First Day in London; Or What I Ate to Keep Awake

It should come to no one's surprise that I have a serious love of food in London. I can't link up all the posts I've done on food because it would be too many for me not to be embarrassed. 

The first thing I did in London wasn't actual eating. Cause I had to drop my luggage off and say hello to my hosts of course! My luggage was so heavy that I could just make it onto the Heathrow Express and get myself to Paddington. From there I had to cab it to my host's house because I just couldn't tackle the tube and piss off that many people in one go. I was terribly obnoxious with my load of cases and slow moving gait. The cab was quick and only 12 pounds.

My hosts for the next 9 days are the aunt and uncle of some family friends. They are truly lovely and so kind to let me stay. I don't know what I would have done without their generosity. I hope someday I can pay that forward and help out friends of friends in the same manner. Till I have a spare room, in 9 days or so I should have a very lovely floor in my new flat to offer my friends to stay on. Maybe I'll lend you towels and give you a mint, just to be fancy.

After I had a cup of tea and chatted a bit with my hosts, I walked to Westfield the largest and most American shopping center in the UK. Great big mall only a few blocks away from my where I'm staying. Lovely. I needed to speak to O2 people about my phone situation, but first, I needed to celebrate being in London with my first meal choice. Always gonna be Wagamama. I absolutely love them. I know I've had something else on their menu besides this meal, but I am really suck on Chicken Tama Rice. It's "grilled chicken breast, stir-fried with courgettes (British word for zucchini), mushroom, red and spring onions in a oyster, ginger, garlic and wine sauce. Served on sticky white rice." (from their menu online) Delicious. And I just had to have a glass of pino grigio. Cause ya know...celebrating. Also saying goodbye to having lunches like this considering that I will be a student soon and need to accept that I'm poor.

Instagrammed in all it's finest.

 After that I checked out the phone company and got a new SIM card for my Mom's old iPhone, paid for it, and then found out I need it "unlocked" from the US. So my parents are currently working on that so I use a UK SIM card on a phone bought in the US. So if you're moving over here, make sure you do that before you leave...if you have an iPhone. Otherwise, just get a new freaking phone here. They had pay-as-you-go long before we did in the US.

After that I could feel the jet lag starting to get to me. Needed coffee stat. I do tend to switch over to drinking tea when I'm in England because it's more common to find a good cup of tea than a good cup of coffee. But this being London and all, I just went over to the Covent Garden area and grabbed an expensive cup of drip filter from New Row Coffee for £2.70 ($4.38). Delicious and so worth it. Love it that there are a few places I can get, for a price, some good coffee that is not instant. (Just stop it Brits, and Starbucks, no more of this instant coffee. It's crap.)

Of course after texting on the app "What's App" with my American friend, Megan, who joined me in London adventures on last year's trip, I just had to go to a place I knew she was missing. Ben's Cookies. Seriously just the best cookies ever.

Drool worthy and so many choices!

I always love the chocolate and orange cookie. THE BEST.

 After that I really just wandered around for ages. Funnily enough, while leaving Covent Garden, I walked past a woman with this really cute, tailored looking, tweed jacket. I love checking out the different pieces women are wearing around London. The fashion is different from what you'd see in America, obviously. So it's fun to figure out how I should start piecing together outfits. I glanced at the woman's face, almost stopped and yelled "AMANDA" to her. But didn't cause that would be weird. Then everyone around me would have thought "weird American..." and I get enough of that already. She looked just like a blogger I read and who has been helping me with visa stuff via email. I thought it couldn't be her and I just am online too much. Turns out it was her, which I found out after DM'ing her on Twitter. Seeing people you know so randomly like that makes London feel a little smaller and more manageable, honestly.

I wandered over to this cafe chain called Eat to make use of their electrical outlets to charge my phone and use the wifi. And then headed towards the National Theatre's giftshop. I was hoping to buy my friend Caitlin's poster which they sell, but they don't have it in the store just yet. You can check out her awesome, kick ass artwork here.

Outside the National Theatre.

Just a cool ad outside the Airstream Cafe, which is you pass on Southbank.

To cap it all off, I needed steak & ale pie. Will not be eating this everyday, promise. Just, ya know, maybe every other day. I dedicated it to my friends Jenn and Eddie, who share my love for this dish and for all things British, especially Doctor Who. I had to have an Aspall's Cyder with it as well. I've grown to like this cider much better than Strongbow. I can thank a lovely English stage manager friend for that.

I love any place with free wifi.

Cider selfie. I wanted to make the group of business people having dinner  near me feel awkward with my many obvious selfie attempts.

Like this one. I call it the "I love PIE" selfie. This is probably why I don't get hit on in bars anymore.

Just the best food ever.

After that cider, I had to head home quickly in order to make it to bed before I passed out where ever I was. Going to bed at 8pm and getting up at 6 is definitely the way to go. I may continue that pattern for the next few days while I don't have school. Yay!

Cheers,
Lindsay xx