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Post by missalabama on Sept 10, 2009 23:40:56 GMT -5
AWWWW, JOHN!!!! Poor London, that I MISS and so dearly, dearly, dearly LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (even though she is overly expensive and the last time I was there, the exchange rate was $2/GBP)! She is so INCREDIBLE! I guess the grass is always greener on the other side... Perhaps NYC is to John what London is to me! Or maybe living in London to John, is probably what living in Atlanta would be to me. So I thought I would start a "Things to do in and reasons to love London" thread... Aside from Hot men with sexy accents!  1) The number one reason I love London, is that when I speak, people look at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears. I can see the wheels in their heads trying to figure out where the H*** I am from but they are too polite to ask. So I have to tell them I am from Alabama. 2) I love the fact that they speak the same language as I do but the culture could not be more different... From driving on the opposite side of the road, to walking on the opposide side of the "pavement" that we would call a sidewalk, to the love of tea that could not be prepared in a more different way than we do it in the south but it is so lovely, pants are trousers and underwear are "pants," chips are "crisps" and fries are "chips!" How can we be so different? I guess it's not any different than a kid being different than his or her parents though... 3) Getting the heel of my Union Jack boots stuck in the slat of the escalator in the tube and almost taking out about 20 Brits as I fell! 4) Arguing with taxi drivers about how much money I gave them and needing a translator! 3) British Museum! Every piece of art from my History of Ancient Art text book is actually in this place! 4) Demetri Porphyrios... One of the world's greatest architects based in London! www.porphyrios.co.uk/5) Blue Bar very overpriced and overly posh but must LOVE because the drinks, food and decor are just too elegant! www.the-berkeley.co.uk/top_restaurants.aspx6) Going into bars because I think they have a lot of hot men there but then realizing they are gay bars... I just though they were English... Not gay... HAHAHAH! 7) Walking around Camden and being called a preppy, typical American!!! Hehehe! AWESOME! 8)$25 Gin and tonics and the Lanesborough and dirty, old men hitting on me! ROFL! 9) Bellinis and Prawn sandwiches in the loby of the Metropolitan. 10) Bloody Mary's at the bar at the Millanium Grosvenor square! 11) 6 words: Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano! Or at least standing outside the wondow, drooling and trying to think of legal ways I can become a millionaire! 12) High Tea at the Connaught! www.the-connaught.co.uk/13) Dinner at Harry's... A close second to the original in Venice! www.harrys.co.uk/14) Extra dirty gin martinis and live jazz at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bar. www.mandarinoriental.com/london/dining/mandarin_bar/15)Fish and chips, on-the-go lunch in Berkeley square park and trying to figure out ways to get into Annabelle's private club! 16) Just walking the streets of London with my camera, sketch book and my iPod blaring only British musicians! 17) Art Deco masterpiece, The Savoy, being renovated! 18) Mohawks, Doc Martens, Nose rings, Blue hair, and other punk fashion that I could never pull off and would look totally silly wearing! 19)Being totally embarassed to go to the Hard Rock cafe because it is a complete tourist trap, overly priced and the worst hamburger I have ever eaten in my entire life! Never again! LOL! 20) Harrods! 21) Pints at some local pub that I can't remember the name of with my friend Richard, who is actually a local and can drink like a fish! 22)Being a complete American A** and doing my "I want that one!" That's all I will bore y'all with for now... I bet you all have tons of reasons that you Love London too and would love to share! |
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Post by Lucy on Sept 11, 2009 0:51:55 GMT -5
