First Day Adventures

I had an exciting, educational and tiring first day, and I just wanted to share some of my adventures with you! Not to worry, there will not be Second Day, Third Day and Fourth Day Adventures posts, but I did want to relive my first day and share with you my first experiences (I didn't get lost on the tube!), as I imagine they will be some of my most vivid memories.

After getting a few hours of sleep on my flight over, I met up with another study abroad student, Sue, to share a cab to our dorms. We used Just Airports, which worked out really well. The experience went smoothly, and the price was reasonable.

After arriving, we decided to meet at noon for a traditional fish and chips lunch, and an ale (since we are of age here). We decided to try The Fryers Delight for fish and chips. We both tried haddock, and I showed Sue how to properly cover her chips with vinegar and then salt. Yum!

Since The Fryer's Delight didn't have any ale, we decided to stop at a promising pub.

We ran across this beautiful pub, which shall remain nameless for the moment because I took a picture of the font, but didn't capture the name. However, I did snap a few pictures of the inside and of the windows.

It is quite a beautiful establishment. Sue and I enjoyed our first Guinness ales as well!

On this same trip we decided to stop at a well known drug store, Boots, for toiletries, etc. My roommate informed me that Superdrug is also a good place to find the same sort of products. I did bring travel sized amounts of shampoo, conditioner, but I was itching to buy full sized products, so that I felt more settled in.

I also discovered that I would need towels (I forgot one), and a mattress pad for my bed. NYU London has stocked us quite fully with the necessities, silverware, pots, pans, and even an electric tea kettle, but the beds could use a little extra padding. My suite mate and I, Marianna, traveled on the tube (with our Oyster Cards!) to the House of Fraser to pick up these items.

We popped up from the tube in Oxford Circus, which is quite a beautiful circle, and holds many (familiar) stores.






At the end of the day, I was quite tired from both jet lag, and shlepping around the city to buy groceries etc. I have found that there are two ways to approach the first day.

1. The first option is to scout the area, buy the products you need and stay active. The benefits are that you are moving, get things done, and do not fall asleep. The downside is that you are exhausted at the end of the day.
2. The second option is to take the day easy, do a little site seeing, and use the toiletries you brought. Many times yesterday I wish I had taken this path simply because I was so tired. The benefits are that you do not further exhaust yourself, and do not feel rushed (especially since you are already trying to get acclimated to a new city). However, the downside is that you will probably be fighting to stay awake during the afternoon, if you don't actually fall asleep!

Both options have their own benefits, so the choice is up to you! Doing it a second time, I'm not positive that I would run around trying to get errands done. Overall, I had such an amazing day, and it certainly ranks among the top 5 most productive days I have had!

Cheers,
Kelsey Elizabeth
Cheers, expression, expressing good wishes, or good wishes before drinking.