the truly international character of the crowd was most unexpected.

This is the second time in recent months that I’ve noticed the buzz and energy surrounding a city of eight million people. People have often spoken of expats that leave London, only to return, having missed its cosmopolitan pace. Until now, I’d never really identified with this experience. Now this all seems to be slowly changing. London's growing impact continues to catch me by surprise!