LAST week, on the weekend I took my children to the capital of all capitals, London. Well, this is not the first time I am writing about London. The strange dynamics of this amazing city never stops surprising me. I would like to clarify, however, no matter how much I admire this city I would never even think of living there.
The time when I was planning to enroll for a Ph.D. program, I was really tempted to join King’s College or the London School of Economics. A glance at the frightening rents made me change my plans. I decided that unless I am a kind of businesswoman who would be doing Ph.D. for prestige with money not being an issue, I should better not even think about it.
I am currently living in Sheffield but I go for short weekends from time to time and each time London surprises me with something new. When I went there in November, the city looked stunning with all those Christmas lights and decors, which attracts lots of tourists every year. On my visit to the city last week there were no lights but the city has lots to offer all year around. This time around we tried a ride in London’s taxi bike or cycle rickshaw; as usual I did not want to try it, as it is very expensive (with a ride for less than 10 minutes costs between 15 and 20 pounds) but the children made it sound like their last request in the world. Mom, please! We want to ride it and we promise we will not ask for anything for the rest of our lives! So, we had the ride and it was exceptionally fun and I think trying it is a must for London’s visitors. It’s known worldwide as being one of the greatest cities for shopping and from a personal perspective I think that the image of London as being the capital for shopping is sustained not by the goods offered but rather by offering a shopping experience that has no rival around the world.
Take it from me, I am a person who really hates shopping and I look at it as a laborious duty rather than a joy and still I would say that shopping in London is exceptional. Just walk past Hamleys on Regent Street and see what they are doing, I myself was tempted to go inside and just grab the toys and buy them and while I myself was trying my best to beat the urge to buy stuff, I was offering my son a lesson in how not to fall for marketing tricks and avoid letting them make you buy stuff, while deep inside I knew they are succeeding. What is more tempting is that no one will ever tell you to buy or not to buy stuff immediately; they will just make you feel like you will die if you didn’t. The souvenirs stores are another story. In each corner of the greater London you will find a souvenir shop selling a wide range of overpriced products that you know you will never need but they are presented in a way that will make you (poor tourist) feel like your London experience won’t be completed unless you indulge and buy key chains, teapots, T-shirts, London momentum miniature…etc for you and for all your family members and friends. As a matter of fact, thanks to globalization acquiring whatever goods you need is no longer an issue, as shopping malls in all major cities in the world offer the same goods offered at London’s famous Oxford street, and not to mention online shopping, which makes everything available at your fingertips but promoting and offering a unique experience is what allowed a city like London to sustain its world-class reputation.
