There’s something wonderfully surprising about going to places you haven’t heard too much, if anything, about, and when they turn out to be amazing, it makes you wonder why more people aren’t talking about them. But there’s nothing like seeing for yourself places you’ve seen in photos your whole life. I was walking down the street in London when I looked up and saw Big Ben poking out between the buildings. I walked faster. I’m in London. London.
So cool.
My first day I ran around and saw nearly all the highlights of London: Camden Lock market, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge and Tower of London, Covent Garden, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, London Eye. I even got an upclose look at them filming a scene for National Treasure II. Another sight I didn’t plan on was everyone on the Tube with their noses in the latest Harry Potter book that had just been released that day. So cool. Londoners are so intriguing.
One morning I stepped out of the Underground station at Notting Hill and this guy came up to me. “Excuse me, we’re looking for a girl to come into our fashion studio. How long are you in London?” “Uh, I leave tomorrow.” “Do you come to London often?” “No.” “See you later.” The whole thing had happened so fast. I looked down at my clothes- should I be offended or flattered? It didn’t appear to be one of those makeover shows- they usually pull you off the street right away for that. I know that because I used to watch those shows while I ate my lunch before going off to class, for lack of anything else interesting to watch. Hmm, oh well. Despite my own insecurities, I guess for lack of any other information, I’ll choose to be flattered, as much as the whole thing baffles me. What is it with all these weird things happening to me lately?
There are few things more inspiring to me than theater, and other than New York’s Broadway, London’s West Side is the place to go. Wicked, the backstory of the two witches in Wizard of Oz, has been such a hit for so long, tickets were impossible to get in New York when I was there, so I jumped at the chance to go in the West Side. I figure all those ticket-holding people couldn’t be wrong. And wrong they most certainly weren’t. It was absolutely brilliant and by far the best thing I’ve seen in my entire life. I was in the fifth row from the front, and could actually see the actors spitting. The lead actress playing Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) was so talented and her voice so beautiful, that her opening number had me with tears in my eyes, and during the finale, they were streaming down my face. Cheesy, I know, but I can’t help it. The experience was worth all those precious pence. If you ever get the chance, go. Just go.