London, 2013
I went to London yesterday and, because we have tentative plans to move to London post-uni, my friend desired that I write an account of how the city made me feel, and that is what this is.
In 2013, the first you notice when you emerge from the train station at which you arrived (in my case Euston) is that London is much more intense than wherever you live (unless, perhaps, you live in New York City or some place in China or India). Now, I come from Birmingham, the second city, and spend a lot of time in Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland), so you'd expect I would be rightly prepared for the onslaught of sounds and the masses of people. As is often the case with expectations, you'd be wrong. London is its own place, and there is a massive leap from the bustle of Birmingham to the bustle of London. Sirens, engines, cars and their metallic bodies cutting through the London air, the collective chatter of the people -- all of this is unlike Birmingham, and certainly unlike Edinburgh, which feels smaller even than B'ham.
I had my first authentic tube experience on this trip. First afraid that you won't be able to get on because of the sheer density of people on the train, then being mushed up against their hot bodies once you manage somehow to slip in. I can imagine that being very stressful if you've got some place to be and you can't afford to miss a particular train, but at the same time I'm somewhat used to it because the tramline in Birmingham can be similar during peak hours. And apart from that, the tube is somewhat beautiful. There's an intricacy and wonder to the sprawling underground tunnels, a huge maze of a network. It instils a sense of pride in you even if you're not from London -- possibly even if you're not from England. It makes you proud of humanity, I guess. It really is like travelling in a work of art.
The people of London are varied and unsurprisingly international, which of course means a vast array of beauty adorns those busy streets. The lady that served my friends and I at the pub we ate at was a blonde beauty with what I believe may have been a French accent. My mind couldn't help but wander towards her unknown backstory -- why had she left wherever she came from to come to the enormousness of London? What did she desire to achieve? Is she an actress, a singer, a writer, a model? Perhaps just a student. Either way, she is representative of something very Londonesque, which is probably to be found in places like New York too. There are infinite strays who have flocked to the city to make a new life for themselves, which means there are infinite extraordinarily interesting stories waiting to be encountered.
After eating and walking around a bit, my friends and I found a bar and sat outside to drink. Finding the bar was an extraordinary experience, unlike looking for a place to drink in any other city. The streets are lined with hundreds upon hundreds of people, outside socialising with each other, drinking, smoking, chatting. Perhaps it's just summer, but it felt like there was some sort of event going on, like Mardi Gras or a festival, but there wasn't. It was just a Thursday. This is heaven for social types and people-watchers alike.
It is very expensive, though. I was there for about 9 hours and managed to spend around £50 -- which would have been more if I hadn't had prudent friends to suggest a (seemingly exorbitant) day-pass for £8. However, everything we did was in the central areas, which is bound to be expensive, and I'm sure with a bit of prudence and providence, you can manage to survive in London just like Birmingham or Edinburgh.
I should mention before I wrap up two interesting things that happened while my friends and I were out drinking. One man overtly offered to sell us drugs and another homeless man wanted money from us, but instead of merely begging, he offered to tell us jokes -- and they were genuinely funny. I know of friends who have been offered drugs by strangers before in Birmingham and Edinburgh, but this was the first time it had happened to me, and the homeless comedian man was certainly a first for, I think, everybody I was with.
All in all, although London is busy like you haven't known before and rather expense, I think its variety and excitement more than compensates for that. Besides, you eventually become desensitised to the bustle -- I certainly did and that was just after a few hours -- you become a Londoner, a city man, which isn't so bad. It doesn't necessarily have to mean being brusque and standoffish -- it's a quick life, but city people are often polite (it's necessary; rudeness costs time) and have a lot to them. Whether you can glean that by just watching them, or whether you have the courage to actually strike up a conversation, there's something to find in the residents of London.
I'd say this trip has solidified London as a contender for post-uni living. I still won't put my foot down and make it an unforgettable goal from which I cannot diverge, because I don't know what will happen in the next three years. But, as it stands, it is my #1 contender. I hope to visit with the friends I plan to live with someday, so I can experience it with them and see how they feel. Perhaps over the winter, when we're back from uni for Christmas. (This is me indirectly suggesting a trip to him because I know he will be reading.)
