fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3173 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3173 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

__________________________________________________

03.

__________________________________________________

04.

__________________________________________________

05.

[Detroit Metal City]

__________________________________________________

06.

(Gravity Falls, Criminal Minds)

__________________________________________________

07.

__________________________________________________

08. [SPOILERS for X-Files (new series)]

__________________________________________________

09. [SPOILERS for Sly Cooper 4: Thieves In Time]

__________________________________________________

10. [SPOILERS for Mass Effect 2]

__________________________________________________

11. [SPOILERS for Steven Universe]

__________________________________________________

12. [WARNING for sexual assault]

[Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders]

__________________________________________________

13. [WARNING for rape and assault]

[Hockey RPF]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #453.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

My mother is taking a vacation to England in October. This has literally been her dream for decades. She has an itinerary planned out and all that.

But what are some tips I can give her for when she is there? She isn't an "obnoxious American" (that'd be her kids) and is fairly quiet/polite.

Honestly, as an American living in London, the city is not much different from any city. Nor is English etiquette vastly different from American, no matter what anyone might try to tell you. If your mom isn't from a big city, remember that one side of the elevator is for walking, and one is for standing. Don't walk really cluelessly in the sidewalk when other people are rushing to get somewhere - trust me, they can and will shove you if you're not keeping pace. Tipping is also really rare here. Mostly though I doubt there will be too much cultural difference.

I lived there for a summer abroad, and I think that if she's doing touristy things, she'll mostly be with other tourists and not have a lot of time to annoy actual Brits. I only remember confusing a few Londoners, not annoying them (I am also fairly quiet/polite, especially when traveling). Most of the issue was colloquialisms - I knew pound and even quid, but I had to convert American weights to "stone" a couple times in my head.

I do remember one thing that endlessly pissed off Londoners and that was tourists meandering down sidewalks at a slow pace (or god forbid, stopping!) during rush hour or lunch when everyone else is trying to get to work. I'm a fast walker and I still got yelled at a couple times for not moving fast enough.

I did tick off a couple waiters with wanting ice water and refills. Those things aren't common in England, even during heat waves (like when I was there). Forget free soda refills. If your mom drinks beer or wine though, she'll be fine, because they're happy to bring another round!

TBH the walking thing sounds rather unforgiving of people with physical issues (and this isn't always visible). :/ Though I never had that problem, so. OTOH just having visited London, I can tell you that it was sometimes so crowded or rushed I would kind of inadvertently push people or cut them off without even realizing. I almost caused some poor guy to fall because he made the grave mistake of existing. O_o So while I hope intentionally pushing/yelling at people isn't a thing, it IS crowded and sometimes your impulse to catch up with your friends or make the underground train trumps other people's personal comfort (as much as you wish it didn't).

Pound coins are stupidly easy to spend, so tell her to watch that because they're worth about $1.50 and you can spend more than you intend because it feels like change. Look the other way when crossing the street - I mean look both ways, but be aware that traffic direction is opposite of what it is here and so you need to look the other way for the near and far lanes on a two-way street. The food is a little different - like, even fast food from a well-known chain can taste a little different. They don't put ice in a lot of drinks. The Tube is a really good way to get around and the trains are pretty good too.

[ SECRET POST #3173 ]

Trip to England! Tips.

Re: Trip to England! Tips.

Re: Trip to England! Tips.

Re: Trip to England! Tips.

Re: Trip to England! Tips.