8 Things I Didn't Know About London

So I have been staying in London for the past 3 weeks, and the extended period has made me realise facts about the metropolis that I had previously overlooked... So here goes:


1. There are Starbucks and Costas on every street - everywhere you look, every road full of bustling and jostling people...except when I desperately needed a Frappa and there was neither Costa nor Starbucks to be found.

2. The city is constantly alive and roaring - brilliant and electric and buzzing. Except, why Mr Bottle Collector Men (or women!), do you have to empty the recycling bottle bins at 5am? I am constantly awoken to the sound of a hundred bottles clanking into each other (not that I am complaining, of course).

3. Angel is a fabulous place, full of bars and restaurants, shops, cinemas - and all fairly central. I had never been there until recently, and was mighty glad to have visited it. I will definitely return there.

4. I always knew there was theatre in London. But I was never aware of just how much - the city has so much creativity, so many productions; so many discourses waiting to be watched.

5. The Hammersmith and City Line (as of August 2013) is not particularly reliable - although London transport is, on the whole, brilliant with tubes/trains/DLR/buses/ and, of course, the trade mark black taxis.

6. The National and the Old Vic sell £12 theatre tickets - bargainnnnn!

7. Time Out has all the news on the arts...and has recently become a FREE magazine. I did not know this - it was a serendipitous moment when I stumbled across a Time Out distributor, and provided me with my cultural dosage for the day.

8. Pop-up bars and restaurants are the 'it' thing - usually there is good food, good service, affordable prices - all for a limited time only, before the pop-up pops-away.

The longer I stay, the more I learn...I will be sure to let you know soon what else I discover!