MARC CHOQUETTE
London Columnist
It has been more than two months since we first settled into the house here at 56 Prince’s Gate, stuck in the middle of the swank and sophisticated areas of the city, Knightsbridge and South Kensington. Life here has been rather amazing since the New Year.
While the temperature has rarely risen past 40 degrees and the high price of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world occasionally causes some frustration, those worries are miniscule when compared to the experience of being in the middle of the liveliest, most diverse city in the entire world. One aspect that London students love above some of the other International Programs has to be this sense of never being bored or feeling trapped abroad.
Fellow sophomore, guitar-aficionado and pasta connoisseur Dorian Beaney agreed.
“The diversity of the city is one thing I liked above any other place I have been so far,” Beany said. “If you want to do the touristy things, you can do those. If you want to go to a club or a pub, off you go. The options are far-ranging and endless.”
The pub scene is something that separates London from towns like Los Angeles. No matter the night, you’re never more than a five-minute walk from the local drinking establishment. Upon entering, the aroma of smoke and beer will hit you first and following a quick check of the scene, you will find tables of locals of all ages deep in conversation, businessmen in from the city stopping in for a drink and a few minutes to relax, crazed football (soccer in the United States) fans cheering on the local team, and just about any other group you could imagine. It’s quite the collective, and a tradition held closely by many of the English.
Football is another worshipped activity in the United Kingdom. The English Premier League is one of the finest groups of football talent in the world, and ironically, the home of the best team in England, Chelsea, is about a 15-minute walk from the house, or a couple stops on the London Underground. Football matches are always big events here, whether it is Chelsea versus cross-town rival Arsenal, or against other premier teams England and around Europe. The pubs are filled shoulder-to-shoulder with fans, swigging Guinness and singing the team songs loudly and out of key. The atmosphere is electric and the anticipation and nervousness of a close game is enough to drive a good man mad.
On the flipside, there are many things that the English are very passionate about that do not directly involve alcohol or tobacco. Fashion is one of them. Fashion week came and went in February, and things were abuzz in South Kensington and at the Natural History Museum. All of a sudden, the Prada-Burberry types were all around town, and you knew something stylish was happening nearby. Paris Hilton made an appearance and was “flour-bombed” or “antiqued” by PETA activists because of her taste in fur clothing.
Music is another scene that dominates London. The city has been home to some of the best musicians and best music of recent times, including the famous Abbey Road Studios in St. John’s Wood, where practically every Beatles song, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” and Radiohead’s “OK Computer” were recorded. Historic venues such as Earl’s Court and the Royal Albert Hall are within walking distance. Many clubs downtown have live music playing on any given night as well.
That’s just a small taste of life here 5,500 miles from warm and sunny Malibu. While tests are coming up and papers are due in this last month, it has not put a damper on anyone, who realize that we have one more month to soak it all up before its over and we’re off to Heathrow to catch our flight back to the United States. In the meantime, everyone will be busy doing what we were told to do upon setting out for this trip: to make the most of it.
03-16-2006