What to do when your city hosts a Lone Star State office and you have no idea what that means for afternoon tea
By Fiona MacLeod | London travel writer. Believes deeply in the restorative power of a proper cup of tea and a well-timed museum.
Sources: Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat
A New Cultural Attraction Has Arrived
Following the news that Texas has opened a London office, I am pleased to announce that London has gained what may be its most unusual new point of interest: the unexplained presence of the Lone Star State in our city, conducting unclear business with enormous confidence.
For the visiting tourist, this raises questions. Will there be tours? Can one observe the Texas London office as one observes the Changing of the Guard — with patient curiosity and a good camera? I would attend that tour. I would attend it wearing sensible shoes and carrying a Thermos, as God and the National Trust intended.
London As a City of Arrivals
This is, of course, what London does. It has always absorbed the world. The Romans built it. The Normans rebuilt it. Waves of immigrants from every continent made it the genuinely cosmopolitan place it is. Now Texas arrives and takes its place in the long tradition of people who came to London, decided it was worth the rain and the expense, and stayed.
The visitor to London today stands in a city that is simultaneously ancient and permanently renewed. Walk the Roman Wall in the City. Then walk five minutes to a Malaysian restaurant that won a Michelin star last year. This is London. It all fits. Somehow it all fits.
Practical Advice for the Americanally-Adjacent Tourist
If you are American and visiting London: the pubs close and you must accept this. The queues are real and you must join them. Tipping customs differ from home and a quick search will clarify. And the museums — I cannot stress this enough — are free. Not “free with a suggested donation” that becomes a social obligation. Actually, genuinely free. As Britain manages various challenges, its cultural institutions remain world-class and open to everyone. Walk in. Look at everything. Come back the next day. It is still free. This is one of the great gifts of this city and I will defend it forever.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/texas-launches-london-office/
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