It’s been a whirlwind of a month….our first month in London! We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the fact that we’ve moved halfway across the world, rented out our Seattle home, and started new jobs in new departments. In such a short amount of time, we have already begun to acquire a slight British accent (I like to think so anyway)…and we have become intimately familiar with the various tube lines and stations. There have been times where we’ve missed Seattle, but mostly we’re just having fun exploring and getting familiar with the city. A few things we’ve learned so far…
Lesson 1: It’s a ‘free-for-all’ when crossing streets in London. No one follows the crosswalk signs or uses the crosswalks. The relocation agent who took us on our ‘viewing tour’ of various London neighborhoods kept telling us just to ‘go-for-it’ and that we should not show any hesitation while crossing the streets. She warned that ‘otherwise, we’d be stuck on the sidewalk forever.’
Lesson 2: London is so much more than Big Ben and the London Eye. For me, some of the best parts of London actually lie beyond the city center in it’s various neighborhoods filled with charm and character. It’s amazing how each area of London can have it’s own personality. For example: Shoreditch and Hackney is where ‘hipsters’ thrive. Camden is grungy and used to be cool, but nobody can explain why it’s not anymore (though it’s still a major hot spot for tourists). Primrose Hill is a very ‘desirable’ place to live. Notting Hill is filled with cute cafes and American expats. King’s Cross is up-and-coming (thanks to Google). And South Kensington…well that’s not real life.
Lesson 3: It’s not always gray and rainy. We had braced ourselves for cold weather and constant drizzles, but the weather has actually been much milder than anticipated (not that I’m complaining). Fun fact: London (109 rainy days/year) actually receives less annual average days of rain than Seattle, (155 rainy days/year), New York (122 rainy days/year), and Miami (135 rainy days/year).
Lesson 4: The food and restaurant scene is hopping! For some reason, I had it in my head that British food would be bland and there would be a lack of good dining options. I couldn’t have been more wrong! London offers a huge and eclectic mix of street food, ‘gourmet’ fast food, and fine dining…we’ve tried so many amazing restaurants already and continue to add to our dining bucket list. It’s been great for the soul, but not great for the waistline.
Lesson 5: IKEA is the same in London as it is in the States. Full of people and full of chaos.
Lesson 6: Groceries are cheaper in London than in Seattle. Ready-made meals are cheap and in abundance. Seriously, there are just rows and rows of ready-made meals (ranging from tikka masala to lasagna to mix-and-match packs of asian stir-fry ingredients). Kevin has been absolutely delighted by the creative assortment of sandwiches available to him for lunch.
Lesson 7: Pub culture is real. I work in a building right next to Leadenhall Market, which happens to be the heart of the banking and insurance sector of London. Every day after work, I find myself feeling amazed at the huge crowds of young professionals donned in business suits, hanging out at the pub entrance with a cold beer in hand (because as we all know, the most important business deals are best done over drinks!).
Lesson 8: Speaking of pubs, the Brits take great pride in these social institutions, and many of them will take it upon themselves to map out the areas with the best pubs and recommend the ones they most frequent! This has been great for Kevin and I, as we’ve made it our life’s mission to find a pub to call “ours”. Now, whenever I enter a pub, I can’t help but recall a line from an article that one of my colleagues (yes, he’s British) sent to me when I first moved to London – an article written by George Orwell in which he describes what makes the perfect English pub: “If you are asked why you favour a particular public-house, it would seem natural to put the beer first, but the thing that most appeals to me about the Moon Under Water is what people call its ‘atmosphere’.”
Lesson 9: It seems like you can’t turn a corner without seeing an Aussie-style cafe in London. I don’t mind this one bit since I happen to be fond of flat whites and avocado toast.
Lesson 10: London is an AMAZING city with so much to see and do. My favorite part about London is turning a corner and stumbling upon something new and unexpected, whether it be a magnificently old and historical building or a hidden alleyway filled with adorable boutiques and cafes. Just the other day, my husband and I were making our way through Mayfair and trying to find the closest tube station, when we came across an amazing farmhouse right in the middle of the city. Turns out, the farmhouse was built before Mayfair was even developed, complete with a dedicated door/right-of-way built for their sheep.
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