The Funky Great Big Pre-Moving to London Weekender Post

Last thursday I was faced with a predicament: to stay here for the weekend and get extremely bored, or to go to Kent with my mum to see my gran for a bit and then get extremely bored.

If I stayed I'd be stuck at home as my dad would be working, and my sister helping him, and then going out with her friends.
If I went with my mum, I could see my gran for a bit, but then would be bored as no one else was going to be there, and I couldn't stay at the hospital because of other people visiting.

So instead, I asked my cousin, CD, who'd just moved to London and lives near Old Street what she was up to at the weekend. As it turned out she was free on Saturday and Sunday and had planned just to explore London, so asked me to come down as well.

I had been wanting to check out the area I'm going to be living in before I moved in and also the rest of London, so was looking at transport before I'd even put the phone down.

A £39 train price meant I had to settle for a much cheaper but longer coach journey leaving at 7am on Saturday morning, but I really didn't care.

On Friday, mum left for Kent, and in the evening A came over to say bye to my sister and I as he was leaving for Hong Kong on Sunday.
I think he was sad even though we'll see him in 3 months and he's going to have an amazing time living there and travelling for a year.
I packed while he and my sister decided to unleash their Karaoke skills and murdered several Disney songs, and at about half past midnight, he left.

I got to bed at about 1am but couldn't sleep till about 2am. Just when I needed it the most.

I got up again at about 6am having had a really bad nights sleep but managed to get to the station and on the coach comfortably.

My cousin and I had arranged to meet at Kings Cross at 10am 10.30am 11am 10.30am and despite there being an evacuation at Elephant & Castle just as she was about to catch the tube, she was there first, waiting for me at the top of the escalators.

It was probably because I took so long at Victoria (being stuck behind two women chirping away about a weekend with 'their fella' in Bognor Regis in a queue waiting to get my shiny blue brand new Oyster card whilst being sleep deprived and starving is a testing experience).

We went back to her place in order to dump my stuff and after a few minutes of lounging and a drink we set off again for the rest of the day, first towards South Kensington.
Upon arriving at SK and then attempting to find the University we discovered that we'd left the A-Z at home but I comforted my cousin with the oppinion that that "was probably a good thing because by getting lost, we'll get to know the areas much better if you know what I mean".
She kind of agreed and then we decided just to set off down the main road in search of somewhere to eat as we were both starving.

We found a really nice pub but foolishly didn't check the name of it. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find it again. After a really nice lunch and chatting about family politics, our gran and other stuff we asked directions for the uni and were off again.

The SK campus is so so amazingly nice.
We walked around it for a while, taking some photos and exploring. I was telling my cousin how I'd be finding out where I lived annoyingly late in September as we were walking throught the cube to leave, when I got a call from my sister:

Sister: What is the name of the halls at Imperial you wanted?
Me: Why?
Sister: Just, what was the name of the halls you wanted?
Me: Why? You can't choose halls, just room types?
Sister: What's the name of the best halls at Imperial then?!
Me: [Hall name]! Why?!
Sister: [Dramatic Pause]...Because thats where you're staying, single room with En-suit!

I could not believe it.
What a coincidence, just after I'd told my cousin that annoyingly I wouldn't hear for ages, and while we are there in the campus itself.

And they are the top halls, the ones that everyone want! Across the road from the Uni, and 5 minutes from the sports centre and N10 bus to Oxford Circus.

After the call we went to see the halls. Unfortunately we couldn't see a room as there was some sort of conference on but we saw the courtyard and the general area.

From there we took the bus to Oxford Circus and then made our way to Hamleys so I could drop in my application form.

From there, and with no A-Z map we decided just to walk around and followed the signs for Soho. We accidently stumbled across Carnaby Street and so strolled around there for a while before moving on to Soho, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, back to Leicester Square and then to Covent Garden.

By this time we were really tired of walking and so popped into Costa for a drink.
When we sat down it was half three.
When we left it was half six.
Neither of us could believe where the time had gone. We just got lost in conversation about her work, uni life, London, family, our gran, her sister (CA), religion, culture and more.

