Reasons to Love London

This morning finds me nearing the end of a three-hour lecture in the most amazing city in the world, London. I know, my last post didn't find me all that excited about my trip to London, but believe me, have I ever changed my tune. If you've never been to London, you might not understand what's so great about it, so conveniently, I've made you a list of the reasons why it's so wonderful and why you should be jealous of me right now.

Reasons to Love London:

1. Fashion: The fashion here is remarkable. Well, to be honest, it's rather more toned-down that a lot of the wild stuff I've witnessed in Boston, but perhaps that's a good thing. Either way, it's very trendy. I've bought a lot of clothes. Too many clothes. But that's alright because it's London. Colors that are in right now are pastels and also striped patterns, like the sailor look, reds and navies and golds. It's absolutely fabulous. I can dress like I think my name is Blaine Anderson and nobody looks at me twice.

2. History: History is everywhere but it's not that entirely dull kind of history, it's very classic and interesting. There are incredible museums with some of the most famous art and artifacts in the world and there are ancient buildings and cathedrals that are simply glorious and even if you don't care who lived there or what they did, it's still very nice to look at and fun to take pictures of.

3. Pubs: Pubs are like bars but classier and with better food. The best food in London is at the pubs. Everyone in pubs speaks with a British accent and the waiters are friendly and say "cheers" when they leave the table and you don't have to tip. Best of all, you can go to pubs even though you're only eighteen. There is a whole new maturity in London that you don't get as a nineteen year old palling around Boston. It's great.

4. Weather: Most days it's rainy, which a lot of people might not like, but I love. Rain means it's always perfect writing weather and people get to wear cute raincoats and it's never overly-hot and there's always an excuse to drink hot coffee. (Or tea!) But it does get warm here too, and the sun actually doesn't set until ten at night, so the days are endless and it's lovely.

5. Getting hit on: British men can be quite randy and when you are walking the streets with friends, especially when it gets later and the people are out drinking, you get whistled and hit on constantly. If ever you needed a self-esteem boost, London is the place to be.

6. Transport Ease: There are so many places to go and it is so easy to go to those places. You don't need a car or a driver's license. All you need is a tube pass and you hold magic in your hands. The tube can take you anywhere and everywhere and in this way you can see just about everything you could possibly dream of seeing. It's fantastic.

7. Accents: British accents are sophisticated and sexy and sometimes, if you're very good at it, you can pretend to have one too and blend right in.

8. Classiness: Everything in London is very classy. Even the sluts seem classier here. The city is classier than American cities and safer too. There is a whole ton of night life that just floods the streets on the weekends. Everyone is just out having a good time and it's really lovely to see.

9. A certain "laissez-faire" approach to life: British people are more chill than Americans. That's not to say they're lazy or slow, quite the opposite, they're on top of things. But they're relaxed about things. The rules aren't so strict or uptight. You can drink on the street, you can drink at age 18, you can smoke almost anywhere, people don't bother you, and there is a lot more nudity on TV. Call me a filthy lib but there's something very appealing about all that. I blame it on the fact that I'm a writer. The British way of life is fascinating for me as a writer, there is a certain candidness and honesty that you don't get in America and I appreciate it.

10. Smart: The reason that people in London can be so candid and laid back is because they're smart enough not to be stupid. They have self-control. They know how to enjoy life but be successful at life at the same time. They aren't bums. They've figured it out.

11. Shopping: There's tons of stuff to buy. (Too much stuff to buy.)

12. Literature: All the best writers, like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien and Jane Austen lived here (or at least around here).

13. Celebrities: A lot of celebrities live here and come here and I saw Romy from the xx at an outdoor shopping festival and that is a beautiful thing.

14. Time: It feels like time has stopped in this little place, or maybe it's the other way around: time has stopped everywhere else and we're just moving in our circle of time here. Either way, it feels like we could live here forever and not get any older, and the rest of the world would fly by but we would stay here, happy, and the rest of the world doesn't even exist or matter.