Visiting London, part two

*If you're in college in the States, don't say so. The term college has a different connotation in the UK. It basically means a school for people who failed the test to get into university. Even if your school has college in the name, say you go to University.

*Pay attention to the news. It's easy to get ahold of free newspapers. People push them at you on the street. While there's a lot of trash in them, the actual reporting is surprisingly good. There's also BBC.co.uk, for a little more legitimate source, as well as yahoo.co.uk. A lot of British news is basically the same as ours, but some of it isn't. TIP: Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is simply England.

*On the elevators in the Tube, stand on the right and walk on the left. You'll hear that announcement repeated, but quite a few people still stand on the left and walk on the right. In general, you want to walk on the left throughout London. Green Park station is one of the few exceptions to that rule.

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Visiting London, part one

I've spent the last three months studying in London as part of a program through my university. It's been an amazing experience and I'm so grateful for it. As a sort of natural result I've picked up a few tips for visiting London.

*Use Pret a Manger and E.A.T. These are both chains all around London which sell fresh, pre-made sandwiches. I'm not sure of exact prices at E.A.T., but at Pret you can easily get a fairly filling sandwich for under three pounds. The cheapest is the egg mayo sandwich at a pound fifty. They also have coffee, soup, and a few pastries. TIP: Try to ask for take-away. Restaurants are legally required to charge a special tax if you eat in.

*Go to the museums. London has some fabulous museums, especially the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and Tate Britian. On the history side, there's the V&A (Victoria and Albert) and the British Museum. There are smaller museums and galleries that you can look up if you're interested. TIP: Go early. British school children are required to visit the major museums so with them and tourists, it can get quite noisy later on. Most galleries open at ten so you won't have to get up at the crack of dawn.

*If there is a musical performance you want to attend and you don't have tickets, go to the box office about 9:00 the day of the performance. Most of the major companies have tickets that are only available on the day. I'm not sure if this is true for plays or not, but the TKTS booths operate under a similar idea. TIP: Wear comfortable shoes.

*If you're in London for any amount of time, you'll probably hit rush hour on the Tube. Be prepared to be squashed up against the person next to you. There's really nothing any of you can do about it. TIP: If there are no handholds available, lean against the wall of the car and plant your feet.

*People in London walk fast. Now, so do I. If you walk more slowly or if you stop in their path, they will just push past you. TIP: If you feel like you simply have to have a photo of X or if you're lost, try to stop at the edge of the sidewalk or Tube platform. Walking fast is an added bonus.

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