Re: London Calling...
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Tue Mar 21st at 4:02pm 2006
Well, I got here safely. My overnight flight was good, British Airways does an amazing job with their food! Seriously, it was great.
I took the tube from Heathrow to Covent Gardens, which is where my friend's flat is. I have to admit, I laughed to myself when I saw that the final stop on the Picadilly Line was c**kfosters. I felt like the guy in the office. "c**k."
Anyway -- yesterday I pretty much just walked around the bit of London near my friends flat and admired the mix of old and new. The old phone booths (which I hear are being phased out), the old black cabs, the old buildings, versus the new technology, the new fashions, the new shops and stores etc.
My friend and I ended up watching V for Vendetta at this humongous theater where they apparently do movie premiers. It cost 9 pounds (about 18 dollars) for a ticket to the "stalls" which was my first realization that s**t is really expensive here. They had tickets on sale in the "Royal Circle" that were about 24 pounds, or 48 dollars. In the US, it usually costs 5-8 dollars for a movie, 10 if you're in New York City. I paid 20 dollars for a pizza last night too, and 6 bucks for a beer. I have to just stop doing the dollar coversions in my head or I'll never be able to by things guilt-free.
Anyway -- last night was pretty quiet. We did pizza and a DVD movie in the flat, and I drank some beers we bought at the convenience store around the corner. I kept thinking I was gonna crash because of the time-difference, but after the movie was over I had so much energy I coerced my friend (and his friends) to go out with me to the bars. We went to about 4 different places before we found one that had young people in it. Things were pretty quiet, since it was Monday night. Anyway -- it was my first real taste of the city, and I'm looking forward to more today.
My friend actually has a huge test this Friday for class, and so he's been in the library all afternoon. That's why I'm on his computer in his room with his wireless killing time.
Anyway -- London is a great experience. I love just noticing all the ways in which London is different from the US. I also feel kind of out of place and very American when it comes to fashion. All these tight jeans, stylish shoes, and long overcoats, and classy button downs... when I'm just walking around in sneakers, jeans, t-shirt, and a light fleece.
Addicted to Morphine
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Re: London Calling...
Posted by Gwil on Wed Mar 22nd at 6:40pm 2006
Nice photos man, I see London enjoyed more favourable weather with the rest of us today. First time i've seen sunshine in weeks!
BTW, the BBC Building is "Broadcasting House". The television end of
the things is called television centre, and is an absolute monstrosity
of 1960s "square and brown" architecture.
Gwil
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Re: London Calling...
Posted by Belgarion on Wed Mar 22nd at 7:50pm 2006
those were some really sweet buildings you took pictures of. Too bad it was so overcast most of the time. overcast days tend to make borring pictures. Still, take more and let us see them! you can never get worse at photography by taking more pictures.
Belgarion
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Re: London Calling...
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Thu Mar 23rd at 12:36am 2006
Thanks for the comments and encouragment guys. I'm going on the Eye tomorrow, so I'll have some good cityscape photos.
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Re: London Calling...
Posted by Gwil on Thu Mar 23rd at 1:18am 2006
Londoners are always up there with the trends.. it's the media focus
and base of Britain though, like if you go to Paris, New York, Rome,
you do always feel like a "visitor".
Still nice though, putting famous places into your eyes. It's been ages
since I went to London, makes me want a day of taking photos after
looking at these.
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Re: London Calling...
Posted by $loth on Thu Mar 23rd at 6:51pm 2006
Go to the British Museum, you can see the 'parthaneon marbles' (the
real ones are rumoured to be hidden from attacks in an underground
safe) that we won't give back.
I liked the view from the London Eye, though it would have been better if there was more sun.
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