Yesterday (Saturday) held quite the adventure. The day was relaxing in all the ways a Saturday is meant to be - a nice walk, grocery shopping, catching up with friends and family... and then the evening came about with a bang. I received an impromptu invitation to accompany a small group of Londoners for an evening of fun. As it was nearly 9pm, there were a few moments of indecision, being yet unaccustomed to the London nightlife. But I quickly agreed to the offer and I was off to Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square, where I met four new friends. Julian, (a friend of a friend-type person who had been lovely enough to email with me these last couple weeks regarding flat searches) introduced me to his girlfriend and two friends. We headed to the Trocadero Centre, which is London's tackiest funland, and London's largest entertainment venue - complete with arcade games, a bowling alley, bars, pool tables, and the like. We enjoyed pints of Strongbow and the football game on television while we chatted and waited for our turn at the lanes. Everyone was incredibly interesting and sincerely friendly - we made up a fascinating group - one prestigious banker, one HR exec in an American law firm, one actor, one disillusioned philosopher in film production, and one doctorate of psychology/writer/adventurer. It was truly enlightening conversation. I gave a ridiculously hideous bowling performance and still managed not to be the loser, which was kind of exciting. We all fell easily into company and had a delightful time.
The games ended at 2am but the London night was still young. We made our way to The Palm Casino in Mayfair, mingled with the extremely wealthy, watched a man win 75,000 quid at the Roulette table, watched Julian lose 100 quid, worked the slot machine and won 45 myself. We continued the fun back to Balham (30 minutes south) where my new friends live, and I was taught the essentials of Poker Dice. My winning streak held out and I beat everyone at the table to end the gambling streak on a high note. It goes without saying that the evening had been full of laughter, new places, new experiences, and a couple pints of Strongbow. As kind as they were, and as nice as the offer to crash on their couch sounded, I could hear my own bed calling my name. So, the taxi drove me through the dark and almost silent streets of London, through the breaking dawn, to offer me up at the curb at 6 am - an exhausted, but thrilled pioneer into the true London night-life.
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