A Weekend in London as a Hater
Hater of London <3
This time last year I bought an impromptu ticket from JFK to London. Simply because my best friend, Makayla, was going by herself and I had FOMO. It sounds excessive, I know, but the flight from JFK to Heathrow is the same time from JFK to San Francisco, so chill out. I bought it the morning I was leaving and Makayla was already there [side note- plane tickets in January are the cheapest tickets offered all year because it is cold and off season]. I had MLK day off so it was a perfect weekend. I was going to hang out with Makayla (even though London is a long way to hang out) but also because her and I had never been to London before and we are in our mid-twenties and can drop what we are doing because we do not have kids or large responsibilities and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity!!!!! (I can talk myself into taking any trip is what I am saying). We had a marvelous time together but yes, I am a hater of London. I will say that I was only there for 3 days and 2 nights so I did not see every single thing in London. ALSO, I went in January and anywhere in January is gloomy, dark, rainy and cold (except the beach obviously)- so I will not mention weather because January is not great. There are also probably a billion things to do in London, like there is in New York. Truly, if someone told me they did not like New York and only spent a weekend here, I would think they are crazy too. I am just giving you my opinion based off of my weekend experience. So before you freak out and send the people with black puffy hats and red trench coats to stab me, let me explain what I love about London first and then WHY I am a hater.
What I love about London:
People’s accents and language. I am a sucker for the accents. It is so beautiful and proper and I could listen to it all day long, even if they were yelling at me. Con- I wanted to talk in a British accent the whole time I was there but was worried they would think I was making fun of them, because my accent is indeed bad. And when I mean language, I obviously know they speak English but their English is much more proper and literal. There is way less “slang” and everything is very literal in speaking English. Like instead of “Exit” signs, they say “Way Out.” And I do not know why I love it so much but I do.
Double decker buses, the Tube & public transportation. Yes, the big red buses!!! They are actually used for getting around the city for not just tourists but people commuting. Sitting at the top is so fun and has great views of the city. You could honestly just ride it around all day to get good views of the city. I think they are like 2 euros- and in dollars it is like the price of the bus or subway in New York. The mother fucking TUBE- amazing. Clean, fast, always on time and if not the conductor tells you when the next one is coming and it was accurate 100% of the time. Overall, 10/10 experience on London’s public transportation systems.
Tea.
I think that is it.
What I do not like about London:
SORRY I AM A HATER OF LONDON!!!!!
London.
The food. It is so awful. No flavor and no staples of food to try (like french fries in France or tapas in Spain or pasta in Italy- and you are wrong if you think I am going to eat beans on toast). I will say this- I heard AMAZING things about the Indian food in London. I heard it is the best in the world but unfortunately, we did not have a chance to try Indian food while we were there. We got breakfast, bar food and like one nice dinner and all NO good. Worst burger and fish and chips I have ever had. Maybe they were trying to kill me.
People are rude. I live in New York City, so I know when mother fuckers are rude. It honestly could just be a cultural thing but Londoner’s are not as helpful or talkative as people in New York. I tried to crack a joke and be extra nice to our bartenders (as you do when you sit at a bar in another country) and they were not having us two blonde American bitches. And no, we were not rude. I know more than anyone, people in other countries find Americans annoying so I try to be as nice as possible. And no, there was not a language barrier. And no, it is not because I am not funny- not possible. Overall, did not have a great experience with one local, bartender, waiter or anyone with a British accent.
Underwhelmed by the city itself. I had an image of London in my head that you see in movies and through Harry Styles that did not live up to that image. I guess I imagined London as a British New York City with everything super accessible, a lot of people and a more concentrated city as far as shops, coffee shops, architecture- that sort of thing. London is super spread out- kind of like Atlanta in the sense of you need a car for sure. You cannot walk to your every destination. Which alternatively, they have great public transportation, but even then, you have to walk pretty far to get to and from.
Expensive af. Again, I live in New York so I know expensive and overpriced shit. I have lived there long enough to find the affordable places and how to avoid the touristy expensive stuff and how to live on a budget. But DAMN London is expensive- if not more expensive than NYC. We didn’t even stay in touristy spots the whole time and ventured out to little towns and neighborhoods and they said $$$$$$.
All that being said, I know bitches that LOVE London. It is truly something you have to experience yourself to make a stance on: Are you a lover of London? Or are you a hater of London?
Would I go back? Yeah, for sure. LMAO. There are just plenty of other places in Europe I would go to first or visit again before I went back to London <3
