In the midst of thinking about all this amazingness, I have a few final things to note about London:
1. The street sign set up here is horrible. Instead of the lovely visible pole and bright green sign situation that America has, London likes to put its signs on the sides of buildings and at mysterious intervals. This presents two challenges. First, how can drivers actually see the signs when they are so high up on buildings? They can't is the answer, and this, I'm sure, is part of what accounts for the terror of being a pedestrian in this city. It also says, don't drive here unless you know your way around. Second, due to the scarcity of street signs, I have walked down streets for many, many blocks without actually knowing where I was. I'll scan addresses of buildings and restaurants, study bus stops, looking for any indication that this street that I am walking on is actually Old Street or High Holborn or wherever.
This is over a story high... not helpful
Streets here are curvy and complicated in a way that no streets are in the more thoroughly planned cities of the United States. This is one of my favorite things about London... it adds character and lends itself to getting (literally, but mostly positively) lost in the city during a day of exploration. But given these complicated streets, would it really hurt London to learn from their friends across the pond and invest in a few readable and more accessible street signs?
2. The British drive the wrong way. I'm quite impressed with myself that I haven't been hit by a car on this trip, but I suppose I haven't left yet.
3. English girls do not have bachelorette parties before they get married. Oh no, they have something much better: hen parties. On any given night in heavy pub areas (aka almost everywhere in London), my friends and I watched as large groups of females walked by in matching outrageous and generally slutty outfits adorned with pink pageant-style sashes proclaiming their hen status. Often these hen party pub crawls included Mum and Mum-in-law-to-be, each of whom get their own special hen party sash noting their status (Mom? What do you think? You know you want to). Brits know how to have fun.
A typical hen party
4. Speaking of which, British drinking habits are in general much more sensible than those of Americans. In America, going to a bar after work means you're unhappy with your significant other and you're trying to drown your sorrows in one too many Jack and Cokes and hit on someone new. In England, after work drinks mean you're likely meeting up with your significant other and several other friends for one or two high quality beers or ciders before a late dinner. Whereas drinking often seems to be associated with sin and guilt and going a bit overboard in the United States, the sidewalks in front of pubs here are full of people drinking, smoking, and laughing at 5 PM. Overall, this seems to mean that the British drink more often, but they consume less alcohol over a longer period of time when they do drink, and they drink higher quality stuff than Americans do. This also means that pubs close at 11 PM in most cases because people start and end drinking earlier. That can present a bit of a challenge to American college kids unaccustomed to such a reasonable drinking schedule.
5. As cities go, London is really clean. The city not only provides "rubbish" bins all over the sidewalks (learn about it, Paris), it also often offers a recycling bin in the same spot. The tube, although it could run a bit faster, is cleaner than any subway system I've ever been on.
6. Perhaps, however, the tube is so clean because it's so expensive. Even with an Oyster card (a subway card), one ride in the cheapest zone costs one pound eighty. That's almost three dollars for a tube ride that may very well go slow enough to make walking close to as fast. The tube is great for longer distances, but for shorter ones, walking is infinitely better.
7. London doesn't feel as big as it is. The low skyline and spread out nature of the city, along with the friendly neighborhood pubs, shops, and grocers make it much less imposing than, say, New York City. The fact that the government regulates how many Londoners get licenses every year and that driving is extremely expensive means that there is not nearly as much traffic congestion as the average US city (I'm not sure if this regulation is good overall, but it's sure nice for me at the moment). In fact, as scary as the wrong way driving is for an American pedestrian, I don't think I've ever seen a traffic jam here. Walking traffic is probably worse than driving traffic, but only in touristy areas like Oxford Street and Parliament Street. These factors are the reasons that I could really live in this city.
8. If you like butter and salt, British food is not as bad as people say. Sure it's not healthy, but it's not bad.
And with that, I shift my focus to the future. That means one last night out in London (for now), and then back to Oregon and then to school. I need to sleep a lot, and get back to eating properly and doing a sit up or two and a run every once in a while, and get myself mentally ready for school. But I go back to the States a little more learned and a little stronger. I know that senior year will be challenging but incredible and magical, as are the endings of all great things. I'll miss London, but I know that I will be back.
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