I'll wrap this up with a few pictures:
In 2013, the first you notice when you emerge from the train station at which you arrived (in my case Euston) is that London is much more intense than wherever you live (unless, perhaps, you live in New York City or some place in China or India). Now, I come from Birmingham, the second city, and spend a lot of time in Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland), so you'd expect I would be rightly prepared for the onslaught of sounds and the masses of people. As is often the case with expectations, you'd be wrong. London is its own place, and there is a massive leap from the bustle of Birmingham to the bustle of London. Sirens, engines, cars and their metallic bodies cutting through the London air, the collective chatter of the people -- all of this is unlike Birmingham, and certainly unlike Edinburgh, which feels smaller even than B'ham.
I had my first authentic tube experience on this trip. First afraid that you won't be able to get on because of the sheer density of people on the train, then being mushed up against their hot bodies once you manage somehow to slip in. I can imagine that being very stressful if you've got some place to be and you can't afford to miss a particular train, but at the same time I'm somewhat used to it because the tramline in Birmingham can be similar during peak hours. And apart from that, the tube is somewhat beautiful. There's an intricacy and wonder to the sprawling underground tunnels, a huge maze of a network. It instils a sense of pride in you even if you're not from London -- possibly even if you're not from England. It makes you proud of humanity, I guess. It really is like travelling in a work of art.
The people of London are varied and unsurprisingly international, which of course means a vast array of beauty adorns those busy streets. The lady that served my friends and I at the pub we ate at was a blonde beauty with what I believe may have been a French accent. My mind couldn't help but wander towards her unknown backstory -- why had she left wherever she came from to come to the enormousness of London? What did she desire to achieve? Is she an actress, a singer, a writer, a model? Perhaps just a student. Either way, she is representative of something very Londonesque, which is probably to be found in places like New York too. There are infinite strays who have flocked to the city to make a new life for themselves, which means there are infinite extraordinarily interesting stories waiting to be encountered.
After eating and walking around a bit, my friends and I found a bar and sat outside to drink. Finding the bar was an extraordinary experience, unlike looking for a place to drink in any other city. The streets are lined with hundreds upon hundreds of people, outside socialising with each other, drinking, smoking, chatting. Perhaps it's just summer, but it felt like there was some sort of event going on, like Mardi Gras or a festival, but there wasn't. It was just a Thursday. This is heaven for social types and people-watchers alike.
It is very expensive, though. I was there for about 9 hours and managed to spend around £50 -- which would have been more if I hadn't had prudent friends to suggest a (seemingly exorbitant) day-pass for £8. However, everything we did was in the central areas, which is bound to be expensive, and I'm sure with a bit of prudence and providence, you can manage to survive in London just like Birmingham or Edinburgh.
I should mention before I wrap up two interesting things that happened while my friends and I were out drinking. One man overtly offered to sell us drugs and another homeless man wanted money from us, but instead of merely begging, he offered to tell us jokes -- and they were genuinely funny. I know of friends who have been offered drugs by strangers before in Birmingham and Edinburgh, but this was the first time it had happened to me, and the homeless comedian man was certainly a first for, I think, everybody I was with.
All in all, although London is busy like you haven't known before and rather expense, I think its variety and excitement more than compensates for that. Besides, you eventually become desensitised to the bustle -- I certainly did and that was just after a few hours -- you become a Londoner, a city man, which isn't so bad. It doesn't necessarily have to mean being brusque and standoffish -- it's a quick life, but city people are often polite (it's necessary; rudeness costs time) and have a lot to them. Whether you can glean that by just watching them, or whether you have the courage to actually strike up a conversation, there's something to find in the residents of London.
I'd say this trip has solidified London as a contender for post-uni living. I still won't put my foot down and make it an unforgettable goal from which I cannot diverge, because I don't know what will happen in the next three years. But, as it stands, it is my #1 contender. I hope to visit with the friends I plan to live with someday, so I can experience it with them and see how they feel. Perhaps over the winter, when we're back from uni for Christmas. (This is me indirectly suggesting a trip to him because I know he will be reading.)
I'll wrap this up with a few pictures:
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