I've been living in London for one month now! I was inspired by a friend in Florence who did something similar to post a list of some of the random things that I've learned about this city in the past four weeks. In no particular order:
[+] The driving on the other side of the road thing is way more disorienting than I thought it would be. Especially when cars are turning, it’s very easy to forget that they’ll be on a side of the road that you’re not used to.
[+] On a related note, cars don’t stop for pedestrians who don’t have the right of way. Like at all. I’ve seen cars actually speed up when there are people in the crosswalk when they shouldn’t be.
[+] The main streets are pretty clean, which is surprising because there are barely any rubbish bins around. The government got rid of them because the IRA would phone in bomb threats saying they’d put a bomb in the trash can. In the tube, there are just giant clear trash bags attached to the walls.
[+] Everyone starts their nights out much earlier here. If you’re outside of Soho, almost all the pubs close by 11:30. Apparently it was a law during WWII that the pubs close early because they didn’t want people being hungover during the war efforts, and they just haven't changed it. Also, the tube closes at midnight.
[+] London feels incredibly diverse, even more so than New York City. Not only are there people from all over the world here, but there are so many different sections of the city, each with hugely different vibes.
[+] To go along with that point, there’s a lot of cool intercultural exchange. I’ve seen so many tiny restaurants that advertise fish and chips, spaghetti, burgers, and falafel on the same menu.
[+] They love neon jackets here. Construction worker? Neon jacket. Bobby? Neon jacket. Club security? Neon jacket. Kid on a field trip? Neon jacket.
[+] On the whole, British people are fairly quiet and reserved. The tube is usually just shy of dead silent, especially in the morning. People just say less and say it more quietly here, which is actually kind of refreshing.
[+] People here use the word “yeah” at the end of questions. “You want to top-up your Oyster card, yeah?” At first, I thought people were being condescending, but I’ve slowly realised that’s just how they talk.
[+] I was under the impression that there would be a ton of awesome beers here. While I have gone to some pubs that have special local beers, a ton of pubs have the same 8 or so beers on draught. You definitely have to be on the lookout for ale fests and other things that feature speciality beers.
[+] Once someone finds out I’m American, the conversation goes on about another minute before either guns or Donald Trump are brought up. People here love talking about Donald Trump.