If I was to describe London in one word, I think it would be “small.” Not in the sense that London itself is a small town, but in the way that everything is so tightly packed together. Riding through the city from Heathrow, the buildings on either side of the road loomed and towered over us, walling us in. Roaming the hallways of the hotel and the alleys of the city, that tightness and almost claustrophobic sense remains ever present. Entering shops and even walking through St. Paul’s Cathedral, it feels like a crapshoot on whether or not I will hit my head on the ceiling, or be able to squeeze myself through the tight passageways. Going on the tube, I occasionally felt like a sardine at the bottom of the can from how crowded and small the car was, and the time frame to get on sometimes felt even smaller. The entirety of London, as far as I’ve seen, has echoed this small, tight feeling. That cramped tightness, however, is not a drawback to the city for me. With each doorway I narrowly avoid caving my frontal lobe on and each alleyway I walk down, I become more ingrained with the city. I feel less like a tourist, walking through a big metropolis, awestruck by each office building I see stretching into the sky, and more like a traveler, getting to know an unfamiliar city more personally and in a way unique to me. My explorations in London have made me feel local, such as walking into a restaurant and accidentally being applauded by the staff and owner as the first customers since they’re renovation, and being given a free meal because of it. This feeling of smallness and locality has even made the touristy moments when I am awestruck by the absurdly tall office building even more incredible, such as walking through Leicester Square or across the bridge to the National Theatre, or staring out across the city at the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral (the awe was slightly overshadowed by my exhaustion from the stairs and incredible fear of heights). London, in and of itself, is far from a small town. But from the way that the city is built, to the experiences I’ve had, it feels so much smaller than it truly is. And I love that.
Theatre in London U of A 