Wandering through London

Today I saw:

London Bridge!

and (Tower of London)

and a G-Wiz (tiny, hideous electric car)

and a FIRE! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12328015)

SOHO and Shoreditch. My first taste of proper London nightlife.

My room smells. Does that mean I smell?  Ok, probably not the best way to start a post, but that is what I was thinking about as I started typing. MOVING ON.  This was a pretty eventful weekend. Well, it was and it wasn't.  Extremely eventful at times (these usually being the nights) and extremely uneventful (these are the times between waking up and the night, soooo the day?)  Thursday night I headed to "The Arc" with Conner for some live music.  We met up with some other arcadia americans there and it was a good time.  They played everything from Bob Marley, to Estelle, and a few of the americans even did a couple songs.  It was very laid back and fun and I got to meet plenty of new people.  The Arc is in the Angel area of Islington and we decided to peace out from there and head to another bar.  Long story short we heard it was lame and decided to head to Shoreditch.  The Shoreditch/Hoxton area is supposed to have the second best nightlife in the city.  This is of course second to the legendary SOHO area.  So we headed to this bar called Mother.  It was...interesting.  It was packed with people, they played 80s and early 90s hits (that was pretty cool, but I feel like so many places play 80s hits here), and it was weird.  I don't know what made it weird.  It could have been the weird pictures on the wall, the vast range of ages, or the hot and smelly dance floor, but if I never go to Mother again I won't be disappointed.

Friday was laid back. I woke up early after getting home late (I won't say when because I don't need my mom worrying.) Let's say it was 12:30am (it wasn't).  I still had class Friday, starting at 9am.  Let it be known I was not late to these classes and I took notes like a champ even with sleep deprivation.  I got back  to thoresby from class at 1130am, ate some food and took a 3 hour nap. It was awesome.  I woke up, did some work, thought about going out again, was told it wasn't worth it, ate more food, went back to sleep.

Saturday- I don't remember what I did Saturday day, so it isn't important.  I do remember eating an entire pizza, watching football, then falling asleep at 730pm.  I woke up an hour later to a text from my buddy Greg. He mentioned they were heading out to Soho tonight and were meeting up at a UCL residence hall in an hour to prepare for the night out, "pregame" if you will. PERFECT.  I got dressed and headed to Bloomsbury.  Fellow big ten university student Ryan was there with his girlfriend Amy (they both go to Northwestern) along with some new friends i'm sure to see again soon, some americans and some locals. We prepared for our night out in the dorm's kitchen (that's where they hang out) and I was surprised at how many brits know all the words to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".  The bar/club/cantina we went to in Soho was called "Barrio Central" (say it with a spanish accent. roll those r's!).  There was a little queue which we waited patiently in. We passed the time by talking to some fellow americans in front of us, and then chatted with the doorman, Lorenzo, before we got inside.  It was packed.  We headed downstairs, got some drinks, and did a little dancing.  The music was once again an eclectic mix of everything you could imagine, and that is not an exaggeration. For example, within 1 hour we heard Nirvana's "Smell's like Teen Spirit", The White Stripes' "Fell in love with a Girl", Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline".  Yeah. Crazy. But it was a lot of fun.  My night ended with some late night McDonalds by King's Cross Station where we ran into Ryan in hilarious fashion (We lost track of Ryan and Amy in the crowd at Barrio central). I hopped on the bus back to Islington chatted with some friends in the US who were just preparing for their night out (still not used to that. it's so weird.) before falling asleep.

I woke up a perfect 15 minutes before the Arsenal game started today, watched that, (they won 2-1 and progress to the quarterfinals of the FA cup.), ate, went to the gym (which was surprisingly busy for 330 on a sunday), ate, ate, ate, worked, ate, fell asleep, ate and blogged.  I'm so lazy.

Tomorrow marks the 3rd Monday in a row that I do not have class, but my day will not be wasted.  My alarm is set and my camera is charged.  I just have to figure out what my gameplan will be.  I hope it's sunny and not so cold, because tomorrow I am a tourist.

