Earlier this week, I watched the cult classic film “Notting Hill” with my friends. What surprised me as I watched Hugh Grant rush across the city in search of Julia Roberts was that I recognized almost every location in the background.
The movie, set in Central London, features many well-known locations, but it was surprising to find that I could distinguish random street shots from one another. This discovery made me realize that I am slowly getting accustomed to living here, and my view on the city is shifting.
Isn’t that absolutely crazy? London has been my dream for years. When I was younger, my mom always talked about London with a lot of fondness, often calling it her favorite city in the world. We had London-themed decorations in our living room, including a red phone booth blanket that I am very fond of. I even dressed up as a phone booth one Halloween! London always felt unreachable to me, so being able to make my way around and recognizing its streets in movies feels completely out of this world.
I mentioned in my previous blog post that one of my goals in life was to live in a city with a subway system, and the Tube has been quite the experience since I last wrote. A couple of days ago, I was able to pick out which train to take, just by memory. As I stood on that platform with no Google Maps in sight, I felt like a true Londoner for the first time. Sure, the Tube isn’t the most complicated system in the world, but this still felt like an accomplishment for me. For a split second, I stopped thinking of London as a marvel and instead thought of it as just a city I live in.
Becoming more knowledgeable about London’s geography isn’t only attributed to my antsy need to explore it as much as possible, but also to the content of my classes at University College London. “Understanding Cities and their Spatial Cultures” inspects London as a whole, including its people, its lengthy history, and of course, its geography. The final project is a walking tour that explores a topic related to the urban environment, and to introduce us to this idea, our professors organized several walking tours for us during the term.
About two weeks ago, they took us to Hampstead Heath. The ancient heath is one of London’s most beloved green spaces, featuring an extensive array of tree species and some very great views. Our professor led us to the Hill Garden and Pergola, an Edwardian raised walkway constructed in the early 20th century, designed to resemble romantic Italian ruins, with overgrown shrubbery and vines running up and down the entire structure.
Without this class, I would’ve never known those ruins even existed, and it felt like discovering a hidden nook in the general London cityscape. The excursion was very muddy and a little bit cold, but it truly opened my eyes to the boroughs beyond London’s Zones 1 and 2. It made me eager to explore them further and venture beyond the city’s well-known attractions.
My own walking tour will revolve around London’s West End, known by some as “Theatreland,” and will delve into the history of London’s most famous, long-running musicals, since I am a big fan of theater. London’s version of Broadway is quite extensive and features beloved productions like “Wicked,” “Hamilton,” “Mamma Mia!” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
London theatre productions are quite accessible. Tickets for major productions can cost as little as £35 on weekdays, which is expensive but doable. Major theatres are mostly clustered around Trafalgar Square/ Piccadilly Circus, offering fun sights and easy access to public transport. I hope to make my way down the long list of productions offered at the West End by the time my exchange is over, to truly take in the beauty of Theatreland.
Apart from London, I have begun to venture past the city and toward other parts of the United Kingdom. Recently, I took a day trip to Windsor with a friend. The quaint little town is beautiful, and offered a well-received change of pace. The Windsor Castle is unreal and made me feel like I was in medieval times. I have already organized several small excursions like this, including trips to Bath, York, and Liverpool. It’s good to get out of the big city every once in a while!
With a month packed full of watching cult classic movies set in London, mastering the Tube system, exploring ancient heaths, planning walking tours, and taking on travel around the UK, I feel I have taken another step toward truly assimilating into the city. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the exchange has in store for me, to build new memories, immerse myself in the London cityscape, and possibly complete my theater productions wish list.
This blog was contributed by Viviana Orozco, Global Ambassador for Spring 2026. Viviana is a College of Liberal Arts junior participating in an exchange program at University College London in London, England.
