Dear New York,
It sounds like you are settling in very nicely! Culture shock is always a big part of going anywhere new - just remember, you can’t make a New York omelette without breaking some cage-free, organic, $1 extra eggs. I expect the omelette will be that extra bit tastier for it, too.
I am glad you are getting the basics sorted – just remember - routine is very important, and the best part of living in these big, exciting and vibrant cities is the diversity of the routine you can choose. Having a diverse routine sounds like a complete contradiction, I know, so before I completely lose everyone by spouting nonsense here’s a rundown of what I mean.
My lovely girlfriend and I have got ourselves entrenched in a pretty set weekend routine, and we love it (and very quickly and maybe unfairly resent anyone or anything that pops up to break it!).
We start the day with a good breakfast (usually around lunchtime, of course!). Living in bigger cities means you have more access to a wider choice of food, drink, and restaurants - we usually eat at mine though and ignore the plethora of cafes serving delicious brunches (as I like to cook something tasty myself to kick the day off) and this is usually one of three choices: bacon and scrambled eggs (the normal British kind, none of your fancy NY nonsense), American style pancakes with streaky bacon and maple syrup, or a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon (it appears as I write this, you may have the upper hand with my breakfast choices now, dammit).
Obviously it’s important to add fresh coffee and a few glasses of Prosecco and orange juice as a suitable accompaniment.
Then the “routine” is to go and see an exhibition somewhere. There are so many free museums and amazing exhibitions running constantly in London that it is really easy to make it part of your weekend schedule to go and see something new. Learn something interesting. Take advantage of living in a place where shows and exhibitions are constantly changing and refreshing.
This weekend we went to see the Ancient Rome and Greece collection at the British museum. Next week it looks like we are going to go to a late night exhibition about Butterflies and Moths. Last week we went on a day trip to Cambridge (not London I know, but a 50 minute train for £16 from King’s Cross makes it faster than my weekly commute to work and so basically the same thing!).
Then dinner, either at home from any of the literally thousands of restaurants offering take away, or out to go and visit one in person.
So, we have a routine. But the choice of things to do, see and eat as part of that routine is incredible and something I am 100% sure I would miss if I lived anywhere else.
Anyway, enough of my rambling about how much better London is than anywhere else in the world (for now, anyway). Time for the photos!
“Bridges” turned out to be really fun for me - last week I treated myself to a shiny new 50mm lens (the same model as you have, which is awesome) and although the Thames is possibly one of the most photographed rivers in the world (citation needed, but sounds likely) I am pretty happy with my pic! I managed to go for a walk along the shore of the river when the tide was out - something I think everyone should try at least once, just to investigate all of the cool (and sometimes gross) stuff that gets washed up over the years, and I found some different views of bridges than I usually see day to day.
Perhaps we should introduce a critique section so people can let me know how I can improve as I go (maybe along with a guest submission gallery, I loved the addition last week from Ross!)
Anyway, my turn to choose the theme, and here’s one that both goes hand in hand with the topic of routine and that is an integral part of both of our cities:
Commute!
I hope you don’t have to break your morning routine to get the photo!
London