After the bank holiday Monday, I have started my second week of classes and work here in London! One of my favorite parts about week days is coming back to my neighborhood – Maida Vale is a quiet break from the rest of Central London. After my commute home on the Tube, I walk down a strip of coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, and conveinience stores. My neighborhood is residential and lined with trees and beautiful white buildings. I live in an apartment with 4 other girls from around the United States. So far, we have explored the neighborhood and other parts of London such as Notting Hill together. Our program, CEA CAPA, also arranged excursions to Stonehenge and Bath this weekend. Living in London of course has some differences from living at Pitt. For example, Londoners usually grocery shop for only a few days as opposed to shopping for a week or two in the United States. Also, it is very common for apartments to only have washers and not dryers. Other than that, I think it has been generally easy to adapt to my living situation because of the similarities between the UK and US. My roommates have also made my experience easy to adjust to – I am lucky to live with people I can also explore the city with.
My internship is located in Millbank, London. The tower I work in is right on the Thames river, so my walk from the tube stop is quite enjoyable in the mornings. The tower is 33 floors and I share my floor with at least three other companies. Millbank is located in the Westminster Borough, which is the same borough as my neighborhood. The areas are very different though, I am about a 40 minute commute from my internship. I honestly haven’t explored my internship area that much, but I have spotted an Italian and Thai restaurant that I would love to try on my lunch break or for dinner after work. On my first day, my coworkers and I went to Itsu which is a chain asian restaurant. We also walked back through a park where a lot of business people seem to sit and eat on their lunch breaks. There is also the Tate Britain (an art gallery) that is on my walk home that I would love to stop in after work, as well as the Chelsea College of Arts Millbank Campus. Places that google recommends around Millbank include a Ferry , Big Ben , the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and St. James Park because it is only about a 15 minute walk. Overall, I think my internship is located in a great spot of London and I am excited to explore the area more.
