- I moved to London to study in 2018. I had only been to the city once before, so moving there was like entering a whole new world.
- It took me a while to get used to public transit, with double-decker buses and a metro system they call "the Tube."
- However, after a brief adjustment period, I felt at home in the UK, and now back in the US, there are a few things I miss.
- Among them, I miss London's Indian food. The city has some of the best Indian food outside of India.
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I chose to do a master's degree in London for a few reasons. I had lived abroad in Barcelona and South America, and I wanted one more adventure before settling in New York, where I grew up. I also knew that the cost of a program overseas would be far less than in the US.
When I first arrived in London, two massive suitcases in tow, I'll admit I felt a bit lost. Moving to the UK might not seem like the craziest transition since the language is the same, but it is still an entirely different place with its own culture and traditions.
A few things took some getting used to, like how to ride on the upper bus deck without falling down or what to order at fast-food pastry chain Greggs, but within a few short months I was moving through the city like a Londoner. I learned tricks like how to avoid the crowds at Oxford Circus, or find the best pub to get a cheap pint.
I returned to New York earlier this year, and there are already things about living across the pond that I miss.
I miss the old architecture of London, which brings an element of classic beauty to the city.
Anywhere you go in London, you can find a piece of history. Buildings like the New Cross Inn, pictured here, date back over 400 years. At that time, New York City wasn't even built, as Henry Hudson only made his first expedition to the territory in 1609.
Carnaby Street, one of London's most famous streets, is often lit up magically at night.
Carnaby Street is located in London's SoHo district. One of my favorite places to go on a night out, the street has a history of being the birthplace of Swinging London in the 1960s. Stars like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks were regulars on Carnaby.
The two-story buses in London make for a fun ride and offer a great view.
Though I definitely almost fell down — or up — the stairs while the bus was moving, I always chose to sit on the upper level. Maybe it's because it has a very Harry Potter-ish feel, or maybe it's because there's always more space up there. It also feels a bit like you're on your own tour bus ride, getting a better view of the London streets.
I had some of the best Indian food of my life while in London.
London has a huge Indian population. According to the World Population Review, the most common country of birth for London residents outside of the UK is India. There are now Indian restaurants all over the city, and it's a favorite cuisine of many Londoners.
Tea sandwiches, though perhaps not the most delicious, are definitely the cutest.
I had this trifecta of tea sandwiches at a high tea with friends celebrating the end of my studies. Though the traditional fillings, like cucumber and cream cheese or red pepper, aren't the most delicious I've had, they are effortlessly elegant to eat and give a feel of English royalty.
I miss some of the snacks I can't get in America — my favorite had to be a Greggs vegan sausage roll.
Though the British aren't famous for their food, they have some delicious treats you can't get anywhere else.
Greggs was first famous for its meat sausage rolls, but I've never tried one. I went vegetarian a few months after moving to London, so I was thrilled when they introduced the vegan sausage rolls.
They introduced the meat-free option after a petition from PETA garnered more than 20,000 signatures. The vegan-friendly treat, filled with meat-substitute Quorn, helped them top one billion pounds in sales this past year.
With good reason, too. They are flaky and delicious and cost less than $2.
Gin and tonics quickly became my favorite cocktail.
I noticed upon moving to London that all my friends ordered gin and tonics at the bar (when they weren't after pints). Though I had enjoyed the drink before, the generous portions and quality gin made me a convert.
According to Flaviar, gin and tonics first became popular in the British colonies. The warm climates in the colonies brought risk of malaria, so Brits started consuming bitter quinine, which wards off the disease, and diluted it in tonic water. Once they added gin to the mix, it became the popular drink we know today.
It isn't rare to see a fox or two during your daily commute.
Though I was absolutely amazed when I was able to take this photo, immediately sending it to my friends, their reaction wasn't what I was hoping for: "Yeah, Zoe, they are literally everywhere." Brits have become desensitized to the foxes, since they are all over the city, and can even be seen as pests, going through people's garbage and making loud noises at night.
Greenwich Park has an amazing view of the city and people flock there in the warm weather.
London is a very spread out city, so even though it looks like I'm overlooking the city in this photo, I am actually still in London!
Greenwich Park is one of the Royal Parks, meaning it originally belonged to the monarchy. Today, it's a World Heritage Site and the location of the Prime Meridian, which is longitude ground zero; everywhere in the world is measured in terms of its angle east or west from it.
But Victoria Park was probably my favorite park, and I'd go as often as possible.
Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets is London's oldest park and one of its biggest. The place gets around 9 million yearly visitors. One of my favorite things about the park was the beautiful ponds with ducks and swans.
The vintage cars parked along city streets show what the city looked like decades ago.
This photo, taken just outside my old house, shows one of many vintage cars that I would often see parked. London is known for its vintage car popularity, and it wasn't uncommon to see '60s campers and convertibles along the city streets.
There are quirky old street names that you just can't find in New York City.
Since the city has been around since Roman times, the street names have had a much longer time to develop than those in New York. Streets with creative names like "Balls Pond Road" were the norm, rather than in the US, where most streets are named for their number, such as "14th Street."
The tube station names were also more creative.
Unlike New York, where stations have names like "West 4th Street" and "34th Street," London's tube stations have names like "Piccadilly Circus," which feels like you're about to get off and enter some sort of magical 1800s performance.
The best place to spend time was the pub — many of which also have quaint names.
Going to the pub was a British tradition I definitely miss. After work? Let's go to the pub! Bad day? The pub! Sunday afternoon? There's no better place to spend it than the pub. And the city is full of historic pubs, with a few established as early as the 1500s.
My house had a big backyard where I could have meals with friends.
I lived in Peckham, South London, where the majority of people live in houses, rather than apartments like in New York City. I lived in a big house with six other roommates, and we were lucky enough to have a large backyard behind our house, where we could have friends over for food and drinks. In New York City, its very rare to have your own outdoor space.
The changing London graffiti near Lambeth always kept things interesting.
This underpass near Lambeth in London was one of many places, like Brick Lane, where the city celebrates its graffiti. Though graffiti is illegal in most parts of the city, there are spots where it is legal to create the art.
But I think more than anything else, I miss the friends I made.
Me, on the left, with my three friends following our graduation ceremony.
Of course, we had to take a picture outside Westminster Abbey, one of the most famous buildings in London.
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