london dreams and realities

Ever since swooning over Julia Robert’s words to Hugh Grant (you know the ones, “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy…”), I’ve always wanted to visit Notting Hill. And this past weekend, we did so.


After spending 2 days in the nation’s capital, I realized that I’m a city girl. I miss the liveliness, the hustle-and-bustle of a city. I miss seeing people leisurely running, biking, or roller blading. I miss shops staying open after 6pm. I miss having a wide selection of restaurants and seeing a Starbucks on every other block.

I fell in love with the beautiful, white-stoned row houses in the borough of Kensington, which includes Notting Hill. Such a wonderful contrast from the heavy red-bricked houses we commonly see. I spent the entire weekend dreaming about the feasibility of living in London upon graduation.


Pros:
1) Many of the museums and art galleries are free
My interest in museums was re-piqued by a trip to the Natural History Museum. Housed in a beautiful building, the NHM is chocked full of exhibits on 3 floors, including an amazing dinosaur wing, an earthquake simulator, and a life-sized replica of a blue whale.


2) Food and Shopping
Based on recommendations, we went for dinner at Feng Sushi, overlooking the activities in Notting Hill, and lunch in Convent Gardens, enjoying many of the street performers' acts. We even visited Whole Foods, where I coveted their large chocolate display. Their 2nd floor has an amazing, and surprisingly not too expensive, food court, including the most amazing home-made pear gelato.

3) Array of markets
We re-visited Borough Market and went to three other markets. While Brixton and Apple (in Covent Gardens) Markets were neat to see, Portobello Market was amazing. Spanning the length of Portobello Road, there are a series of 7 markets to explore.



4) Oyster Cards
The most convenient way to travel in London. Identical to the Octopus card in Hong Kong, it electronically makes note of how far you travel and charges you for that amount. There's no need for correct change!

5) Greenspaces
A number of parks dot the capital and many people were out enjoying the late summer weather (quite a contrast from the early fall we're experiencing in central England).


6) Shows
There are so many shows and musicals being advertised in many of the theatres. If we lived there, we could have gotten cheaper mid-week tickets to shows like Billy Elliott, Mary Poppins, and the Sound of Music, rather than having to pay £60 each for a show on Saturday night (of course, we opted not to go).

7) Visiting Friends
Being in London will make it easier for friends flying into one of London's airports and also they will have a free place to stay during their visit, rather than them having to make the 2-hour train trek north.


Cons
1) The Tube
The convoluted network of underground transport is warm and I can't even imagine how it would be like on a hot summer's day during rush hour. Also, the unclaimed luggage in our specific car caused a bit of consternation amongst passengers until its sleepy owner piped up.

2) The Cost of Living
I realize that the grass is always greener the other side, especially when one considers the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive city.