Hahahahahahaha, cannot stop laughing, I almost choke on my cup of coffee reading 3, 4 and 6 over all! This is so fun, Missy!!! +karma for you! And it's a good thing, because after Madrid, my top city in the world is London! And I think I can add some reasons as well (haha, maybe not interesting for everybody, in that case, sorry for the next novel I'm writing  ) 23) The tube, said to be the best tube in the world 24) Abbey Road studios, one of studios where best albums of music history were made in. 25) Abbey Road wall with hundreds of signatures and the crosswalk, so mythical 26) St. John's Wood neighborhood, it's sooo lovely, and some houses are...  27) St. John's Wood Church Garden. OK, it's not Hyde Park, it's not Regent's Park, it's not that kind of laaarge park but it's quite beautiful with that touch of Notting Hill film with banks dedicated to dead loved ones, and a creepy area with very very old tombs. 28) A walk along Soho, with all those shops and theaters. 29) Piccadilly Circus, at Saturday night, full of all kind of people and entertainers - last time there was a Scottish playing bagpipes. 30) HMV!!!! Best music store in the world I must say. Every time I go, I find exactly what I'm looking for and the people who works in HMV Piccadilly they're the most friendly and kind people I've ever seen in a shop. 31) Free hot tea in Regent Street in December. 32) All the ornaments for Christmas that makes London brighter than ever. 33) Hamleys toy shop, or how to be 5 years old again when you're 24. 34) Little exhibition in last floor in Hamleys, about Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean... I'm a geek, I know! 35) Going to Charing Cross to see that famous platform of Harry Potter, and not even find the door to go inside! 36) The rain, that surprises you in the most unexpected moment - and if you wear wellingtons, sure it never rains!!! 37) The O2, most amazing venue, with that strange and bizarre design 38) Getting lost in Hyde Park trying to find the pagoda. 39) The squirrels!!!! 40) Buy loads of cheap clothes in Camden ;D 41) Watching Victoria Memorial and thinking: she looks like the bad and ugly grandmother of Candy Candy series: www.portaldenoticias.com/blog-imagen/tia%20abuela-candy.jpg42) The Royal Guard playing Austin Powers theme 43) Best of songwriters are living there! (i.e. Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, John Garrison, etc...) ;D ;D 44) The food -and the waiter - at The Beehive, in St. John's Hill (between Wandsworth and Clapham) 45) No matter how many times you go to London, there's always a place you haven't visited yet! I have more reasons but I'm late for job! I cannot wait to read all other reasons!  |
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Post by missalabama on Sept 11, 2009 11:10:42 GMT -5
Yeah, glad someone played!!! Karma back at ya! Love that I could make you laugh! ROFL @ #36! That applies to raincoats as well. Whenever you don't have one, it rains and when it rains you never have one! P.S. LOL that I evidently can't count! Too many martinis last night! 46) The Victiria and Albert Museum! 47) Tate Modern Museum! Getting busted for taking pictures by a 90 year old man who looks like Prince Philip and talks down to you like you are a complete moron. He actually uses your least favorite phrase... "Do you understand me?" As if you don't speak English or are actually Rain Man! 48) Taking c****Y touristy pictures on the millenium bridge because it is too windy, you have crazy hair, your makeup has worn off from walking around the city all day, your sunglasses are crooked and random people walk in the shot! 49)Cipriani!!!!!! Italian! What more is there to say? cipriani.com/locations/london.php50)John Soane's Museum! www.soane.org/51)A picture says 1000 words.  52)There is never enough ice! Where do they keep it and why do they not like to use it? ;D |
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Post by gray on Sept 11, 2009 14:20:58 GMT -5
I like this thread! I haven't seen some of the things you mentioned - I just have to go to London again!
Definitely agree with your point 20 and 43. I have to think about it until I can come up with some things...
