It's a Bloody Brilliant Day in the Neighborhood

    I thought I'd take this time to give a little insight into where we're living.  Of course, you all know I live in London, but it's such a vast city that that's like saying you live in New York City- it doesn't really narrow it down at all.  More specifically we live in the City of Westminster, one of the bigger boroughs in the city (here pronounced bur-uh NOT bur-oh). So actually, this isn't very specific either as Westminster stretches from the Thames (Parliament and the Abbey that bares its name) all the way out to our flat on Kilburn. ( Our Flat on Google.)
     Despite what the locals have told us (a Taxi driver related it to Harlem) we have found it to be completely hospitable.  He probably said that because our neighborhood is mostly black and Arabic, which can make for an even bigger culture shock for a bunch of white kids from Indiana.  But it really hasn't been unnerving at all- you begin to realize that Londoners come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  It's not like in the States where if someone has an accent or different color skin you automatically assume they are a foreigner- people here can be 2nd or 3rd generation and still retain their entire culture.  In fact, just around the corner (literally) is the city of Brent, which is so diverse that over 55 languages are spoken there. 
    Of course the main benefit to this diversity is the FOOD!  We can walk right up the High Road and get the most authentic Curry, Lamb Kabob, or Halal meat this side of the Mediterranean!  The shop owners are all very friendly, and most speak better English than kids I went to high school with.  And there's always the more traditional pub- The Queen's Arms- right next door if we want to kick it British style. We are always in there for the free WiFi which has made us quite familiar with the staff and owners.  (The girls love to rub it in our face that they often get free drinks during their frequent visits.)
    We're also enjoying the location of our flats.  Although we could be closer to Central London, the Underground and Bus system makes it really easy to get wherever we need to go.  You can see on the map that if we just head down Kilburn High Road, we'd run straight into Hyde Park, and the West End beyond that.  Not to mention, we live two blocks over from Abbey Road!
   This may not help at all, as I know looking at a map of the city can be quite intimidating.  But I promise you, once you've walked the walks and had a look around, it really is quite an easy city to get feel for.  Well that's all for now- today we're going to go try and find some locals to play (their) football with.

Any questions, just ask!