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Books

The London of new fiction

Marshall Worsham

09 Nov 2009

United Kingdom

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London’s doll-baby, Oscar Wilde, had little good to say about "The Old Smoke." But things have changed considerably since his time. For a fresh look at the London of today – hip, cosmopolitan, and inevitably multicultural – check out Monica Ali’s "Brick Lane" and Zadie Smith’s "White Teeth."

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Getting Around

Stick to the tube

William Hardy

12 Aug 2009

United Kingdom

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The best way to get around London is on public transportation. There are quite a few toll booths in the middle of the city, and this cost coupled with the high cost of petrol can make driving quite pricey. Luckily the tube (subway) is fast, affordable, and reliable.

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Festivals & Events

Remember, remember the fifth of November

Marshall Worsham

09 Nov 2009

United Kingdom

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Call it what you will – Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes’ Day, 5-Nov – the fifth of November is undoubtedly one of the most raucous nights of the British year. The festival commemorates the discovery of Guy Fawkes’ 1605 plot to blow up Parliament. Most of England echoes with fireworks for several days around the fifth, and the celebration culminates with bonfires and the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes. The best places to get in on the action are London’s Battersea Park and Oxford’s South Parks, where this year a 25-foot wicker effigy was engulfed in flames.

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Culture Shock

Not culture shock... culture creep

Marshall Worsham

06 Jan 2010

United Kingdom

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For many Americans living in the United Kingdom, culture shock is perhaps better described as “culture creep.” The absence of any (serious) language barrier makes the initial adjustments to British life relatively easy. But the longer you live there, the more cultural differences seem to pop up. One is British people’s reluctance to get personal. An English friend complained to me once: “Americans always have an opinion. All they want to do is talk about themselves.” At first it struck me as nasty aloofness and antisocial condescension, but his comments point to the fact that the British take a very different approach to sharing the details of their personal lives.

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Must Do

Two for the price of one

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Take a ferry to Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian. Dorky, I know...but how many people can say they've been in two hemispheres at once!?

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Etiquette

London: A kiss? A handshake? A hug?

Jeff Knezovich

26 Jun 2009

United Kingdom

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Greeting people in London can be one of the more awkward rituals to navigate, if only because the city is such a diverse place! Rules governing greetings are similar to the United States in that the level of familiarity and the formality of the situation determine the interaction. There are no hard and fast rules, but general English etiquette would be one kiss on the cheek if the greeting is between a man and a woman or two women. A firm handshake is more common for greetings between men. The problems start when they're not British. Do you hug your American friend? Kiss your French friend twice? Your Dutch friend thrice? I usually settle for an awkward combination of a single kiss and a brief hug.

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Food

Britain's best food isn't actually British

Marshall Worsham

09 Nov 2009

United Kingdom

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OK, I know. Most people don’t come to the UK for the cuisine. But it’s not as bad as you’d think! Of course, there’s the obligatory fish-and-chips and bangers-and-mash (sausage with mashed potatoes or mushy peas). Both great recipes for coronary disease. But for really, really good food, look to the diaspora. London and Oxford both have large Bengali communities -- centered around Brick Lane and Cowley, respectively. London’s Whitechapel is bustling with East African flavor, and the area around Portobello Road north of Notting Hill is decidedly Caribbean. A good rule of thumb for picking restaurants? Go where the locals are.

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Film

Play instead

Marshall Worsham

06 Jan 2010

United Kingdom

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The film industry in the UK has a hard time keeping up with its U.S. and Continental counterparts. Think of “Love Actually,” “Shakespeare in Love,” and that awful early-1990s “Moment of Truth” series, and you’ll get a sense of the purple in which British cinema is steeped. Go instead to a play. Many of England’s smallest towns have independent theaters with some top-notch actors. If you’re in London, go the tourist route and see a musical, or Shakespeare performed at the Globe. Or go underground and check out the Rose – a hip new black box company that performs above the ruins of the South Bank’s first Elizabethan theater, just down the street from the Globe. You shan’t be disappointed.

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Packing

Bring a raincoat

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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No need to pack a poncho--it rains, but not as though you're in the middle of White Water rapids. It's generally more of a drizzle, in which case a raincoat or umbrella will suit you fine.

