TOW #6: "Lessons From Living in London," Sarah Lyall

The major cities around the world that first come to mind are all so varied; the food is different, the styles are different, the climate is different, but most importantly, the people are different. Paris, Tokyo, New York, and London all have extremely unique identities associated with them. Yes, they are all urban, highly-populated areas, that act as a thriving business central, but culturally there are obvious differences. In her article, "Lessons From Living in London," Sarah Lyall shares the transition that she experienced after moving from New York City, New York to London, England. Although these cities are both booming tourist attraction, Lyall explains the cultural difference of these two destinations. When living in both New York and London, Lyall wrote for the New York Times which provides her with an interesting view of both cities. Lyall's diction remains snarky throughout the piece, especially when she states that the struggles was, "finding a decent grocery store and dealing with the impossibility of the gas company and learning to say rubbish bin instead of garbage can and having [her] shoes ruined by the rain"(Lyall). It is obvious that, while both cities are lovely from the perspective of a tourist, it was a challenge for the author to assimilate herself into the day-to-day flow of London. By pointing out these specific issues, Lyall is pointing out the clear differences, rather than the similarities. As the article continues, it is obvious that Lyall does not hate everything about London, but she does make it clear that it is not New York, and the adjustment is a challenging one. The NY Times writer also points out that in NYC, people unite themselves as the city, as New Yorkers, rather than dividing by neighborhood. While in London, Lyall experienced that the neighborhood identity is fairly strong there. That is another difference between her two homes. Overall, I think that the author's purpose was to clearly give people thinking about moving to London advice, but on a deeper level, I believe that Lyall was trying to prove a point. Just because two places may seem similar on the surface, does not mean that they truly are at the heart. I believed this article, and now know a lot more about London than I did earlier today. Also, because the way she portrayed England as kind of dreary, it made it seem as though she is more partial to New York City, which is one of my favorite places, so I can also relate on that level. 

London, England

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/travel/lessons-from-living-in-london.html?pagewanted=1&src=me