Because it’s a time warp. You leave the gritty, frantic streets of London. Ten minutes later, you’re sipping overpriced coffee at a gate. It feels like cheating.
Plus, the views are ridiculous. From the platform, you can see the Thames flowing by. You can watch planes take off over the water. It’s airport spotting meets urban cool.
London City Airport DLR station © Nigel Thompson cc-by-sa/2.0
And the station is always clean. It’s so clean it makes your living room look messy. You want to apologize for even standing there with your suitcase.
The Secret Celebrity
Here’s a quirky fact: London City Airport is a favorite for business tycoons and the super-rich. You might see someone in a bespoke suit carrying a briefcase that costs more than your car.
But the station doesn’t care. It treats the CEO and the backpacker exactly the same. It’s the great equalizer of travel. It just shuttles you along, driverless and unimpressed.
Another weird detail: the station has a very specific smell. It smells like clean metal and fresh air. It’s not like the Tube, which smells of history and regret.
