By Sawyer Andrew Wilson-Mifsud, 8/29/24
The City
London, as one of the world’s major financial centers, is in many ways familiar to New York. Living there is very expensive, and there really aren’t cheap parts of the city, just cheaper. While there I stayed with friends, so I can’t give any advice on accommodations, but I would advise avoiding central London, which is the most expensive part of the city and also usually very busy.
London has very poor water quality, and it is recommended to not drink the tap water but instead use bottled water. You can certainly taste it in the water, so during my trip I mostly stuck to bottled water.
Some notable places in the city are Edgware Road and Brick Lane, which are immigrant neighborhoods that offer a lot of amenities for a day of leisure. Brick Lane has a large street market space, where you can purchase food and art.
Cuisine in London is quite varied. You can get most food most places. It tends towards the greasy and oily regardless of where you go however, so if that is an issue you may want to stay somewhere with a kitchen.
The Archives
The national archives are located right by Kew Station, which also typically has a pastry stand set up outside which is good for breakfast. You’ll find yourself at the archives within about ten minutes off the train, so if you want to return for lunch instead of eating at the archives it is very viable.
Using the National Archives is quite easy and very convenient. You’ll want to make an appointment at first, which will assign you a reader number and a seat. Once there you can order additional documents throughout the day, though there is a limit to how many you can have at once. If you are finished for the day but aren’t done with the documents you ordered, you can use their computer system to reserve the documents for another day.
After your first day in the archives, you can walk in and use your card to order documents, though you will need to visit the desk and get a seat number assigned first.
The process for the British library is similar. Visiting in person, you’ll be able to register for a library card, which will allow access to the reading rooms. Unfortunately the British library recently experienced a cyberattack so during my visit document orders had to be made via paper slip.
The National Archives are closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Bank Holidays. The British Library is closed during Sundays and Bank Holidays
Getting Around
The London Underground and Overground are the main way of getting around the city. Their use is familiar to the New York subway, though unlike the subway you need to swipe your card upon both entering and exiting. This is because you are charged based on the length of your trip, rather than a flat rate.
Uber exists but is very expensive, and I would only recommend it if absolutely necessary.