Howdy! Today was our first full-day in London! We started off the day with an early breakfast, with half of us eating at 6:30 a.m. and the other half at 7:30 a.m.. Then, we got a brief tour of our surrounding areas and the Tube. We learned about the train system and how to use our Oyster cards. We then got to Richmond American University London for our class on the history of British music just to be greeted with a surprise – Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith!! They attended class with us, in which we listened to songs ranging from The Beatles to MIA and learned about British Pop history and the influence other cultures and countries had on its development. Following this, most of us went to Chipotle to get the familiar sense of home in a new, bustling city.
To help us build connections to our lecture material, we visited important locations for the development of British music. The tube was a completely new experience, filled with the stress of keeping the group together, yet a fun venture. On our way, we stopped by iconic London locations like Soho, Bond Street, Carnaby Street, and Abbey Road. We had a blast mimicking The Beatles album cover walking past Abbey Road.
Here is a full list of what we explored:
- Houses of George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix
- Carnaby Street– a fashion hub. British music emphasized outfits and visuals.
- Location of the album cover for Ziggy Stardust.
- The building on whose roof the Beatles played their last performance.
- Abbey Road
- Royal Academy of Art, which had an open summer exhibit as well
- Kensington Borough– where we saw flea markets and other important musical landmarks. It is the location of “Jamaican sound system” performances.
- Notting Hill and the book store that was in the movie (Notting Hill) as well
After the tour of London’s musical hubs and landmarks, we made our way back to the hotel for much needed rest and showers. At 7 p.m. we made our way to Bill’s for a Brown Scholar Dinner. Although Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith could not make it, we had a blast eating through starters, entrees and drinks. After two hours of fun and talking with our friends and other scholars, some of us went our own ways for dessert. A few of us went to Cream for gelato while others opted for boba from MooMoo’s!
