Some pictures from around my neighborhood:

(a health clinic)

Kinda reminds you of Philly, eh?


(that means yield to pedestrians)

lots of people ride bikes and mopeds

we took a double decker home from our Soho excursion


my roommates are dancing fools!

Sarah and George @ Hoop & Toy

Leah and Carly

Ashley and Me

And this is where the night picked up. It was past 11pm by the time we left Hoop & Toy and got on the tube to head to Koko. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, but George had an idea. And when it comes to hip spots in London, I think I trust him.

This is the front of the club. It's about 4 floors of madness. Wonderful, wonderful madness. The first floor is for dancing and the other levels are balcony overlooks where guys and dolls can lounge around and socialize or get a good view of any bands who might be playing. Every floor has at least one bar. The crowd is 18-24ish, and comprised of everyone from fashionista hipsters to street punks to well-to-do, hoity toity types and everyone in-between. The tunes are indie- and punk-rock crowd-pleasing hits. The vibe is electric.

We waited for 2 hours. I wanted to get out of line and go somewhere else with no cover charge and no line, but George promised the experience would be worth the wait. And Ashley was having a blast meeting people in line.

Ashley and George

Matt (some dude we met in line) and Sarah
Drinking in public is legal.

Ben (another much weirder and more intoxicated dude we met in line) peeking over Sarah's shoulder

George, Sarah, Me, Ashley

We ended up waiting in line for 2 hours (we got in around 2am), paid the £7 cover charge, then checked our coats for £1.50 each, and then hit the dancefloor. Boy, did we! We danced nonstop (aside from potty breaks) for the next hour and a half, and grinned like schoolchildren at Disney World the whole time. I met a Greek fellow, Alex, who has been in London for 3 years, and had fun dancing with him until he kept trying to hold my hand, so I made George pretend to be my boyfriend to scare him away. haha

By 3:30am, we were exhausted, so we met Chad, and made our way home. It took us 2 busses, but we returned safely around 4:30am. By 5:30am, I was nestled beneath my duvet (makeup and all), sound asleep.

Overall, what a fantastic night! Even with the line, we all agree we'd do it all over again. In fact... maybe we will. Next weekend.