Cheers!

Currently listening to Nero's BBC Radio1 essential mix (I hope to see Nero on Friday in the East village)

Best school day ever?

Today was cold.  My coldest day in London thus far I think.  I feel much more susceptible to the cold here.   In Urbana, I would walk to class in a hoodie when it was 15 degrees out with 20 mph winds and not be phased.  Today I went outside, it was above freezing, I was wearing a coat, and I was shivering.   I think it's time to start training in the cold again. NO MORE COATS.

So I woke up (without hitting the snooze button once. objective completed.) to an email from my "Science in the Mass Media" professor stating he was still out sick and class for today would have to be cancelled. EXCELLENT NEWS!  I usually have 4 hours of class on Thursday, and this email sliced that time in half.  I took the bus to school today.  On my walk to the Old Street tube station from Thoresby, I walk right past the bus stop the bus to school stops at, so if I see the bus approaching I will take it.  I usually take the tube home though.  The bus is nice and convenient it just stops SO MANY TIMES.  Cell bio was my only class today, and it was cut short when the tutorial instructor didn't show up for the second half of the lecture.  The 2 hours was supposed to be 1 hour of lecture and 1 hour of review, with different lecturers, so when the second lecturer was MIA....everyone left. 1/4 of my usual Thursday down, and it was already time to head home.

With my extra time, I decided to walk to a coffee shop nearby.  Not just any coffee shop, but a London renowned coffee shop, Dose Espresso. Owned and run by the barista that makes your espresso, this tiny (and I mean tiny. The seating/ordering area is smaller than my room.) serves some of the best espresso in London.  Businessmen from the surrounding area came in on their lunch breaks while I enjoyed my macchiato (I know what you're thinking. Milk in espresso after 10am? So amateur.) in the corner.  The cups were colorful and the menu was made on a chalkboard using multi colored magnetic letters.  The espresso was fantastic and I will be returning to sample more from the menu.  Compared to Pret or Starbucks or Costa (I passed 10 of those total on my walk to Dose) this place was LEGIT. :)

This weekend was my first chance to see Arsenal play live, but I hesitated on buying tickets and my chance passed. I will probably go take pictures of the madness that is match day, and watch the game at a nearby establishment. Let's go Gunners.

Tonight I am heading out to watch some Arcadia students (like me) play music at a nearby bar?  I don't really know what to expect, but it should be a good time and I can meet some more people.

Goals for the next 4 days:
1. Take more pictures (Arsenal, St. Paul's at night, nights out?)
2. Read more articles
3. Eat more vegetables
4. Describe coffee shops as something other than "legit" (even if they are)
5. Keep up the good work with the snooze button. ONCE IS ENOUGH.


Currently listening to Tinie Tempah's debut album Disc-Overy.

Living a dream.

It was a busy weekend. It was filled with trip planning, organelle naming, pint pounding, american football watching and Arsenal winning.


Friday: After my last class thursday I hit up the gym, came back to 1 Thoresby then fell asleep but woke up just in time for friday night shenanigans.  The UCL contingent at Thoresby headed to Camden to meet up with some other internationals and some natives at UCL housing.  Coed bathrooms (like, boys and girls go into the same bathroom and shower in the same bathroom) small kitchens and many people on each floor make me glad i'm staying in Thoresby.  It also didn't smell very good, but that is beside the point.  We socialized there for awhile before heading out.  The nightlife in Camden is pretty good. There were a lot young people out and walking around.  We went to a bar, got in free for filling out a card (sorry in advance  Polta) and got some drinks. There were 3 bars and 3 djs. One played pure 80s tunes, another more popular current hits, and the third was playing tunes for the dance floor.  We stayed there until 2? before hitting up KING OF FALAFEL for a late night snack.  On the bus back it was more packed than rush hour.


