An Ocean Away

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the age of hope and change; it was the age of million-dollar bonuses. It was the epoch of possibility; it was the epoch of nagging tax problems. Oh, Dickens — still relevant after all this time.

Since arriving in London last October, I’ve noticed a lot of similarities and differences between the capital of the United Kingdom and the capital of the United States. At this writing, the similarity that stands out most is that both capitals are utterly incapacitated by snow. Despite Obama’s slight about D.C. lacking “flinty Chicago toughness,” at least we salt our roads and make an effort to plow.

The Brits, to use their colorful expression, were “thumbs in bum, mind in neutral” for at least two days. The Underground and all 8,000 city buses ground to a halt. The London School of Economics canceled school Monday and decided to give us Tuesday off despite a forecast of sun and no clouds (though I’m not complaining on that point).

Another similarity is the stark division between the haves and have-nots in both cities. In D.C., most students are told, one ventures east of the Anacostia River at one’s own peril. In London, students are cautioned about traveling too far south, lest they end up in a dodgy neighborhood. Interestingly enough, young, black, male criminals are the focus of much media scrutiny in both cities, even though about 85 percent of crimes committed by minors in London in recent years involved white youths.

I’ve made more light-hearted observations, too. The two capitals share a very different attitude toward their own histories. In D.C., the historic spaces of the city are glorified with the enthusiasm of a parvenu (by European standards, America will always be the upstart little brother). In London, history is almost stumbled upon. Everyday, a Jack the Ripper tour stops outside my residence and describes in detail one of his gruesome murders. You might walk out of a Tube station and find yourself face to face with an old Roman wall. Or you could visit a pub and notice a small plaque in the corner that says “Established 1532.” As cool as tracing the steps of our founding statesmen through the solemn halls of Congress might be, it just can’t compete with imagining Sir Francis Drake getting fighting drunk on the barstool next to you before sailing out to face the Spanish Armada.

But all this age and authenticity comes with a price. As an American used to the orderly grids of planned cities like New York and Washington, the organic hodgepodge of unplanned London is mind boggling. One wonders how English explorers ever discovered and colonized anything when it’s so easy to get lost in London’s dead ends and sharp turns. The Brits that I’ve spoken to say it adds to the city’s charm; I don’t think there’s anything charming about negotiating narrow back alleys after leaving a nightclub at 3:00 a.m.

Of course, the biggest difference between London and Washington is the people. Although both cities have reputations as rather dour, stiff environments, I think I have to give Londoners credit for defying the stereotype. Washington is a political city, so people are generally reserved and tight lipped; Washingtonians get nervous when you ask them for the time.

London is primarily a financial city, and the hordes of investment bankers that constitute the city’s elite are esteemed for taking risks. Here, one finds 30- and 40-somethings doing the most unimaginable things in public — public displays of affection, for instance, are practically a way of life for the over-30 set. I’ve seen more middle-aged Brits bumping tonsils than I ever cared to.

The other reason for the reliable raunchiness of Londoners is their full embrace of drinking culture. These people drink like booze is going out of style and Prohibition is starting next Tuesday. If I see another drunken grandmother at the club with an American Apparel dress on, I might buy a one-way plane ticket back to the States.

All in all, both D.C. and London are classy towns — drunks and politicians notwithstanding.

Sebastian Johnson is a junior in the College and is studying abroad at the London School of Economics in England. He can be reached at johnson@thehoya.com. Tale of Two Cities appears every other Monday on www.thehoya.com.

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