Patterns - London

 London is a city of patterns.  Everywhere you go, patterns catch your attention.  This entrance way was not far from our hotel, and it grabbed my eye every time I went by it.

In music, you can have accidental notes out of key that add some tension to a piece before it resolves into the key  again.  In London, it's the cars parked the wrong way.  Not uncommon, to see a line of parked cars with one or two heading against the traffic.  Odd.

 I had heard rumblings that the black taxis were going to be fazed out so I was thrilled to see lots and lots of them still roaming the streets in London. And we did go for a ride. Because there is a hefty charge to drive a private car in downtown London, about half the car traffic is just taxis because it's cheaper to take a taxi than to drive your own car. The private cars you do see, tend to be expensive European brands.
 The black taxis are so nimble that when they want to change direction, they don't drive around the block, they simply do a U-turn in the middle of the street. Everyone takes it in stride, and traffic stops to allow the taxis to get turned around.
The black taxis and red buses make all kinds of moving patterns as they zoom around the streets.

Most of the taxis are plain black but some of them have ads on them.  I believe that all the drivers are independent owners so I guess they can do what they want to their cars.  I'm sure a bit more income from the ads is very welcome.