Perhaps I could be a city critic. I imagine you would laugh and say that I am one indeed.
It
has been a fast paced few days in the "City".. and of course it makes
me wonder how arrogant New Yorkers can be to call their imitation the
"City" when we all know that London was the first one city and NY only
attempted to imitate it.
Anyway, as I was saying.... what a vibrant city this
is.. rather than the quite fascinating Asian experience of Birmingham, London is
definitely more of a melting pot. Some might say an enclave of Eastern Europe but I would say quite nicely balance between all cultures.
So, London.. full of lovely winding streets, and overgrown parks shadowed by fascinating buildings from a time long ago.. woven in with neon lights and modern signs blazing their ads to lure in customers.. a rather groovy mix of the old and the new, the bohemian and the pin striped, the bowler hat and the Rastafarian!
Now, as I was saying about the public transport . it is lovely that it is there.. mmmhhh.. but dammit who wants to use it.. these days it is jam packed to the point of claustrophobia.... and after about 5 days the excitement of transporting oneself in a hollow tube underground from one place to another wears off! I start to feel like a drone caught in a relentless cycle of movement and transportation.. hanging on to poles while the carriage bobs back and forth.. scanning the faces around me as we all pretend to ignore each other...
The city is teeming with life and excitement.. there is a grunginess in parts that is quite interesting and seedy... yet, after a few hours there I did not feel unsafe, not like in NY when I was always looking out for danger... there is a frantic pace and one feels carried along with the speed of it all... there is a constant backdrop of sound to work the nervous system... there are so many choices and colors and stores, and streets, and cars and people and movement that I find a longing for some kind of stillness..
It is like a living Baraka movie but caught in the frames that represent urban life... I love London.. I think it must be one of my favorite cities now.. I plan to spend lots more time here in the future.. but it is not a cheap city.. imagine a Ruben sandwich in Harrods would cost $30.. and not much cheaper outside of Harrods. A day travel pass is $10.. how these people do it I have no idea!
The weather here is delightful. The Brits were complaining about the heatwave, meanwhile I was experiencing a soft gentle Fall feeling.. interesting.. interspersed with lots of rainfall.. but even the rain was enjoyable. I never realized growing up the summers in Britain were sunny but cloudy, but that is how it is here.. the weather changes rapidly but is generally on the damp side...
After a while of endless choices of chip shops and pubs and restaurants and corner shops and news agents I found myself longing for some relief with nature.... and peace and calm... I loved the frenetic vibe of the city I just could not take it year round.. I started to feel myself rev up to a new pace internally just being there....catching the speed so to speak....
It would be ideal to have a place in the heart of the city, as well as somewhere else very relaxing... can you believe that there was a moment (it was in Birmingham so perhaps understandable) where I wondered why the English were not smarter than the Americans and why they did not just put everything on one big store? Don't worry though, it was a fleeting thought, and I was back to politically correct very soon!
I love the culture here.. the historical legacy is tremendous...just knowing the museums and art galleries are there is amazing...
London still swings, and though Britain is no longer the Empire London might be the heart and soul, if not the capital, of the global village.
Ella Quent 2008
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