If you live in a city for a long enough period of time you no doubt start finding things to do that you prefer more than others. This is especially true when you are living in a big city because of all the sights that are available. The following is a small list of all of the really neat things that I have seen or done during my semester studying abroad in London.
We from the college are taking a class called British Theatre, and – surprise, surprise – we have been seeing a lot of theater performances. A lot of these productions have been taking place at the National Theatre. This building is actually one big structure with three theaters inside of it (Lyttelton , Olivier and Cottesloe), and is a very nice place to go see a show. Since this is the National Theatre, both in name and actuality, the tickets for these shows tend not to be as expensive as shows on the West End. Shows I have seen so far at the National are Edmond, Jumpers, Tales from the Vienna Woods, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Three Sisters. The National Theatre is on the Internet at www.nt-online.org.
There are several Wagamammas noodle bars around London and they are some of my favorite places to eat. Customers sit in a cafeteria-style setting, and each order is sent in to the kitchen through a tool that resembles a Palm Pilot. Each order is prepared and served in the order it was placed, so you could be already have been eating for a few minutes before your mates get their food. The menu has a broad selection of food – not just noodles – and the prices are very reasonable, especially considering how large the portions are.
“Footy,” short for football (soccer), is by far the most popular sport in London. I came to London not liking football at all and now I have a favorite team, Arsenal. Arsenal and other top teams, including Manchester United and Chelsea, are part of Premiership, the main football league. While I have yet to make it to a live football game, watching a game in a pub is a really good time because the atmosphere is very passionate. Most pubs have an allegiance to one team, and you do not want to root against that team if you want to make sure you will be going home with all of your teeth. Watching football in pubs is also a great way to meet people and just hang out with the locals. You can learn more about football with these Web sites: http://www.the-fa.org, and http://www.arsenal.co.uk.
I am far from being the world’s biggest fan of museums, but it is hard for me to not be blown away with all of the amazing art collections here in London. Among the many galleries are the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery and the Wallace Collection, just to name a few. There are also many churches to see with beautiful architecture. Westminster Abbey is the most famous, but St. Paul’s is beautiful. If you travel out of the city, the Canterbury Cathedral is a recommended stop. So whether you like Romanesque or Gothic architecture – or maybe you just love flying buttresses – they can all be found in England in all their glory.
The Friends House is an advantage that students from the college get that most students do not. Most of us from the college take all of our classes at the Friends House, and it is a really nice place to get away from the hectic pace of the city – plus the staff there is all very nice. Perhaps the best thing about the Friends House is the dining hall they have in the basement that provides perhaps the cheapest and best meal in London.
There is something for everybody to do at night in the city. Not only is there a wide variety of dance clubs to go to, there is way more to do in the city. You can also go to a comedy club, see live music, gamble, see a movie, see a play and many more things that I am missing right now as I write this column. Let’s just say that if you can’t have fun in London, than there is very little hope for you.
Time Out Magazine is a bible for London nightlife. It’s available on the Net at http://www.timeout.com/london/.
In England it’s cheaper to get a flight to Barcelona than it is to get a train to Glasgow, so why would anyone hang around London? The chance to travel throughout several different countries is the best opportunity given to students studying abroad in Europe. Students from the college studying in London this semester have visited Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, France, the Czech Republic in addition to travelling extensively throughout England.
So, there you have it: a small sampling of what have been some of my favorite things so far this semester. I wish I had more time and more space to name everything, but that would become an exhausting process, and I need to go now – I am sure something is going on out in the city.Matt Geiger is a senior history major.