Squeezing the fun out of London
I have had the good fortune to go to London twice this year, with more trips planned soon. Such an infinitely entertaining city, with friendly people and charming accents. I could spend years there and not get bored. This time I was hosted by the lovely and talented Em and her husband Jeremy. You might notice a certain similarity between this post and one on her blog.
Em just moved to London, so it was fun to get to explore her new city with her. We found a local pub with her favorite beer (I use this term loosely) on tap and another one with a fun-filled pub quiz night. Our all-American team did surprisingly well given how many questions had to do with English soccer and Mr. Bean. Still, I recommend that they recruit some locals for next week.
I don’t usually like shopping but even that is more fun in London, especially when there are kitschy blow-up Christmas decorations overhead. There’s no Thanksgiving in Europe to hold back the Christmas stuff, so it starts appearing as soon as the whether gets nippy.
My trip happened to coincide with Guy Fawkes Day. Unfortunately we didn’t see any bonfires, but there were fireworks all over the place. Next time I’m hoping for some effigies. Even if I have to make them myself.
A lot of our time was spent wandering aimlessly. One can do this all day in London, passing from one neighborhood to another while being constantly entertained. And if you happen to wander into a museum or gallery or two along the way, all the better.
One of our days of wandering centered around Rivington Street, an area full of galleries, cafes, and artsy little shops. We had a cheap and delicious lunch at Cargo while admiring the graffiti art. We took in some wonderful exhibits at Rivington Place and White Cube. Later on we stopped for coffee on the animal-print sofas of Zigfrid von Underbelly and spent about an hour photographing ourselves in the mirrored mosaic bathroom.
Another highlight of the trip was our many bus rides across town. When you’re not in a hurry, it’s much more fun to travel on the top level of a red bus than deep underground. Especially if you get the front seat, and you’re traveling west into a glorious sunset.