Saturday: My favourite (english spelling) day of the weekend. I slept in but I woke up excited and ready for the day.  Earlier in the week, Greg and I had talked about heading to the Holloway Road/Highbury Field area to watch the Arsenal game at a pub.  I got some pregame kebab (the best I have had yet) and headed to the tube.  The tube was PACKED.  They even closed down some of the tube stops for football traffic.  I got off at the "Arsenal" tube stop and met up my mates. We followed the crowd through the streets, rounded a corner, and we saw Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal FC.  I was grinning like a child all the way down Drayton Park (the road that borders the stadium).  The stadium is huge and quite a site to see as so many arsenal fans were flooding into the stadium. I can't wait until I'm marching through those gates with my red and white scarf on to see the Gunners play.  We found the pub we were looking for, "Phibbers" (chock full of Arsenal fans), found some seats upstairs and waited for the game to start.  The game and the environment were great.  The pub erupted with cheers when RVP netted an Alex Song pass 22 minutes in.  Van Persie scored 2 more as Arsenal shutout Wigan 3-0. After the game ended, the pub was filled with chants and joyous fans. We then headed back to our respective housing, and I did laundry, hehe.


Sunday: No class today (monday) so I met some friends at the "Sports Cafe"(which isn't a cafe at all, but a bar/restaurant in Piccadilly Circus) to watch the Bears v. Packers playoff game. You know, like real americans should, and this place was PACKED with americans. We drank beer and cheered our respective teams on.  I didn't really care who won and just wanted to see a good game, but I went with huge fans of both teams which created some friendly rivalries and bickering.  The third quarter comeback mounted by 3rd string QB Caleb Hanie made for a very interesting second half. After the Packers held off the Bears last offensive surge and the game ended, we ended for the tube and headed back. I missed the last northern line train (damn sunday schedule) by 30 seconds, but I'm getting a handle on the buses, so got back to Thoresby seamlessly. 


I don't have an applicable quote for this post, but I did hear a quote I liked today.


"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan




TOODLES

Liverpool, Southport and Soccernomics

First off, I appreciate everyone that takes the time to read this. I'm sorry that I don't post more often, and I'll try and put a little more effort into updating more often.

Since the last post I have been busy with traveling, schooling, eating yogurt and granola, spending (too much) money, walking and riding the tube. Not in that order.  This past weekend, fellow UCL/Arcadia study abroaders and I traveled up the M6 to Southport, England to spend a weekend with a proper English family.  We didn't really know what to expect.  We were given a brief overview of our family and their interests, but aside from that we let our imaginations take over.  I lucked out with my family.  Chris (fitness instructor and mother of 3) and Mike (electrical engineer) were more than happy to open up their home to Matthew and I and make us feel at home.  The coach trip was long, but manageable.  The crazy coach driver we had was BLAZING through the winding roads leading to southport, and even I manage to feel a little queasy.  That went away quickly when we arrived at our homestay house to tea, homemade brownies, and full cable television. We chatted before heading to bed. The next morning we made our way to the Southport train station and boarded a train for Liverpool.  We (Matthew and I) met some fellow students (Dan, Greg, Ryan, Sam) outside Central Station in Liverpool and began walking around the city.  They have an enormous outdoor mall that spans so many blocks.  You could probably walk around it for hours if it wasn't filled with annoying 14 year old brits looking for something to do on their saturday afternoon.  Pretty similar to good ole St. Clair Square, but who am I to judge? After all, I was 14 once.  We checked out the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played some 200 times throughout their music career and where they were first discovered.  It smelled of incense and had an ambience that I can't do justice in words. It was very cool.  From there we went to abbott pier. Liverpool was and still is a major shipping port. It was windy.  We hit a pub for a pint of Guinness (it was a lovely day for a Guinness) and lunch before walking around some more.  We walked to no place in particular, we essentially got lost, then found our way back.

