I’ve been playing tourist lately.
Saturday afternoon, I found myself meeting up with a friend off Portobello Road for a drink. It was the first time I’d been round that area on a Saturday afternoon in a very long while – throngs of people visiting Portobello’s famous antiques street market were clogging up the pavement and the road and generally getting in my precious way and doubling the amount of time it took to get where I was going. But honestly, I kinda liked it. I even stopped a couple of times to check out a few of the vendors. And I still find it fascinating to see people from across the globe bumbling about trying to make the most of their leisure time.
Just yesterday, I went on a speedboat ride (weeeeeeeeeeee) followed by a fab lunch with a view at the National Portrait Gallery’s third floor Portrait Restaurant (yum … and ooh). From Southbank to Leicester Square, the streets were teeming with uncertain, camera toting, map reading non-locals. Good for them, right? And for us too, I suppose. This town needs the tourist money. And I can’t blame anybody for wanting to come here – London’s the greatest city in the world.
Yep, August is on. Hotels in London city centre and beyond are packed. London can be a frustrating place to navigate … even if you’ve lived here for years. Still, with a little investment of time and energy, the dividends yield a significant return in satisfaction and fun. I’ve been here more than six years and have yet to tire of geeking out at all the attractions and sights.
Perpetual London sightseer, that’s me.
