Please mind the gap

Here is a link to an interesting article on the Atlantic Cities, by Mark Byrnes. Check it out.

It's not entirely clear what makes some subway maps the "best" in the world, but they are fun to look at. The writer states that each map has a certain "feel," with their curvy lines (Lisbon's has a romantic feel, supposedly) or balance between use of white space and color (like DC's). 

Subway map of Mexico City
(from theatlanticcities.com)

Eh--that's thinking about it a bit much, and forcing too much meaning onto what is simply a map. After all, feelings are dependent on the particular person. With any map, what a person looks for is ease of use and understandability. Many of the cities are cosmopolitan and international. The subway maps should be easily understood and used by travelers, both guests and citizens. It puts them in relation to where they are not only with other stops but with the rest of the city as a whole. Amsterdam and Buenos Aires are nice in this regard.

Perhaps another way to look at the maps is how emblematic they are of the personality of the city they operate it (or under, literally). Look at the expansive jumble that is New York City. Look at the order of Berlin. Look at the controlled chaos of Tokyo. Look at the, well, just plain chaos of Mexico City.

The most iconic--not necessarily the best--subway map is probably London's Underground, or the Tube. The map is proudly displayed on the walls of dorm rooms and British-style pubs around the globe, coffee mugs, boxer shorts and t-shirts. Even people who haven't been to London know it at a glance. And who doesn't know to mind the gap?

London's tube map
(from theatlanticcities.com)

I remember my first day in London in 2004, trying to make my way to the dorms.  I took the Piccadilly line from Heathrow into central London and transferred to the Central line. After exiting at the Chancery Lane stop, I wandered around lost for about an hour before I was finally able to find the LSE res halls on Rosebery Avenue. And I got rained on. Twice. In June. In order to reach for the umbrella that was in my suitcase, I had to stop in a liquor store to borrow a pair of scissors to cut the plastic tie the airport people had put on the zippers of the suitcase to keep it closed. But, it's OK--I still love you, London.