A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Tuesday felt like Carolyn’s and my first day of truly taking advantage of the amazing city at our doorstep. We started off the morning back at the Cine Lumiere for the final two lectures; the first was about the many different boroughs of London, as well as a brief overview of architecture around the city, ranging from Roman to modern. It was fairly interesting and provided us with a helpful overview of the multiplicity of museums surrounding us. It also surged excitement for our London Architecture and Urbanism course in about six weeks (we’ve heard you essentially take a different field trip every class!). The second and final lecture was given by the most adorable British professor; not only did he look the part, but he also quite often threw in words such as “posh”, “strike my fancy”, and of course multiple insults towards the French (which nailed the stereotypical Brit on the head). His lecture focused on the development and different periods of the London Empire, as well as Britain’s current view on being considered part of Europe (overall, the people here consider themselves a completely separate entity). However, the comic relief came when all of a sudden music started playing through the loudspeaker. It started off muffled and in the background, but once the Jaws-like music began quite loud during his explanation of the fall of the Empire, there was no getting our attention back. The theatre erupted in laughter (most likely providing a shock to those sleeping, glazed over, or dosing), but the Professor quickly recovered by exclaiming, “The man in the sound booth is probably taking one of those long French lunches!” His wit saved him from what could have been a disaster.
After the lecture we headed over to Harrington Gardens, where classes are held, for a very small student-fair of sorts. We skipped the mob of students gorging themselves on free Fish and Chips and instead headed back to Courtfield for a mid-afternoon break. As the afternoon neared its end, Carolyn and I decided to head to Gloucester Station to purchase our Oyster Cards (like a MetroCard or Charlie Card for the Tube) for tomorrow’s boat trip. On our way back, a street lined with gorgeous, pristine flats caused us to stray from our known path and venture further into the borough of Kensington. We let our intuition lead the way as we “ooh-ed” and “ahh-ed” over marble entry ways, terraces covered in vibrant pink and purple geraniums, and of course, the Maseratis, Ferraris, and Bentleys lining the streets. Multiple sightings of English families walking their sidewalks, looking as though they had just stepped out of a movie, led Carolyn and I to a real estate office where we admired, and criticized, the million (or plus) pound flats that we someday plan on sharing as a second home (this internship better turn out well!). We ended up at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, but thanks to Carolyn’s amazing sense of direction, easily found our way home to South Ken (of course adding more and more restaurants to our “must-eat-list” along the way). For dinner, we went out with our RA and flatmates to Pizza Express (Celine Dion proclaims it as the best pizza in the world, and let me tell you, she may absolutely be on to something), and then Carolyn and I decided we had gone without dessert long enough. After rejecting gelato, frozen yogurt, and ice cream, we both were craving something warm when we came across Café Crêperie, which we had passed on our first-day walking tour. Hallelujah. Not only did we gorge ourselves on fresh, warm crepes filled with Belgian milk, white, and dark chocolate (with strawberries, hazelnuts, and coconut on top!), we also had our first ciders!

Although an odd combination, it proved perfectly delicious and satisfying. After regretting our gluttony, we began a much-needed walk along High Street and Hyde Park to our first ride on the Tube. Our destination? Piccadilly Circus. Upon arrival we took two huge, steep escalators to street level where we were greeted by Trafalgar Square and London’s take on Times Square (I love you London… but you have nothing on our New York in this department). Noting posh clubs and beautiful pubs along our walk, we received many offers and passes for free entry into clubs, free drinks, et cetera. Carolyn put it best: “It’s great being a girl.” Again relying on Carolyn’s keen sense of direction, we headed down the street lined with high-end fashion retailers and ultimately found Carolyn’s placement employer: Ralph Lauren. As the night neared an end, we caught a Tube back to Gloucester station before the underground stopped running and called it a night: a successful evening outside of the Kensington bubble.


Side Post: My First and Only Culture Shock Thus Far
Our first morning here, I desperately needed my morning coffee before many hours of orientation (shout out to Meredith). Remembering the Starbucks we passed the afternoon before, I rushed to its location prior to our scheduled meeting with our RA. What I found still shocks me: Starbucks closed at 9AM on a Monday morning. I have no thoughts or possible explanation for this, and it still baffles me. Fortunately, I found a cup of joe a block or so down, but it could have been a very desperate situation :)