London: Week One

May 20, 2018

And what a week it was! I landed at Heathrow just one week after finishing finals. In that week I moved, partied, and packed, but somehow, I made it to London! The flight was just over 8 hours. Luckily, I flew in Delta One, so I arrived well rested.

first class ticket!

A first class ticket to London!

My flight was overnight, so I left on Thursday, May 10, and landed on Friday, May 11. I navigated my way to the underground (albeit, I got lost for 30 minute and the train was also late by 30 minutes) and made my way to a station close enough to my residence that an Uber wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg.

I quickly checked in to my accomodation and unpacked. After a quick shower and a bite to eat at a nearby Tesco (which has, admittedly, saved me more than a few times this week), I ventured out and familiarized myself with the area before quite easily spotting a chippy. This was a mistake. I have had fish and chips before, and I thought that, being at the genesis of the staple, it would change my mind. So I took my wrapped up package of (cod) fish and chips, walked across to a park, and sat down.

Now, I consider myself a foodie (Follow me on Instagram to see all my food pictures!), and London is ranked the 10th best place for food in the world, so my expectations were set decently high, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so dissapointed in a meal. Unfortuantely, this trend is one that has continued in London. I enjoy going out and trying new dishes, but London has continually let me down in terms of flavor. More on that to come in future blogs.

Fast-forwarding to the next day, I met up with the other Z/Yen Group Intern, Ian (I did mention I’m interning in London, right?). I was acquainted with Ian before departing, but over this past week we’ve become great friends. Not only do we share the same humor (sarcasm, taken and beaten until no longer funny), but the same lifestyle as well . . . to live as frugally as possible. Luckily, this means we are on the same page when going out to eat. And eat we did. Here’s the short list of places I can remember eating in London thus far, ranked.

  1. Pilpel (falafel place adjacent to St. Paul’s cathedral)
  2. Imperial China (which has a self-proclaimed Michelin star)
  3. Padella
  4. Bubblewrap ice cream cones
  5. Masters sandwhich shop
  6. Natura Due Cafe
  7. Itsu sushi

Ah, yes! The internship! Starting at Z/Yen has made me realize how much I underestimated the Group’s influence (especially my boss, Michael Mainelli’s). The first day we were given an overview of the company, a history lesson (or 3) on The City of London, and our first assignment: to work on the new website. Ian and I quickly completed our tasks, and over the course of the week we have been working on the new website, researching for clients, condensing reports, and cracking jokes with the team. Z/Yen has many talented individuals, all of whom have been immensely helpful to my transition to this new city.

Looking forward to the second week!

Nish