“The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between.” Norton Juster, The Phantom Tolbooth
This bus ride was not long one. It took me from Shoreditch back to St Paul’s. We wound our way past the big-atriumed office blocks, and the pavements filling up with City workers as the light faded into dark.
On this trip it was the vast and sparsely occupied ground floors – the atria – that caught my attention. The reason for these huge, apparently under utilised spaces, has never been clear to me, unless their real purpose is just to let everyone know how important they are.
Anyway, I had a window seat on the top floor of the bus, and was able to admire these entrances from above. In one I saw an Aston Martin racing car looking a little nonplussed at being there, and then, a few doors down, I saw the enormous aquarium in the photograph above. The scale of the aquarium, the blue of it, and the sight of the fish swimming to and fro, took me completely by surprise. It also took the shine off some of the Christmas trees that came next. Some were gleaming in baubles and lights, others were more restrained, and a few even deigned to step outside their buildings to cheer up the passers by. But … however hard the trees tried, they never quite achieved the same splash as the fish, at least not in my list of favourites.
As for any of them noticing us, I don’t think they did. We passed by unremarked. Just another red bus, windows bright and steamy, rumbling on its way.
Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023
The Phraser 