After coffee came more walking around that whole area of London. As we turned a corner near by Golden Square, I noticed a familiar looking cap in a windon of a shop, took a step back to see the shop name, and confirmed my suspicion, "gasp, this is the BAPE store!"

My cousin, like most people, had never heard of it, and couldn't understand my excitement, and I think was a little embarrassed when I took photos of it but it's the BAPE store!
The only one in the UK.
And I found it!
Those who know about BAPE will know that you can only find the stores by accident, or by word of mouth.

Anyway, by 8pm we were hungry again and so decided to look for a place to eat. There was nothing near Tottenham Court Road but un-asked-for directions from a nice "yoof" sent us back in the direction of Soho where we found an amazingly nice restaurant on Old Compton Street.

After dinner we stepped back outside to see that the atmosphere was buzzing, there were people and bars and music everywhere.
That whole area is so nice.
A quick tube ride back to Old Street was followed by a walk back to hers whilst planning what we were going to do on Sunday. We had decided to visit Old Spitalfields Market and then to go to the river.

I think both of us were glad to get home and relax, we'd done so much walking that our legs ached. But we were pleased with ourselves seeing as we'd both had so little sleep the night before, and both agreed that leaving the A-Z behind turned out to be a good thing.

On Sunday morning we got up and ready, had a quick breakfast of Cheerios, and then walked towards Spitalfields Market. It turned out to be only 15 minutes away from her place which is cool.

Spitalfields Market is amazing.
I'm taking everyone there.
Unless Camden is better.
I've heard it's bigger.
But still, Spitalfields is so so cool.
Tres funky, as I would say.

We spent quite a while there meandering between stalls, looking for a present for CA (CA's birthday is the same day as mine [15th September] but she is one year older), trying out exotic food, admiring the trendyness of it all, and looking at funky art like canvas blocks of Banksy's work that was unfortunately too expensive for a student.
I also met Jules Mann who sketches BeatBug (his stuff is so cool), and saw a stall selling Converses for only £25! Must remember.

Upon leaving Spitalfields, I checked my phone for the time to discover 6 missed calls and a text.
Unfortunately I'm not popular enough for that to be the norm and I knew something was up. The calls and text were from my mum and aunty (CK and CS's mum) who were with my gran in Kent.
My gran wasn't very well at all and CK, CS were leaving Hertfordshire with my uncle at 3pm to go to Kent to see her.
The original plan was for me to meet my mum at CK's house at 7pm and then accompany her back home but because of this I arranged to meet CK at the trainstation near him at 3pm so I could go with them down to Kent.

Although the trip would be cut short, we still had some time and so took a tube from Liverpool Street to London Bridge where we walked along the South bank towards Tower Bridge.

During the whole time there, and especially after I'd found out where I'd be living it was slowly sinking in that I'd be living in London. It still hasn't completely, but there was just something so final about it when my cousin said, "wow imagine living here" as we were by the river, and I replied with, "we do!"

At about half one, we left again back for her house, I picked up my stuff, and we moved on to Euston. I said bye and thanks, got on a train and about half an hour later met CK who'd come to pick me up.
I was starving and so ate a late lunch with CK and CS, then watched the begining of Brasil Vs Argentina (though I fell asleep and missed the first goal!) whilst waiting to leave for Kent.

We went straight to the hospital where we saw our gran and mums and CD/CA's dad (my other uncle) who all looked shattered.

It was in the hospital when I recieved this text from CD:

According 2 Heat Mag last week, James Nesbitt was spottd dwn Old Compton Street and Pete Doherty was at Spitalfields Market! C, we went 2 trendy places!!x

After the hospital we all went back to CAs house to eat and then left for the long journey back home. Mum was so tired but we had a long and deep conversation about family, and me moving to London, her worries about me, certain "dangerous places", and "dangerous people" on the way so kept each other awake.
Well, that and the whole roasted coffee beans that she was eating!

I got home at about half past midnight, very tired, but very excited about my future second home.