Gorgeous London Sunday

Yesterday I first woke up late (because my iTouch still thinks it's in America) so I was mad I missed the hotel breakfast, but glad for the rest.  I got up and went to Liverpool and after it took a good while because of tube line closures.  Once I finally got there, after getting lost for a little bit, I finally found what I think was Petticoat Market, although I was looking for Spitafields.  I walked through and it was nice because not many people were out and vendors were putting things on sale since it was so cold and not many were out considering it was a Sunday.  I got two tops for 5 pounds altogether!  And some souvenirs and gifts and other things.  Then I found Spitafields market which was just awesome!  At this point I hadn't eaten yet so I went into a cafe and got a "Pud," Blackberry Mango flavored (yoghurt) and a latte.  I shopped in the semi-indoor market for another hour or so (very successful) and then headed back to the tube.  I was headed to the Wallace Collection, an old house/museum that a professor told me I needed to see.  So I got off the tube at Bond Street, which if you don't know, is pretty much the beginning of Oxford Street for me...so I was of course very tempted to shop.  I only went into HMV, a discount chain electronics store (much like Best Buy but more focused on cds and movies) to buy the Michael Ball cd, which has my Hairspray cast on it, and the movie "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging," a movie based on a book that I've wanted to see but never came to America.  Then  after I got directions from the nice security guard at HMV, I headed to the Wallace Collection.  I was sooo glad I went!  The rooms were just as if out of a text book for Period Research class in the 16th and 17th Century.  I even saw several furniture pieces made by Boulle, and chairs of Louis XV and Louis XIV.  Also I saw my favorite painting, "The Swing."
After that I went back and got on the tube  back to my hotel.  I waited for Kaitlin, Chuck and Emily to return from the London Tower.  We then went for Fish and Chips dinner at a place on St. James, right near the Wallace Collection, that I had seen.  It was really great and we had pints there as well (believe it I'll drink a pint here because they have Strongbow!)  Then we went back on the tube to Angel Street Station, right where I used to live almost two years ago.  I wanted to take everyone to O'Neills, a great pub there.  So we went there and I had an Apple Sour, which also doesn't exist in America...it tastes like an Apple Jolly Rancher!  We met three guys there, one from Scotland and the other two English, ages 18-24, two brothers and their younger cousin, all of whom hadn't slept in two days!  I met the oldest one, Martin, who asked me if I'd seen him dance, among talking with me about the fact that he had just been accepted to NYU Law Graduate School and was torn as to whether he should say yes or not.  Of course I convinced him he should go!  Martin and his brother Mark came and met Emily, Chuck and Kaitlin, sat with us, then proceeded to do an awful but incredibly hilarious "Irish dance" for us, while Martin mimed playing a flute.  We laughed so hard we almost cried at the entire ordeal and the three of them really were comedians in a whole conversation with us, but the pub was closing since it was a Sunday but only 11, so we went a couple blocks down the road to another place open later.  It was kind of a cheesy American mock bar, but fun nonetheless.  One brother (Mark) had to go home (they lived in Islington on the road) to wake up early for work but the youngest and oldest stayed out with us and we had a really fun night with them!  We all laughed a lot and Chuck met some Irishman who told him "F*** the English, the Irish are with you!"  (meaning Americans).  I didn't meet the guy, but I saw him talking to Chuck and the story was funny.  Then we called the number I have that you can ask what night bust to catch, and we caught an N38, which was the same bus I always took to work!  From my stop as well!  It was a trip down memory lane, and I loved passing by everything I used to see everyday, except it was nighttime.  We sat at the very front on the top level of the double decker bus, before getting off at Hyde Park, and walking up to Marble Arch, since the stop was closed that we were supposed to change buses at.  At this point, Emily had stayed and waited for her bus to the airport, as she was flying out of Luton at 6am.  So finally we found the N97 very easily and got on it and got home fairly quickly.  So that was the night.  Today I'm going to shop in the morning (Paperchase! woo!!!  --my favorite English stationary/art store) and then we're meeting for pancakes (crepes).  Tonight is Charlotte's Opening night of Priscilla so I'm very excited for that!
Cheers to a gorgeous London...even if it is a little cold.  Good thing I got really chic real leather gloves with a collage on them!...so cool!
More soon!
~Sam~