Check Please

Rachael Trost

LONDON -- It always surprises me the cultural differences around the world, but especially between two places that are relatively similar in nearly every aspect. I live in New York City, where waiters scurry patrons out of restaurants. But while here in London, my experience has been the complete opposite, and last night three of my friends and I sat for nearly three hours waiting for our check.

A classic British lunch of "pie" and mash.

We sat down at an Italian eatery about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. The menu stuffed with so many mouth watering options, I think it took us nearly a half-hour to order. In the states, our group would be questioned several times, asking when we would be ready to order. Across the pond here, that was definitely not the case.

Flash forward to just about three hours later. Our group was finished eating, order and devoured some desert, and peered around to find out waiter. He wasn't anywhere in sight, so we just kept talking about life after graduation. The four of us are all recent graduates, just thrown into the real world and our first jobs, so that topic of our conversation filled the excess time. Still, it became a bit excessive.

Life moves a bit slower here in London in so many aspects. There are those who are in a rush to get around, but it seems that the majority of Londoners move at a softer pace. I've been told that's just how it is in Europe.

Dipped

Rachael Trost

LONDON -- Well, it happened. After hearing story after story from my friends who have studied abroad, advice from countless others, and thoughts about how careful I was being, I was pick pocketed, or as the Brits say, "dipped".

Brittany and I were traveling on the tube home from filming a few tea shops Saturday morning in Covent Gardens. My card holder with my oyster tube card, Visa Debit card, and US Drivers License was stuffed into what I thought was an inaccessible pocket of my camera bag. I have traveled all over the world with never one problem. This time, I was clearly out maneuvered. Reaching for the holder as we tried to exit the station proved the fact that anyone, and I really do mean anyone, can be "dipped".

According to Gary Wilment, Zone 1 Station Supervisor for the London Underground, there were more than 40 other incidents of theft Saturday morning at Russell Square Station. "There is a group of maybe 5 or 6 men who usually are involved in all the thefts, especially at Russell Square and Covent Gardens stations," Wilment said. "The lifts are usually where it happens."

When I arrived back at our dorm room, there had already been one fraudulent charge before I had a chance to cancel my card. My parents back in the states scrambled to wire me money, as without my card I had maybe 10 pounds to my name. I was only thankful that my passport had been safely tucked away in my room and not in the same bag.

The most absurd part about the experience was I never thought it would be me. I am extremely careful about where I place my important belongings and money, and have traveled to many more places where I would expect to be targeted more than I was here in London (I traveled to Chengdu, China in December 2013 where I was the only blonde). Just one moment of not paying close enough attention to my surroundings left me vulnerable.

Look Right

 Rachael Trost

LONDON -- More than 500 people were injured, and 233 killed, during 2012 in London simply by crossing the street. The majority of those are tourists, according to the Department of Transportation. Several of my classmates were almost part of those statistics my first two days in London.

Nearly 20 years ago, a somewhat simple solution was formed. The curbs of London are donned with phrases hoping to warn us visitors; look right or look left. The tendency of visitors to step in the path of traffic became enough of a concern for officials that the majority of crosswalks through out the city now show the warning. 

Crosswalks near heavy tourist activity,  like this one
near Westminster Abbey, are all painted with the warning.

Possibly the most famous crosswalk in all of London is on Abbey Road. The cover of the Beattle's last studio album is the iconic photograph showing the four striding across the pedestrian crosswalk outside the Abbey Road Studios. Many fans try to recreate this photography, but it seems sometimes it leads to injury. Although figures of exactly how many vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents have occurred here, several locals confirmed the reanactments are not safe.  

Although the number of pedestrian accidents here seems high, the United Kingdom is one of the safest for taking a stroll, at least in terms of deaths. The number of fatalities per mile in the UK is one of the lowest in the European Union. 

Personally, I am having to constantly remind my self to "look right". It's the first time I have been in a country where cars travel opposite the way they do back home in the US. Let's hope I, and the rest of our group, can make it home all right.