This week I have been asked a number of times whether I have been enjoying myself in London and how it differs from the NY. To answer the first question, YES! In regards to the second question, there are a number of things that are different here. On the other hand, life here is no different than in NYC. So how are things different I hear you asking?
Pros of London...
- The city as a whole is much cleaner than NYC (even the underground is cleaner than the NYC subway system)
- The average employee receives 23 days of vacation vs 10 days of vacation. You also get the day after your birthday off (but I think that is a Mindshare thing and NOT a London thing)
- There are a lot more parks and open spaces than NYC
- Museums here are free of charge and there are plenty to choose from
- Bridge in general here are much more mesmerizing. However if you were to compare Tower hill (as the bridge of London) vs the Brooklyn Bridge (the bridge of NYC), I think they are quite even when it comes to the view and the experience of walking across it
- There is no "open container" law here and as such you can enjoy Champagne from the bottle on NYE while standing on the bridge watching the fireworks on the Thames
- Chips (crisps) and chocolate are much tastier on this side of the pond.
- This is a city that work to live rather than living to work
- Paris, Dublin, Edinburgh all are just a couple of hours away and make lovely weekend trips
Pros of NYC...
- It is a city that knows how to do Brunch. NYC gives you plenty of options to indulge in what is clearly the best part of Sundays.
- Taking taxis is far less expensive and much more convenient to travel from destination to destination.
- The ability to run races in NYC is much easier and central of an activity thanks to NYRR
- NYC is a city of 24/7 convenience - there is always a place to eat and hangout regardless of the time.
- No matter how long you have lived in NYC, there is always something new to discover (I suppose the same can be said about London)
- Although it is not prominent - it is still a city that attracts country music stars
- Signing up for cable TV, phone, healthcare is not a 2 month process
- Bacon, mac 'n cheese, pancakes are much better in NYC (America in general).
- Primetime TV is much more entertaining - how can you argue with a country that has Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, House, 24. There is a reason why there are numerous American TV channels here and only a couple of English channels in the US that no one watches
- The biggest pro of NYC is it is the home of my friends, family and my dear Kadin.
So when it comes down to it, London may have the finest port, cheese, markets, Indian food, history, shopping, but NYC will always have my heart.
With that said, onto this week's adventures. There is not much to share as it was the first week back to work. After 2 weeks off from work, working from 9-5 is rather exhausting. It took me a couple of days to get back into the swing of things, but by the end of the week I believe I was there.
The most noteworthy event from this week was my run today. I ran from Clapham west to Kew to meet a friend for coffee. It was a long way to run for a latte, but it was well worth it. Irony of the situation was that given where I was meeting NA, it was just as fast to run there as it would have been to take the underground. The run overall was rather pleasant - it was not too cold, the sun was actually out and it was not too windy. Next time though, I am going to find a better route so I can run along the Thames, therefore avoiding the nuisance of the stop lights, people and traffic. Well I am off to tidy up the flat a bit before tomorrow!
xx
T
No comments:
Post a Comment