London Calling

I had only been in the UK a few moments when I realized that I absolutely must live here at some point. The feeling mirrors that which I felt about San Francisco prior to my settlement there. I can’t really justify it with tangible examples or experiences – it is a feeling. A feeling that I cannot shake. I must live in London!

I arrived in London Saturday afternoon, traveling via The Underground to my hotel in Mayfair, near Green Park. My hotel was perfectly situated between all the touristy things one must see on their first visit to London. I arrived at my hotel and immediately crashed on my TWIN bed for an hour before showering (hot water!) and STYLING my hair (hair dryer!) and then hitting the town.

My hotel was right off of Picadilly Street, so I took a stroll towards Picadilly Circus to get a feel of the neighborhood. I held back my urge to take too many pictures during this walk, as it was getting dark, and because I hadn’t really eaten all day. It was time to eat!

By the time I found a pub, it was 9:45 PM. And by the time I actually got up to the bar to order my food, the bartender told me the kitchen was closed. I pleaded that I would eat anything they had left in the kitchen, as I was STARVING, and she pulled some strings to get me a platter of fish and chips. While waiting to place my order, I had started talking to two American men, who bought me my dinner and a pint of Stella Artois. LOVELY.

They asked me if I grew up in New Jersey, which I immediately scolded them for doing. To make it up to me, they bought me another pint of Stella. LOVELY! (London is expensive, so I’m not going to get all feminist about a couple of men buying me drinks.) It was fun to hang out and talk to people, too. After several more pints, they walked me home to my hotel, which was just around the corner, and I passed out in my twin bed. Kind of college style, really. Because the last time I got so drunk off of beer and then passed out in a twin bed has to have been sometime in 1999.

I woke up on Sunday with a killer hangover. Always nice to start Easter with a hangover, isn’t it? After breakfast at the hotel, I set out on my journey to see London. ALL of London. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, etc. I walked all the way down to London Bridge, past Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and then back to the neighborhood of Kensignton. Unfortunately, I did not get to go shopping at Harrod’s, as it was closed for Easter, but I did pop into a few boutiques, so my London shopping was successful.

Approximately 35,000 steps on my pedometer later, the equivalent to 15 miles, I took myself back to my hotel, where I again collapsed on my twin bed for a few hours. A light dinner a couple of hours later and back to my hotel, as I was completely exhausted from my day of sightseeing.

However, I am still certain – I will live in London. At some point… For now, though, I find solace in the fact that my next three projects for work will require some travel to Europe. I'm not really ready to go back to work after this amazing vacation, but at least I have London Calling in the not so distant future.