First Entry

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This is my first entry in my blog. I think I will try to keep this so I remember this time when I am older. We'll see if I keep with it for the whole Semester.

Things I noticed about London:

The british are very economical with there space. Their sidewalks are designed to keep people in single filed queues (line in England) in either direction. there is not a lot of excess room. The same goes for the dorms, which are apparently bigger than English dorms in general. I have a bed, a cabinet, and a desk on my side and the same goes for my roommate there is maybe 2.5 feet between us and that is it.

Crossing the street is like playing Frogger drunk. It is exciting, frustrating, and nerve wracking all at one. Plus, you probably won't make it past the first few levels.

London's street system will take some getting used to. It is not a grid structure that I am used to there are a lot of turns and twists along roads. They seem to have been paved haphazardly. I was told this was because the city is old and the roads are just merchant paths that were paved over.

There are a lot more parks in the city of London than I would expect. There is still some green to be seen in private yards as well. No buildings are tall. It is not like New York City in that regard.

It is funny how much American culture has been imported. There are Asdas (parent company Wal-Mart), there are McDonalds and KFC's, there are signs for Budweiser beer, there are signs for American movies, there are signs for American concerts. Most of the music playing in bars and pubs tends to be American. There are even American restaurants.

King's Road the drinking age is 21. The pubs close at 11 or 12 and don't stay open much later, one needs to go to clubs if one wants to party into the night. The beer selection at bars is astounding most of the time. English Ale's don't taste like much to be perfectly honest. They aren't really flavorful and are kind of bland. On the bright side the beer is cheeper than I expected (less than 4 pounds) which is not what i was expecting. The Guiness is great; they know how to serve it over here.

Movie theater's are quite different. They serve hard liquor as well as beer, wine, and the usual concessions you would find find in the US. You can also buy tickets in two forms, either standard or . It doesn't make sense to buy the non-standard ticket. The seats for standard are most of the theater seats and easily offer the best view. The only advandtage a non-standard ticket offers is a better seat with more room, however the standard seats are like the seats in American cinemas.

I am also wondering if it is cheaper to take the bus than the Tube (London's subway). It's hard to tell because they don't tell you the cost since you have to have a pre-paid card (in my case I have an Oyster card) and it just deducts the balance electronically without telling you how much. I have yet to take a taxi and think that they will be the most expensive.

I think I am done for now.

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