And just like that, we’re back to our daily college lives. London was truly an amazing experience and I wish I had more time there. There were countless things on our ‘to-do’ list that we never got to, but also a lot of unexpected things that were equally cool to see and experience. From hearing friends’ stories, and seeing the city on TV, I’ve always had this picture in my mind about what London would be like, culturally, geographically and aesthetically. Based on this picture I had in my mind, I also thought that I would really enjoy London, and that it would be a place that I might like to live. After finally traveling to London, I can say that the picture in my mind was quite wrong, but at the same time, I do really like London and would definitely consider living there at some point in the future. Traveling to NYC many times, I have found myself comparing London to NYC to put it in perspective. Although they are both of the largest cities in the world, they’re completely different in mind, culturally, geographically and aesthetically.
Architecturally, London was a lot more complex than I had imagined; the seamless weaving of 11th century buildings and 21st century skyscrapers into the urban fabric was absolutely incredible. This trip was the first time I had been out of the country, and the first time I really sketched. Sketching while there and learning about the city beforehand allowed me to get much more out of the trip. It was such a cool experience to visit places like Stonehenge and Stourhead which we learned about in Arch 2300, and let me say, the slideshow pictures don’t do their justice.
Old and New
London was filled with many surprises, all good (in my opinion). Although I was only there for a short period of time, it’s a city that I am fascinated with. I will definitely be back in the future, and maybe eventually I’ll go back for good. Cheers London.
Brighton
Tea time
O-H-I-O in Tate Modern