measuring the world

I took the bus to Santa Monica yesterday, and it's definitely a different experience than taking the bus in London.  On most LA busses, the passengers are generally from the lower class.  In London, you see people from every class riding public transportion.  In my experience, LA busses are not as clean either, but a lot of them have TVs so that you can watch the news instead of reading the paper.

I went to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica yesterday, and it made me miss London a LITTLE less.  It's kinda similar to Covent Garden in that they both have a ton of shopping and dining options, as well as talented street performers.

I decided to compile a list of everything I did the past three months.  I’ve organized it into a few categories for convenience.

Shows

Phantom at Her Majesty's Theater

Thriller at Lyric Theatre

Wicked at Apollo Victoria

Sweeney Todd at Adelphi Theatre


Awkward Squad at Arts Theatre


Les Mis at Queens Theatre


Legally Blonde at Savoy Theatre


Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ballet at the Royal Opera House


Skrillex at the O2 Academy Brixton

Museums & Galleries

Tate Modern

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising


Tate Britain


National Gallery


National Portrait Gallery


Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington


V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green


Somerset House


Royal Academy

Wallace Collection


Imperial War Museum

British Museum

Natural History Museum

Science Museum

Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum at St. Mary's Hospital

Special Exhibits

Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern

David Hockney at Royal Academy of Art


Picasso Exhibit at Tate Britain


Queen Elizabeth II by royal photographer Cecil Beaton at V&A

Movies

Woman in Black 

Hunger Games

Restaurants/Bars/etc

Rainforest Café

Texas Embassy

Rocket

Ben's Cookies

Aji Noodle Bar

Pizza Express

Rocca

Comptoir

Wasabi

The Pie Shop

Billy’s

Pizza and Pasta

Byron’s

Wagamama

Memories of India (not recommended)

Beirut Express

Maxwell’s

Points of Interest

Hamleys on Regent Street

Buckingham Palace

London Eye

Westminster Abbey

Harrods

London Bridge

Green Park

Big Ben

Olympic Countdown

Oxford Street


Chinatown

Leicester Square

Peter Pan Statue

Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross

Tower Bridge

Kew Gardens

Kensington Palace

Portobello Market

London Zoo

Camden Market

Regent's Canal

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park

Covent Garden

Royal Observatory in Greenwich

BBC Television Centre

Trafalgar Square

Outside of London

Portsmouth

University of Cambridge

Stonehenge

Salisbury

Winchester

Outside of U.K

Istanbul, Turkey - Bosphorus Cruise, Topkapi Palace Treasury, Aghia Sophia, Byzantine Underground Cistern, and the Sultan Ahmet (Blue) Mosque, 

Izmir, Turkey - ancient Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis

Porto, Portugal

Barcelona, Spain

MISC

Volunteered with ASLAN

TRAVEL LAST SEMESTER

Madrid, Spain

Lausanne, Switzerland

Geneva, Switzerland

Lucerne, Switzerland

Bern, Switzerland

Milan, Italy

Naples, Italy

Pompei, Italy

Rome, Italy

Paris, France

Normandy, France

Deauville, France 

Honfleur, France

Caen, France

Giverny, France

Manchester, U.K

London, U.K

i'm back in malibu!!  i've just been hanging out in the caf because the friend i'm staying with has work.  tonight, the sophomore class is having a club night.  we're taking party buses to a club in Beverly Hills, it should be interesting.  plus, it's freeeeee!

the weather is actually uncharacteristically bad for malibu, but i love the sound of thunder.

i miss london so, so much.

i did a LOT of shopping while in london, so packing was incredibly difficult.  i think i managed to fit my life in a large suitcase and carry on, though.

"true love is magic, and not just any magic, the most powerful magic of all. it creates happiness."

if you don't already watch once upon a time, you should strongly consider starting.  it's such a great series with some really important life lessons scattered throughout every episode.