London

Simply put - London was great. I didn't want to leave, and I hope to return. I was the tourist that I hated when I lived in NYC: the one who was always looking up, never walking in a straight line, and randomly stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Ok, so maybe now I have a little more sympathy for tourists around Central Park...maybe.

Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the West End, the Tate Modern, Regent's Park, The Globe Theatre...it's tough to beat.

There are little-to-no skyscrapers in London; so unlike NYC, you can actually feel & see the sun. Must give a big thanks to the weather gods because we lucked out: sunny skies for most of trip. Except of course during my soggy commute to work on Monday, which I took as a cruel joke.

I must say that the street corners in London are the prettiest of any city I've seen. There's a pub seemingly on each one - with outdoor seating, fresh paint jobs, cool signage, and a never ending patronage of pint-happy locals. And boy do they drink. Noon, 3pm, dinner time... it doesn't matter: the pubs are full. I couldn't keep up and a big thanks to Michael for finishing my pints for me.

Other observations:
- the British use way to many coins. The 5 pound bill is the lowest denominator and the result is lots of loose change. Annoying.

- there are no doorknobs anywhere.

- the underground trains have no room in the middle aisles for people to stand. So, rush hours end up being a little too close for comfort as I was sandwiched between armpits and backpacks. I had to tackle the locals just to get out and they too returned the favor.

- there's no open container law here; just like in Singapore. People walk the streets freely drinking beer.

- make a peace sign and turn your hand around with the inside of your palm facing towards you. That's the British equivalent of giving the finger, and I used it multiple times to order 2 pints before I knew. Oops.

- the Londoners are very fashionable, with many dressing up in costume for their nights out.

- Heathrow airport ain't pretty, but at least London had the common sense to build a train line that linked it with the City. Just like Singapore. NYC, please take notes.

- at every intersection, you will find painted on the street either "Look Right ->" or "Look Left ->". Came in very handy because the intersections and traffic lanes were unpredictable death traps. I was more scared of the cars in London than I was of the motorbikes in Vietnam.

Until next time....