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Religion

Churches harder to come by

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Because Henry VIII broke from Catholicism in the 1500s and created the Church of England, London's not really a hub for Catholics. Not surprisingly, I found it MUCH more difficult to find a nearby church than in Spain, but ended up attending a service at St. Paul's Cathedral. I wouldn't say religious people or services are as ubiquitous as in the U.S.

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Politics

Want to talk politics? Make sure you have a few hours to spare.

Marshall Worsham

09 Nov 2009

United Kingdom

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Drop the name of any recent Prime Minister – Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher – and you’re likely to get an earful. Or mention the phrase “Red Ken” in any pub on a Friday night and watch how people line up. That refers to Ken Livingstone, the controversial Labour party mayor of London from 2000 to 2008. Ask what people think about the current mayor, Conservative Boris Johnson, and you’ll get an even different split. All told, British politics is complicated, but people love to talk about it. As well as American politics. And EU politics. And Indian politics. Few topics are off limits, and if you’re not careful you can easily get sucked into two- or three-hour debates.

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Music

500 years and still singing

Marshall Worsham

09 Nov 2009

United Kingdom

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If you do nothing else in Oxford, be sure to hear a choral service in one of the college chapels. Magdalen, Christ Church, New College, and Queen’s Colleges have world-famous choirs. Most of its other college choirs are just as good, if not as renowned. Some of the most incredible experiences I’ve had here have involved the Magdalen choir singing Eucharist on Sunday mornings and Evensong weekday evenings, all by candlelight. The best part? It’s all free.

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Sports

Learn to love the original football

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Football (aka soccer) is addictive--It's the most popular sport worldwide, and I find it fascinating that it hasn't caught on in the U.S. Go Arsenal!

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TV

There's no such thing as free TV

Vanessa Quirk

03 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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When studying abroad in the UK, be aware that you cannot have a TV without purchasing a pretty expensive TV license. Not only that, but the "TV police" will hound you with letter after letter requesting that you register your TV. Since I didn't own a TV, I was told to call to alert them to this fact. Otherwise, they reserved the right to come into my room to check up on me. As much as I initially refused to spend my precious phone minutes on preventing this encroachment on my civil liberties, they eventually wore down my resistance. So save yourself some trouble and call them the first time!

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Fashion

Plaid is for tourists

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Unless it's lining a trench coat, only tourists wear the Burberry plaid.

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Dating

Don't expect a horse and carriage ride

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Unless you've taken his seat, don't expect an English man to approach you in a pub. I find they generally gather enough courage only very late in the evening--at which point the accents are even more difficult to decipher!

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Health

Forget the bill, it's free!

Ann Clark

06 Feb 2009

United Kingdom

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Because health care is publicly-funded in London, trips to the emergency room are free--as my friends & I so bittersweetly discovered the night we got caught up in a bar fight. Not as exciting as it sounds: two guys were brawling & one threw a glass that hit my friend in the head....lots of blood and a taxi later, she got stitched up in the E.R. To our surprise, the visit was completely free.

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Slang

In Scotland, "band-aids" are called "plasters"

Julie Ardelean

23 Sep 2009

United Kingdom

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Me: "Do you happen to have any band-aids? I have a huge blister on the back of my heel." Hazel, my flatmate: "A what?" Me: "A band-aid." Hazel: "I'm sorry a what?" Me:"A band-aid? Like what you put on cuts or blisters." Hazel: "Oh, plasters!" (Hazel then pulls out a box with "plasters" plastered on the front.)

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Nightlife

London's no Río, but...

Marshall Worsham

06 Jan 2010

United Kingdom

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Most pubs are required by law to close down at midnight or earlier, and good clubs (which stay open later) are hard to come by. Unless you get invited along on a weekend of ultra-cool underground house parties of the camp-burlesque variety, expect early nights. One notable exception, however, is the gay district in Central London, primarily around Soho. Word on the street is that a handful of clubs, including G-A-Y and the Green Carnation, consistently have the best music and most interesting late-night parties anywhere in London. Those two in particular are known to be quite straight-friendly too.

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Being an American

Beware of taller bathtubs

Samantha Collins

22 Jan 2010

United Kingdom

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Perhaps it was only in the few bathrooms that I saw, but it seems the bathtubs in Edinburgh (or generally in the UK?) are at least a foot higher than those in America. I didn't realize how high up they were until I shamefully fell out of one and hit my ear on the door. The edge is high and the bottom is shallow, so be wary of possible crashing incidents. Neighbors don't like when you keep falling on their ceiling.

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