On Thursday, London finally lived up to its reputation of the perpetually grey and rainy city, after five glorious sunny days (We got very lucky!) However, I must say I did find enjoyment in that one misty grey afternoon as I cycled through the city from Chelsea to the Barbican Center in the light rain, and finally began to feel like a true local.
The moment I jumped on my hired bicycle and began riding through the streets of London in the rain people started to look at me differently, all of a sudden I fit in. I’m still struggling with whether it was because I went without an umbrella or because I was riding a bike on the street. It seems few women and even fewer tourists ride bikes in this city, especially in the street since it’s so dangerous; double decker buses, speeding cars, and narrow streets, plus traffic going in the wrong direction and we’ve got a death wish on our hands. As the saying goes “If you’re not ready to die, you’re not ready to live.”
The day before, I met a friendly native Londoner, who helped quench some of my curiosities about the historic city and its people. First of all, I noticed that even if the forecast predicted rain at some point during the day, no one wore a rain coat, trench, or even carried an umbrella! In fact I noticed quite the opposite, people wore leather and suede shoes and some even went as far as a tee shirt and shorts! I found this to be quite odd, after all the iconic and legendary brand Burberry is as prevalent as Starbucks in London AND most of the famous rainwear in the world originated in England. Had I misunderstood the weather man or gotten bad information? No, according to my London bloke, the British do not acknowledge the rain, especially if it’s a small chance of mist or showers. It’s apparently cliche for them to wear the trench coats and rain boots that are so ingrained in English heritage that it’s almost taboo to sport the iconic label in the town where in originated. Funny. Such a shame because Burberry sits on the throne of artfully designed trench coats. Yet the denial and mindful disregard for the forecast is part of life here in London. Umbrellas are the dead give away of the tourist, true Londoners run for cover when it starts to pour. As a result, I began to notice the many over hangs, obviously designed for one reason alone. The rain is part of the culture here and it’s not an annoyance, instead it brings people together. Maybe you’re walking to a meeting and it starts to down pour, you just run into the nearest pub, have a beer and chat until it passes. As simple as that.
In this regard, NYC is the exact opposite of London. Uber prices sky rocket to 3 times the usual amount, and people walk around annoyed and slightly angry. The moment New Yorker’s hear of the slightest possibility of rain everyone is wearing rain boots, rain jackets, trench coats, galoshes and all have umbrellas in hand. There's no time to run for cover and wait it out, you have to get to where you’re going and nothing can hope to stop you. (In New York’s defense it is known for an all day soaking marathon of rain that just won’t let up.)
For this reason it was freeing to walk outside without a care in the world, no need for an umbrella or rain boot. It was a nice change of pace to be surrounded by a slower, more whimsical lifestyle that leaves room for improvisation and chance. For me personally, the London mentality concerning weather is exactly what the doctor ordered, after 8 years of living at the mercy of mother nature.
