London Transport Museum

I'm a nerd, I know, but I just can't help it. I'm fascinated by all those little mundane things about the past – I don't just want to read about the past; I want to see it, hear it, smell it, taste it... Many museums, being scholarly institutions and not historic amusement parks, don't really cater to that interest but one that should be commended is the London Transport Museum. Not only do you get a year's member card when you purchase a ticket so you can go there often (provided you live reasonably close by), but it's focused on one of the most mundane things possible - travel.

You can peek into a train compartment as it might have looked 100 years ago:

You can take a close look at the door handle, even, and try to imagine just what might jam if you're a writer and need that sort of scene:

Or you can go for a ride on the Underground:

Or you can walk down the winding stairs on a bus:

and be confronted by a stern-faced conductor:

I love the cultural clash of this 1960s Tube carriage!

It's all those little things that do it for me; the texture of the upholstery, the worn floor, the ads that speak of a very different mentality... Or am I the only one to find this ad a little, well, awkward?

Anyway, a visit is highly recommended if you pass by Covent Garden!