U-Bahn Wien

I'm beginning to appreciate how big of an impact on a city's image is made by the aesthetics of its mass transit. To those who commute on it every day, the quality of their surroundings surely affects subconscious minds made vulnerable by the tensions or weariness of the workday. To new arrivals or visitors eager to find their way where nothing's familiar, the senses are hyper-alert and all new sensations are readily inhaled.

The U-Bahn in Vienna is certainly a sensation. It is like stepping into a version of the future that was imagined 30 years ago. Each of the five U-Bahn lines has it's own bright color and unique set of design elements. Many trains have a brushed aluminum look and are lined with bright orange plastic inside. The best part to me is the sense that it doesn't take itself too seriously. There is a theme park sense of fun, though maybe that's because this brain grew up on Star Wars and (the first) Battlestar Galactica.