Nightlife!!

The night life in London is much different than in PA and Ithaca. It revolves more around the club and bar scenes considering you only have to be 18. So far, we’ve ventured to many clubs and pubs for entertainment and food. The pubs we’ve found have cheap, good food and yummy desserts. As for the clubs, there is a wide range. The first real bar I went to was called OH! Bar. It is a really laidback atmosphere with pool tables and comfy couches and chairs. The drinks are amazing especially Jaffa Cake, yummy! This first week we really took advantage of the club scene considering we didn’t have classes. The first club we ventured to was Metra. It was more upscale, costing 10 pounds for cover and the drinks costing 6 pounds and up. It was a good time though, and we all enjoyed it. Especially Brit and I met boys the first night haha. They were pretty chill and so far we’ve kept in contact. Next night we tried a club called Oxygen. It was 3 floors consisting of 3 bars and a dance floor. It had an upbeat atmosphere and the majority of people were around my age, as compared to Metra, which was a little bit of an older crowd. All in all they were both an interesting experience considering I DON’T dance. The best part was that they played almost all American songs, like Lil’ Wayne, Shakira and Snoop. There were some British/European songs that I didn’t recognize which the boys pointed out and proceeded to sing. Now everytime I hear that song I think of the first night out, I just need to download it and I’ll be all set. Too bad I don’t know the name of it.
The next time we attempted to go out was not as much of a success story. Doug (the boy from Metra) told me about student night at a club/bar called Tyger Tyger. Naturally, I was all about going and talked everyone else into it, plus we were meeting the guys from the other night there as well. Well when we arrived the line was ridiculously long but seemed to be moving fast. Of course, half of the people were willing to wait, while others complained that it would take too long. In the end we walked around for a ½ hour or so and when we got back to Tyger Tyger, there was no line. So this time we were just going to wait, but a club promoter lied and said they weren’t letting anyone else in and to go to Oxygen, which was crowded and had good dancing. Everyone agreed but Brit and I. In the end, they got ripped off due to no dance floor and about 5 people in the bar. With a lot of luck they were able to get their money back. At this point I was so frustrated, I gave up and returned home.

The First Week

The first week in London was one of the most stressful times ever. During this time we had to run around the city in search of a flat, which is not exactly the easiest thing to accomplish in a weeks time. We began in Baron’s Court, which was dirty, dingy and all around scary despite how nice the neighborhood seemed. The stove was gas and needed matches to light it. That was enough to freak us out and I almost ran out screaming. Next, we ventured to places in Marble Arch, which were not impressive. The first flat had an elevator like in Manhattan that opens right into the entry way of the flat, so if the doors aren’t closed all the way downstairs you’re stuck. The elevator was so claustrophobic and reminded me of the Tower of Terror that I screamed as it dropped. Another place seemed normal as we walked in, but as we explored further we noticed Barbie curtains and the mirror was smashed. It looked like someone had their head bashed into it and Brittany said she thought there was red in the center of it. The best part of the day was on the way to view these flats. We were on the tube and an announcement was made that the train was stopped indefinitely due to a person under a train. So that started the day off well, which resulted in us walking 20 minutes to Marble Arch. Finally, after being desperate for a place to live and calling multiple agencies, someone finally decided to help us. We now have a lovely flat in Bayswater/Queensway and I’ll post pictures of it so everyone can see!

Travel to London

Just getting to London proved to be a difficult task. I left home at 10:30 in order to arrive at 3:00, 3 hours in advance for my 6:00 flight. At 12:30 I learn that the flight is now postponed until 10, great! After arriving in the airport, my parents and I spent 3 hours just wandering. Finally they left and I spent the remainder of the time with other Ithaca students. The security checkpoint was not as demanding as I thought it would be. They didn’t inspect any liquids or prescriptions; I did however beep as I went through the metal detector thanks to my belt. 3 hours later, we managed to board the plane and by take off it was a little after midnight.
Upon arrival in London we ventured through customs. Everyone I spoke to had an easy time being asked minimal or no questions at all. Of course though, I end up getting grilled by this middle aged lady who seemed to hate me. She asked and thoroughly read every piece of paper I had, as well as asking how much money I was carrying and how much I currently had in my bank account. She asked if I would be leaving and reentering the UK and a million other questions, all while Randi is staring at me giving me a thumbs up and thumbs down wondering what was taking so long. Needless to say it was not a good experience. If that wasn’t enough, there were enough seats for us on the 2 coaches but no room for our luggage. The drivers had to cram our stuff in the back of the coach. We figured we would see our bags sitting on the curb as we drove away.