Friday, April 5, 2013

A list from London










An idiosyncratic list of what I love about life in London in no particular order:

  • Districts of museums open to the public every day, with free admission so you can go back as many times as you like to explore their treasures.
  • A green chain of parks, each with its special character, statues, gardens, fountains, and even little art galleries.
  • Surprises and serendipities.
  • Mews.
  • Birds whose songs I do not know, but that I am learning.
  • A whole new world of trees: beeches, limes, London Planes, and many I've yet to put a name to. 
  • Way more middle-aged women on TV programs than in the U.S. (Plus, they look middle-aged and comfortable in their skins, rather than generic and "retouched.")
  • Bookstores that offer the complete works of Georgette Heyer, P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, P.L. Travers, Roald Dahl, et al—i.e., the classic English writers I loved as a kid, whose works are not on the shelves in the typical American bookstore.
  • Horses in Hyde Park and police horses ferrying about London's mounted force.
  • Incredible transportation links, no need for driving—and the Busmapper app,
  • Fantastic artisan coffee shops and the London Coffee app to track them down.
  • Smoke-free public indoor spaces.
  • Walkable supermarkets in every neighborhood with fresh vegetarian meals to heat up.
  • Roman. Medieval. Gothic. Romanesque. Regency. Victorian. Edwardian. Georgian. 1940s LA style. Centuries of built environment!


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