I went to London for a few days after Paris. It was my first time there and I hadn’t really given much thought to what I expected, but I have to say that it was surprisingly North American (particularly in contrast to Paris). We saw Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Regent Street, the London Eye, London Tower, Harrod’s, and Camden Market. I don’t have a lot to say in terms of how to explore the city as I didn’t get a very good sense of the geography from my few days there.

However, the things that took me by surprise (or things that I felt were worth noting) include:

  • A café chain called Caffe Nero, mostly because of its distinctive logo font and its name
  • There are Whole Foods there!
  • Wagamama is everywhere. I’ve never seen one outside of Boston and was extremely surprised at how much fusion Asian food is loved in London
  • There are Prêt à Manger stores everywhere. I think there’s practically one per block. There are also many Eat stores – they’re a very similar competitor and I loved the fact that the chain was named Eat
  • When people label the exits, they don’t use the word “exit.” Instead, it’s called the “way out”
  • Like in Paris, iPhone ads have a tendency to show up at the most beautiful scenic areas
  • When a place is for rent, the real estate signs say “to let,” rather than “for rent” or something along those lines