Five hours and twelve miles of procrastination later...

So I finally got up and going at around 10am today. I had been awoken at about 1:30am with a score inquiry from some drunk guy in Paris, so I got up to watch the game. No joke, I turned it on as Manny was stepping up to bat with the bases loaded. Then Drew... grand slam... and the rest is history. So, yes, I got up late. Went to breakfast (mmm fry bread), and then came back up here to sit at my computer and berate myself for not having 1,500 words to say about Fiske's Television Culture (I still don't have that much to say, btw). So, at about 11:30 I looked outside and realized there was NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THE SKY. And, it's London. So, I had to go outside. The paper would wait!

This 'walk' which was more like a 'half marathon' was a fabulous way to spend the afternoon. (AND, by telling you all about it, I can continue to procrastinate on this bloody essay). I walked over the Millenium Bridge to check out St. Paul's. Inconveniently, it's Sunday. So I didn't go inside. I walked down Fleet St, and up to school. I realized that I hadn't show pictures of LSE so I just took a couple: The first one is of Houghton St and the next one is just on the side of a building.


After that I went over to Covent Garden. I LOVE Covent Garden. And I found a necklace that I'm absolutely in love with, but it cost 43 pounds! So that seemed a little steep, despite the fact that it is unbelievable! Then I walked over to Leicester Square, which, by all accounts, is kind of lame. EXCEPT for my wonderful discovery:
THE LONDON HIPPODROME! If only they had bowling...

I walked down to the National Gallery, which I walked around for 45 minutes or so. I mostly looked at the paintings from 1700-1900, because everything before that is mostly Jesus. And while Jesus is cool, it was a bit too much for me today. I'd been through the gallery before, but it's nice to be able to walk in, stay for awhile, and leave, without having to worry about money (or missing anything, because i LIVE HERE NOW!). Out front there was this hilarious kid who was seriously attempting to rugby tackle the pigeons. It was sheer dedication.
After that, I walked through St. James Park, which I'm not sure I had ever done before. It's beautiful, though. Took some pictures, they are park-like. And a lot of them have the London Eye in the background. Mark mentioned that it is the most photographed thing in London. Well, if it wasn't so big and in EVERY SINGLE VIEW, perhaps people wouldn't take so many pictures of it! Anyway, there's one from St. James.
After St James I walked around Buckingham Palace. I had intended to go off in another direction, but not having a map, I figured I would leave that for another day. So I went through Hyde Park, which is still my absolute favorite park. Not only because there is a Peter Pan memorial (I won't grow up! We have a lot in common). But mostly. ;) Oh! And I had my first Sunday afternoon experiene at Speaker's Corner, which is where people just rant about things. Yay freedom of speech!

After Hyde Park, I walked down Oxford St, but there are so many people there, I cut off down a side street, and this is where things get a little hazy. I headed in the direction of Picadilly, but took a couple of weird turns. Found some cool shopping, though! And I eventually found my way back to Trafalgar, so no harm done! By that time I was absolutely exhausted and considered taking the bus or the tube home. But I was determined not to waste a quid just getting home, so I walked back via Embankment. View from that side of the river (note presence of London Eye again):

Anyway, there were a few more stops along the way, but those were the highlights. I did something new (St. James), something old (Covent Garden), something cultural (National Gallery). And I definitely succeeded in procrastinating.

Otherwise, not too much to report. Not commenting on the rugby (see previous post). One funny thing, I was carded last night at the bar. Seriously! And now to the paper (for all those, ahem, Mom, who don't think I do work).