Change the change

Lesson of the day: Money

Change purses are very popular here. In fact, I really need to get one because I'm sick of carrying around a pocket full of coins. Here's why I do:

US coins: 1, 5c, 10c, 25c (and though we have $1 and 50c coins, we don't use them regularly)
UK coins: 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2 ... they're all coins and they use them all regularly!

I'll post a picture of the money sometime.

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Yesterday, a few of us went exploring on Oxford Street. Talk about a shopper's dream! I'm not sure how far the stores stretch, but I noticed that each store has around three locations on the street... I guess so you don't have to walk too far to access their store from wherever you might be. We hit the jackpot when we found TopShop (think H&M), and after I picked my jaw off the floor, I tried on a few items, all which I loved, but didn't buy anything in the end. In America, the prices would be very reasonable, but with the exchange rate, it made things a bit expensive. The jeans I loved (and still might get) were £40, which sounds okay, but it translates into about $76 and I have trouble spending that when I've never paid more than $35 for jeans.

We wandered off the main drag for a bit and found ourselves in Soho. I'm not sure how much there is to Soho, but we were walking down what looked like back alleys lined with neat little shops: cd and vinyl stores, (overpriced) secondhand clothes, accessories, and even vegetable and meat stands in the street. The ambiance was dark and dirty and seedy, and I loved it!