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flaneursAfter a couple of months of waiting to have the opportunity to trek to east London, I went on the Emirates Air Line I mentioned in a post here in June. And I brought a bunch of my work colleagues with me. (Afterward, we dined at Yi-Ban, a tasty dim sum and Chinese restaurant near the Royal Albert DLR station.)
We made a potentially disastrous miscalculation and decided to go on an evening when there were Paralympics events at both the O2/North Greenwich Arena near the southern terminus of the Air Line and at the Excel Centre near the northern terminus. But it turned out to be just fine. Lots of people around and a nice buzz of excitement in the air, but no queue.
Taster image:
Pictures can be clicked to embiggen if desired! First, taking off. The cars slow considerably when they dock, but they never stop moving, which I found a little disconcerting as an eight-months-pregnant person whose average speed has dropped considerably these days.
If you start from North Greenwich, the initial ascent is pretty steep. I think it might be a bit more so than the ascent from the other side.
Rising quickly over the Thames. You can see the Thames Barrier in the far right of this photo.
There’s not quite enough time for a wave/response from the descending folks!
Looking westward into the sunset. The Shard can be seen in the distance on the right.
Taking a peek behind as we reached the top.
The cars slow down here, giving you time to appreciate the view.
As planes take off from City Airport, you can watch and hear them roar overhead.
Another peek behind as we finish traversing the middle section.
Work colleagues appreciating the view.
The O2/North Greenwich Arena.
A look behind as we begin the descent.
Greeting the Docklands.
Docking on the north side of the river.
One more that's not from the cable car, but was cable-car enabled: the sunset from the north side of the river about half an hour later.
I highly recommend an excursion to try out the Air Line. Now that the Olympics and Paralympics are over, queues are likely to be nonexistent. You get some spectacular views for a fraction of the price of the London Eye (£3.20 with Oyster pay-as-you-go or £4.30 cash for an adult).
We made a potentially disastrous miscalculation and decided to go on an evening when there were Paralympics events at both the O2/North Greenwich Arena near the southern terminus of the Air Line and at the Excel Centre near the northern terminus. But it turned out to be just fine. Lots of people around and a nice buzz of excitement in the air, but no queue.
Taster image:
Pictures can be clicked to embiggen if desired! First, taking off. The cars slow considerably when they dock, but they never stop moving, which I found a little disconcerting as an eight-months-pregnant person whose average speed has dropped considerably these days.
If you start from North Greenwich, the initial ascent is pretty steep. I think it might be a bit more so than the ascent from the other side.
Rising quickly over the Thames. You can see the Thames Barrier in the far right of this photo.
There’s not quite enough time for a wave/response from the descending folks!
Looking westward into the sunset. The Shard can be seen in the distance on the right.
Taking a peek behind as we reached the top.
The cars slow down here, giving you time to appreciate the view.
As planes take off from City Airport, you can watch and hear them roar overhead.
Another peek behind as we finish traversing the middle section.
Work colleagues appreciating the view.
The O2/North Greenwich Arena.
A look behind as we begin the descent.
Greeting the Docklands.
Docking on the north side of the river.
One more that's not from the cable car, but was cable-car enabled: the sunset from the north side of the river about half an hour later.
I highly recommend an excursion to try out the Air Line. Now that the Olympics and Paralympics are over, queues are likely to be nonexistent. You get some spectacular views for a fraction of the price of the London Eye (£3.20 with Oyster pay-as-you-go or £4.30 cash for an adult).
no subject
Date: 2012-09-10 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-12 04:07 pm (UTC)Yes, do! I'm regretting not riding it back the other direction now, although it was dark by the time I could have done it. Guess I'll have to make another trip.