Study Abroad in London

While I was living in London,  my parents came to visit and we went to the London Marathon. As a runner, marathons are  the pinnacle of fitness and competition.  I don't knwo if I have the urge to do it, but I can understand those who would want to. The London Marathon was an interesting experience. People dress in costumes and fool around as they run 26.2 miles. I feel as a spectator, you almost do as much running as those in the race. My parents and I first headed to Tower Bridgeand watched the leaders run by, then we cheated, we took the tube to Buckingham Palace so we could watch the end. It was definitely a once and alifetime experience.

London is the best city in the world. I know alot of people say it's New York, but London is clean, manageable, and historic. Yes, New York is some of these, but London has an aura around it. Everywhere you look, culture permeates from every pore. The people may not always seem friendly on the tube, but I look at it as their way of being polite. I lived in Earl's Court which is the last stop in Zone 1 on both the Piccadilly and District Lines. It's a nice area with a mix of rich and not so rich. There are two decent pubs in the area, O'Neill's and the Blackbird.   Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, is within walking distance of the tube station and on game days can be crazy. About a 10 minute walk from the tube is Albert's Bridge and Battersea Park. It's a nice park with a zoo and track and a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. For the flower lover, the Chelsea Flower Show is across from the park during the Spring. From Battersea Park, it's about a 4 mile walk, very nice, down to Trafalgar Square, Westminster, and Buckingham Palace. Along the way is Tate Britain, what I think is the best museum in London, at least if you like impressionist work. Besides all of the main attractions that London has to offer, some of my favorite places were The Pint Pot, off the Goodge Street Tube, on Thursday nights for karaoke, the Slug and Lettuce Restaurant (there are two, either by the Eye or off of the Oxford Circus Tube - good barbecue chicken sandwich), and Balan's, on the corner of Fulham Road near the Earl's Court Tube, has the best breakfast in London. Anything else just ask, I love London.