The 3 Ps of London

London…

(or as I call it LANDAN – I refer to it as such due to a lovely scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and for those of you who do not use movie quotes as a form of communication, the clip is below):

1. PRIMARK

This place is the bomb dot com. Yes, I just said that. It’s scary how much you don’t need practically everything you will buy from this place but you will buy it anyway because it’s so damn cheap. The quality isn’t amazing but it’s good enough to last you a year or so – however, the tights, leggings and pjs have a pretty good lifespan. Most sets go from 4 to 8 pounds which is awesomesauce when you see how expensive everything else is in the UK. I recommend packing one outfit and then just loading your suitcase with Primark stuff because you can literally buy a whole wardrobe for under 200 pounds. Although you will be wondering how on earth it is possible to do this – part of me is afraid to find out – you will also find it thrilling especially after being in a country that sells plain shirts for over $400. Lebanon, I’m talking about you.
Tip: If you can, go in the morning when they first open (8:30 am). There’s less people and you might actually bother to go into the fitting rooms. Or you’ll just buy it anyway because it’s barely $5.

People Primarking

I primarked my heart out.

I don’t know if you noticed but I made it a verb.

2. PRET

This place is virtually everywhere and that is not a complaint. It’s got coffee and good food – and when I say good I mean it’s got 3 of the best qualities wrapped into environmentally friendly packaging: fresh, cheap and healthy. AND IT TASTES GOOD. All food is made the same day and whatever is left over is donated to charities. They’ve got croissants, sandwiches, yogurt cups, juices, sushi, chips, gingerbread men…a smorgasbord of yum. If you want something like it that’s closer to home, Brisk in Hamra is modeled after the same sort of format; more info here.

Sandwiches, Sushi, Salads

My favorite breakfast

3. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The metro, or “tube”, along with buses, cabs and trains make up what is the massive network of public transportation. Although there is a tendency to have lines closed due to maintenance issues, being able to get across town in a few minutes is really convenient. Plus you see some interesting characters along the way – just like service taxi drivers here give you some good stories to tell your friends, public transport in London will give you the occasional show. For example, a little toddler singing Spiderman songs that eventually morphed into “I needa wee wee, wee wee, wee wee”. It was stuck in my head all afternoon. It’s organized and really easy to follow – if only we could get a genie to make one for us here.