Dear London Town

Oh London Town, why must you be foggy today? It’s cold and dreary and that hardly sets the mood for welcoming in 2009. I’ve been watching the sky out my window this morning, hoping for sun and a reason to step outside to breathe in your smoky air. Alas, I have spent the time making my tiny room more cozy.

My room is on the 6th floor of my building, technically the 7th for Americans, as the ground floor is considered the first level of a building. I overlook our courtyard, where the bicycle storage is, and what appears to be an elementary school with a large play area. I dont recognize much of the skyline, though I am just a few minutes walk from the Thames and the South Bank area. If I get in the right corner of my window and look as far left as possible, I have a view of top of the London Eye. Currently it is lit up a bright purple at night, which makes it easier to spot from a distance, except on a day like this.

Oh fog, you stink. You make me want to curl up in my newly arrived duvet and snuggle against my Argos delivered pillows. It’s nice to finally have a bed that looks warm and inviting. Instead, I’ll enjoy my tea and scones with set honey and stay put until later tonight when I’ll walk along the riverside to watch what can be seen of the fireworks in your cloudy sky.

Dearest London Town, will you be my date for New Year’s Eve? I promise to blow you a kiss at midnight.

xx

Dear London Town,

I fell in love with you when I was 13. My passport got its first stamp at Heathrow and I got my first taste of jet lag. My sister was studying at Regents College at the time. It was spring break and I was excited about staying in her dorm room and visiting the sights of London.

I had the quintessential tourist experience. I ate fish & chips, fed the birds at Trafalgar Square, took photos in a phone booth and rode a double-decker bus. We wandered through parks and toured Westminster Abbey, Parliament and Big Ben, the Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We visited Covent Garden, the West End theatre district, and strolled along the Thames.

Today, those sights still hold a certain intrigue, though years later the skyline has changed with new buildings designed with modern architecture. I’ve declared since that first visit that some day I would come back here to live. I have wanted time to fully explore this city and all it could possibly offer someone who loves the idea of royal families and Jane Austen, but also finds herself a bit gaga over Burberry and Alexander McQueen. Yes, London, your crazy mixture of stiff upper lip and the avant-garde means that each day will be a new adventure.

I hope that I continue to fall in love with you. And I hope that you’ll love me back.

xx