Fin

Today is my last day in London. As I've mentioned in previous entries, it is a bittersweet moment. I have loved my semester here. London is the only city other than New York that I can imagine myself ever living in. Maybe in dire straits San Francisco. Anyway, I am a bit sad to go, but I am also ready to go. At the start of the program here, I was a bit wary and it took me a week or so to really jump in with both feet. I was either homesick or had a viral infection, but I had a knot in my stomach for the first 5 days. I had to shake out of it and really enjoy London, and once I did I fell in love. I've already chronicled all the things I like about London, so I'll spare you that. Suffice it to say that if you do want to visit London, don't fall into the trap of having to see only the major tourist spots like Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. Do the slightly out of the way things--pick a neighborhood and walk through it. Without question, the most rewarding parts of my trip have been when I grabbed my camera and devoured a neighborhood: Mayfair, St. John's Wood, Kensington, Primrose Hill, Soho, Islington, Brixton. I could go on, but there is no better way to get to know a city. London, I'll miss you. If New York is my wife, then you are surely my mistress, and even though you're elegant and intoxicating, I love my wife too much to leave her.

New York: I'm coming home.