We came back to Southport to a homemade traditional british meal: Shepard's pie, cauliflower cheese, and baked carrots. It was amazing.  The meal was topped off chocolate cake and a cup of tea.  We followed the meal with a 4+ hour conversation about EVERYTHING.  They also had 2 high school students staying with them. One was from France and the other from Germany, so we had lots of opinions and viewpoints about everything.  It led to quite the stimulating after dinner conversation.  The following morning we headed to Formby.  The family has 3 dogs, two irish setters, and a smaller dog, but I can't remember what it is.  They take them to the beach often and the dogs absolutely LOVE IT.  They are very well trained so they run free from their leads and explore as they fancy, but never leave eyesight.  The beach, although cold and a little rainy, was a nice experience.  It was fun watching the dogs run and play and climb the sand dunes.  Afterwards we headed back to Southport, scarfed down some homemade thai soup (spicy and delicious!) and headed for the coach back to London.  Overall, the homestay weekend was fantastic, and I couldn't have asked for a better family.

Classes continue at UCL and are starting to pick up speed.  I became a member of the gym for a little fee, and have been working out on a regular basis to keep lean and mean.  I have planned my first trip abroad during READING WEEK. UCL didn't think 5 weeks off was enough, so we have a full week in February off.  I have started thinking about other weekend trips as well.  Dublin and Amsterdam have both been thrown around and are looking likely in the future.


SEACREST OUT.

I walk a lot.

School

Classes started Monday and I have almost completed my first week, one more day. I have now been to all of my classes at least once, and I as far as first impressions go, the positive outweighed the negatives.  I enjoy listening to my british lecturers talk, and I know people in each one of my classes now.  I'm excited for my one non life science course, "Science in the Mass Media". I have been doing nothing but physical and life science classes for a couple years now, so this will be a nice change of pace.  I honestly don't think i have been in a gen-ed/elective since freshman year. Immunology will probably be my toughest class. With that and cell bio, I will be spending some hours in the library.  My schedule is pretty good. One and sometimes (like this coming week) zero hours of class on monday, two hours on Tues./Wed./Fri., and four on Thursday.  Cell bio is easily the most boring. A two hour block of time with the most boring lecturers.

Life in London

This past Sunday was the nicest london weather I have witnessed thus far. 45-50 and sunny.  I grabbed my camera and strolled through residential Islington, the commercial "Angel" area, and southwest Hackney.  Residential Islington was great.  There is a canal with a walking path next to it that connects Islington and Hackney.  The doors to all the flats were different colors and the people were friendly.  Angel was super busy on the weekend.  I have never seen so many people in Sainsbury's (the grocery store).  I left sainsbury's and was almost run over by a furious AMERICAN bike rider.  He shouted some profanity at me as I walked in front of him. Hey guy, maybe don't wear all dark gear at dusk and not have any lights on your bike. I still have SO much more exploring in london to do, and I'm still learning the city. Slowly but surely.  I know my area pretty well, but not anything else!  A friend and I went to a pub to watch arsenal lose to ipswich town in the carling cup last night. It was awful. 

Upcoming

Tomorrow, I leave for my homestay weekend in Southport.  Southport is northwest of London, close to Manchester.  I'm staying with Chris (the fitness instructor and mother) and Mike (the electrical engineer and father), their three kids, and two dogs.  It's a 4.5 hour coach ride to the west coast of England, but it will be cool to see a little bit of the english countryside on the way. OH WAIT IT WILL BE DARK. That's going to be a boring ride. Yawn.  Hopefully it's not too awkward and they just make me food and stuff.  I won't be the only person in the program living with them, that will help.  3 kids and 2 dogs? I wonder how big their house is if they can still have room for 2 more people...

Eat your hearts out, America.

I found these at a REASONABLE price (half the america price, for double the cookies). I had forgotten how good they were.

UCL and O2 academy islington

LAZY POST TIME.  since wednesday I have:

1. Registered for classes.
2. explored bloomsbury.
3. enjoyed classic fish and chips over a pint.
4. finished the inbetweeners.
5. gone to my first bar/club. heard music I have longed to hear in the US when I go out. Katy b, dizzee rascal, nero, chase and status, duck sauce, dj fresh, etc.
6. learned I have a week off in february and started planning an adventure in europe. :)
7. eaten a cornetto.
8. eaten the london version of chipotle... and it was rubbish.
9. fallen in love with 24 hour off licenses a block from thoresby, and kronenberg 1664.
10. watched arsenal almost lose to leeds in the FA cup. theo walcott is class.
and
11. managed to collect 15 quid in just coins.

