I want my time with you

Tracy Emin, St Pancras International

"This year could be the chance for you to move to the place where your heart resides," Arthur Brooks recommended in his Atlantic column "How to Build a Life." I left my heart here after living in London in summer 2014, and of all the places I've lived in so far I still love London the most. 

I love London because it's a city where you can find and have any experience you want, from fine dining with a view of the sparkling skyline on the fortieth floor of a skyscraper one moment to eating street food made from locally-sourced vendors at a market the next; from seeing some of the best art in the world for free across various museums and galleries by day to catching a football game at the local pub that night; from stumbling upon sample sales at pop-up boutiques in high-end neighborhoods to haggling for a vintage denim jacket at an outdoor market two blocks over. Even though I spent most of my time here in lockdown, the days when non-essential businesses reopened and we were finally able to go out again were that much sweeter. 

Here are some photos from this summer in London: reading Mrs Dalloway in St James' Park; glasshouse blooms inside Kew Gardens; wandering Hampton Court Palace and its gardens that look like scenes from paintings; taking photos on campus; views from high places; art exhibitions in beautiful galleries; walks along Southbank; film portraits with friends. I'll be posting an address book with a Google Map of my favorite spots in London with details on my recommendations soon. 

I also finally got a chance to see more of England after exams last month—Brighton, Bath, Cambridge, Oxford, and Cornwall photos to come! 

xoxo, vivian