One Week

It’s been a week. The first few days, admittedly, were a bit emotional. We were both homesick, and, as I mentioned in the previous post, I don’t think either of us really had any grasp on the fact that we had actually moved here. But this week, as we walked (. . . and walked and walked) through the surrounding neighborhoods, the energy and excitement of this city is really sinking in.

Holy sh*t, we’re in London!

Back in 1998 I moved to the West Village, and New York City at that time was literally sizzling with vitality. The tech boom was still in full swing, and every street had a new restaurant, every storefront was a new boutique, every off-Broadway show became a hit, every museum seemed to have a pivotal and ground-breaking exhibit. . . I felt like anything was possible. Now, New York is still New York, but what felt like possibility feels like over-gentrification.

Here in London, though, the limitlessness of the city is invigorating. There is tons of construction, and the buildings that are going up are in most cases pretty cool. We stopped by the New London Architecture exhibit at the Building Centre the other day, which featured an enormous model of the city of London (very cool) and highlighted all the new projects going on now in the city. There is so much happening. . . so much money. Every little street (and none of the streets last longer than a couple of blocks) has an adorable boutique and a hip restaurant, followed by a clever flowershop across from a classic local pub.

And, of course, we can’t afford to enjoy any of these things. . . More on that later.