London Nights pt 1

Perhaps it's a good thing that I don't have a lot of pictures to document all the shenanigans that happened at night in London. One thing I can say for certain is that London has a thriving nightlife. That's one of the joys (and pitfalls, I suppose) of living in such a dense and diverse city. There's something for everyone and something is always going on. Nightlife has always fascinated me. People let their guard down. They make mistakes, make messes, get drunk. People bare their souls at night and get dressed up. They become fully expressed. There is something magical about nighttime. Anything can happen. My limited budget meant that I couldn't party in Ibiza, but just as well. London has many interested hotspots and Ben and Arthur were determined that I get a good sense of what London nightlife had to offer. Arthur took us to a members only club in the West End that looked a bit like multiple floors of a chic hotel Lobby bar. Members only clubs seem to be important in a big City such as this one where too many tourists or unwanted guests can drastically determine how fun your night can be. Memberships can mean writing an essay, having an interview and having the right referrals. It's terribly snooty and exclusive but does feel quite nice when you're invited behind the velvet ropes. It's part of the allure of night life. People want to feel special.

with Devon

Ben and Arthur

City lights, city nights. If it's part of a City's culture to start drinking as early as two in the afternoon what is the definition of an alcoholic? Are you a drug addict if you're a Professional Doctor during the week and a party boy on the weekends? What's too much? What's excessive? Another night we headed to Vauxhall in the very trendy East London area. Nightjar won't allow people in if they're at capacity (it's a small drinking hole that has live Jazz and the decor has a bit of an art deco feel) There's no standing room at Nightjar and every group needs to be seated at tables.

The service was exquisite and the drinks were creative elixirs made by bartenders who took their jobs very seriously and performed the making of each martini like a choreographed dance or precision voguing. Our group was made up of a select group of Lion King performers after a night show and we couldn't help and gawk at the couple at the next table who seemed to be on a very hot and heavy third date. They're sloppy make out session turned out to be the highlight of our night.

Things were looking dire after leaving Nightjar around two in the morning trying to find the 'next spot' for our night adventure. Our hunger beat out our will to dance so we ended up at a chic hotel that served all night meals which we gladly ate between shared laughter about embarrassing dance stories. Five in the morning and Ben, Arthur and I were in a cab heading home. We left a few people at the Hotel who decided to have one more drink. It was nearly six. Arthur received a text from one of the Lion King girls that read "It's 6am and I am drunk and hung over at the same time."

"Iphone is a useful tool when planning a night out in London. Saves on time in case one gets lost."