I miss $1 bills

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

LONDON. That's where I am, and that's where I'll be for the next 5.5 months (give or take a few weekend trips to other countries). First impressions: big, fairly spread out, confusing, plenty of pubs, and a whole lot to cover in half a year. My first day (SATURDAY) was relatively uneventful. Arcadia coordinated a coach to take my colleagues and I from the airport to our temporary living arrangements, the Thistle Hotel – Barbican. We were paired with roommates, and mine happened to also be a bio major studying at UCL. We had a couple meetings, ate (free) dinner, and we were told to stay out as late as possible , forcing us onto London time asap. A few of us decided to check out the local pub scene and we started at “The Britannia”. This tiny pub, about a block from the hotel, was filled with older men and women from the area. What I'm trying to say is that we didn't really blend in. We stuck out, but the people were friendly and drinks a plenty, until they closed at 8pm. EARLY. 2 pints down and on to the second pub, “The Bull's Head.” A more colorful and younger crowd was gathered here. We found a table next to a family playing darts (including a younger boy, about 8-9 y.o.) and continued conversing with each other. After that, we went to our last pub, “The Royal Star” (filled with a few arsenal fans leftover from the game earlier that night. Arsenal beat birmingham 3-0.) and had another pint (4total) and made our way back to the hotel, but not before getting seriously lost for 30 minutes. I didn't sleep well, but I don't normally sleep well in new places (or when it feels like 5pm).

SUNDAY: The most eventful day. We had a big free breakfast, a bunch of arcadia meetings, then broke up into groups to go on a SCAVENGER HUNT through the city of London. My group consisted of Matthew (my bio major hotel roommate), Stephen (orange county native), Conner (fellow big ten school, minnesota student) and me. Our trek took us through the city center of london, a little west london and ended on the southbank. Locations included, but were not limited to: Covent Gardens, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the houses of Parliament, Downing Street, westminster bridge, and the london eye. The top 4 groups were treated to dinner by arcadia and we were one of the top 4 groups, via 2 tiebreakers (thanks for telling conner and I about “The Ashes,” daniel). Dinner was alright, afterwards a few of us headed back to the hotel before taking the tube to SOHO. Soho was mostly closed, but we managed a pint before finding picadilly circus and regent's street- two places I will return to soon. We made our way back towards the hotel and met some fellow arcadians at “The Nag's Head” where there was some live music and a packed house.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (Jan, 4,5,6): Moved into thoresby, went to dinner at an indian place in north london, fell asleep super early and woke up at 12pm. Still slept terribly, coughed all night. Oh, I got a phone on monday, too. A POS pay as you go phone. It was 1.50. Tuesday I ate free breakfast at the hotel (even though I should have already checked out hehehehehe) then we headed to check out the UCL campus. Campus was awesome. It's situated in the heart of Bloomsbury and is comprised of many buildings, old and new. We checked out the living arrangements of the others then ate lunch at a pub (traditional english food) and met Joe. A friendly pensioner how bought us a pint and chatted with us for about an hour. I headed back to thoresby, took a nap, showered, then met up with the group I toured UCL with, and we headed to chinatown. We ate, explored east london (we went waaaayyyy too far east though), and I came back to thoresby to hydrate and rest in an attempt to get over this cold/cough. Today I ate breakfast at the hotel again (tehe), NAPPED, got groceries, organized my camera so it's ready to take manymanymanymanymanymanymany pictures. Crupe left lots o' pictures on my card, AND HE WILL PAY FOR THAT MISTAKE DEARLY. Tonight I'll probably head back to “The Royal Star” and enjoy a pint while I watch some Arsenal football.

end blog post.