Lessons Learned from London: Vol. 1

This post is long overdue, but hopefully amusing nonetheless. I've learned loads while I've been here and if I ever want to write a guidebook to London in the future, I might as well jot down some notes, right?

So here goes (in no particular order), discoveries and revelations from London with my own quirky spin:

1. British accents are possibly the sexiest accent around and, at the same time, one of the most difficult to understand.
2. Mind the gap!
3. When crossing the street, look right, then left, then right again.
4. Don't think you can run in front of a taxi, the driver will run you over as soon as look at you.
5. As cool as Tesco's (grocery store) is, it still can't compare to Wegmans.
6. Only Americans and other tourists react to the news of someone getting stuck under a train on the tube (subway).
7. Never, ever rely on the Circle Line to get you anywhere on time.
8. Never change trains at Green Park — the station is HUGE!
9. Even celebrities ride the tube (at least the ones that aren't too stuck up)
10. Never EVER use the phrase 'wet pants'. Just don't.
11. Don't say 'excuse me' unless you sneeze. Otherwise, use 'pardon'.
12. Cadbury Chocolate is as big here as Hershey is back in the states. And you'll be hard pressed to find a Hershey bar anywhere in London.
13. British English is NOT the same as American English. Look up a British slang dictionary online and study it.
14. Don't make jokes about the Queen, tea, football (soccer) teams or British traditions. Just don't.
15. Somehow you always, always end up in Leister Square.
16. London never sees snow, even in the winter ... except for this past February.
17. London is amazing when the sun is out, which happens more often than you'd think.
18. Walking is the best way to get around town — just remember your brolly!
19. ABBA = God over here.
20. Some of the best places to shop are the street markets here.
21. The Portobello Road market isn't as cool as it was in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but still worth visiting ... multiple times.
22. Eat in the pubs. Try Fish and Chips, Black Pudding, Yorkshire Pudding and Toad in the Hole at least once, but don't hate me if you don't like them. The British aren't known for their spectacular cuisine.
23. Learn to love your local pub (for me it's the Redan). It's a place you can go where everybody knows your name (like Cheers!)
24. Peanut Butter — real Peanut Butter — doesn't exist here.
25. Free evening papers are amusing, but are mostly filled with tabloid gossip.
26. English dogs are remarkably well behaved.
27. Some things are cooler to see in person than in pictures. Among these are Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London Bridge.
28. British keys go in the lock upside-down and open the opposite way.
29. There's a reason for a 2-pence (like 2 cents) coin here that's bigger than every other coin in your pocket. I've been here three months and I still don't know what that reason is!
30. Your wallet may weigh a ton from all your loose change, but it adds up fast (the Brits use £1 and £2 coins instead of bills).
31. So many Americans don't know how to make tea. You put the hot water on the tea bag, not the other way around!
32. TKTS tickets here are significantly cheaper than they are on Broadway.
33. Ovens don't have coherent settings, just pictures ... and pictures that don't make sense at that.


That's not the end of the list — I'm sure I forgot things and there are things I still have yet to learn.