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Post by missalabama on Sept 13, 2009 14:00:16 GMT -5
Hey Lucy, I thought of you yesterday. Andrew Zimmern was in Madrid on his Travel Channel TV show. It made me want to go back. Maybe you should start a Madrid thread. I would start it but I have only been there once, when I was 15! Meantime, Back to LONDON: 53) My favorite building, No 3 Berkely Square.  |
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Post by Jade on Sept 13, 2009 17:14:30 GMT -5
Nice thread, Missy. You really made me smile, and so did you, Lucy. (Though I don't know if I might have had one too many, 'cause I see #3 and #4 twice?!, LOL) Not much I could add, maybe this: 54) Coffee-to-go on the stairs in front of St Paul's in the wee small hours of a Summer Sunday morning 55) Notting Hill Carnival (which I missed this year  ) ... dazzling, loud and colourful 56) Turn on my MP3 player, listen to my favourite music and watch all my worries drift away in Belsize Park (though I'm yet to try the 'loving on the floor' that Fish suggested.. ) 57) One (or two, okay maybe three) nice thingytails at the "Beduin" in Clerkenwell (pricey but worth it) 58) "26 Smithfield" with my Brighton based friends... and maybe a round of Karaoke... "I saw you standing at the gates when Marlon Brando passed away, you had that look upon your face, Advertising Space"...lalala 59) Live Earth at Wembley, 07-07-07 (without the 'trying to get some sleep afterwards in a hired car at a 'vehicle crime hotspot' part... too old for that cr@p) 60) "Kurz&Lang", St.John Street and the weird feeling of having a typical German Bratwurst in a typical British town. ... oh, I sure have many better reasons than these but I don't remember right now... |
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Post by missalabama on Sept 13, 2009 18:18:19 GMT -5
LOL, Jade! It's not you! I was the one who had way too many martinis the other night! That's the thing about gin... It sneaks up on you! One minute you're completely sober and the next you can't count, speak, type, walk and you wake up in the next morning in same clothes you had on the night before! It is the one liquor that makes me very bold and opinionated... Give me gin and I say things I would never say sober... LOL!
Anyway, Thanks for making me laugh and smile, Jade! Love #58! See... Lucy is right on #45... I have never done any of the ones on your list, Jade! Well I have seen St. Paul's of course but not in the wee hours of the morning. Was excited about going to Miami next week but would rather be going to London now!
To the list again:
61)Pretending to know anything about soccer... Also pretending to like it... (Well, aside from obvious reasons of watching men play sports).
63) Westminster abbey!
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Post by devlin on Sept 13, 2009 19:19:49 GMT -5
Yeah, glad someone played!!! Karma back at ya! Love that I could make you laugh! ROFL @ #36! That applies to raincoats as well. Whenever you don't have one, it rains and when it rains you never have one! P.S. LOL that I evidently can't count! Too many martinis last night! 46) The Victiria and Albert Museum! 47) Tate Modern Museum! Getting busted for taking pictures by a 90 year old man who looks like Prince Philip and talks down to you like you are a complete moron. He actually uses your least favorite phrase... "Do you understand me?" As if you don't speak English or are actually Rain Man! 48) Taking c****Y touristy pictures on the millenium bridge because it is too windy, you have crazy hair, your makeup has worn off from walking around the city all day, your sunglasses are crooked and random people walk in the shot! 49)Cipriani!!!!!! Italian! What more is there to say? cipriani.com/locations/london.php50)John Soane's Museum! www.soane.org/51)A picture says 1000 words. 52)There is never enough ice! Where do they keep it and why do they not like to use it? ;D #51 Men...................In Uniform!,.....................On Horseback!....................It just dosen't get any better than THAT!!! That's my reason #1!!! ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by Lucy on Sept 15, 2009 1:04:54 GMT -5
I love the pic of the building, in fact, my reason #63 is the buildings! The houses, all the architecture in general from London is awesome, I think. 64) Taking a hot Caramel Macchiato of Starbucks while having a walk in Notting Hill (OK, that sounded so posh, LOL!) 65) Chocolate muffins! ;D 66) The Big Ben and The Parliament (when their bulbs haven't gone!) 67) The walk besides the Tower Of London, with Thames on the other side - nice walk when it's not raining! 68) Getting lost in London, ha ha! 69) Portobello market 70) Walking through Regent Street and Oxford St. and watching all those shop windows with luxury and more-than-expensive things that you'll never be able to afford. |
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