Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights

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If you insist :)

My London summer nights were hot, exhilarating, and exhausting.  There is so much energy and life here, you're never bored.  I had amazing Lebanese and Indian food, tried some new flavors and experienced some cultural deep-dives.  The warm, muggy night air had me glowing. 

My last night in the city followed a day of meetings with a wonderful crew of people who manage to get me into a bit of fun mischief every time I pop over.  They are an entertaining bunch who know how to work hard and play hard respectively.  As it was my last night in the city, Alena and her fiance Rob were determined to give me a taste of true London nightlife.  We had a mouth-watering feast at an amazing Thai restaurant in the city.  The pleasure of the food was only exceeded by the conversation, which got progressively interesting the more wine we drank.  Full and completely content, we left the restaurant for a tour around Piccadilly Circus, the surrounding areas of which remind me of Times Square.  On this Friday night, the area was jam packed with people out on the streets to do two things- drink and have a blast.  Every restaurant was sold out and every street filled with character.  The lights, music, and overall atmosphere commanded attention and drew you into a world of possibility.

After soaking in the sights, Rob and Alena thought the ideal way to end the evening would be with an English pint in a traditional English pub.   I couldn't argue with that!  They led me to a beautiful pub and we took a seat in a corner booth.  I had no idea which beer I'd prefer, so I asked Rob to surprise me, and he came back with a couple of options.  I chose what he called the "Pint of English Pride", as it was a traditional English beer, and I have to say, it had Guinness beat...sorry Dublin.

The closing bell had rung three times and the place was empty, but we were so enjoying our evening, we didn't bother to notice until a waiter kindly came by and announced we really had to get out.  Priceless.  "Closing time..." the song started to play in my head as the three of us wandered out into the streets, which were still packed, by the way.  Between Alena and I, our sore feet were complaining and we weren't moving as quickly as we had earlier in the evening.  We went down a variety of streets trying to find a cab, but despite Rob's masterful cab hailing skills, we had no luck.  No wonder with as many people as were still out!  We made our way to the Underground to try our luck there, but the station was just closing...no bueno.  At this point my feet felt as if they really weren't going to make it much further.  We parked ourselves on a corner and waited.  There was a McDonald's across the street and all I could think of was a Crunchies McFlurry.  Crunchies are an amazing candy here...honeycomb covered in chocolate, and the brilliant English decided to put clusters of this fabulous candy into a fluffy, creamy dairy-product.  One word...DREAMY.

My treat would have to wait, though, as Rob had caught a cab for us.  Alena and I both sighed with relief when we sat down and let our throbbing feet rest for a bit.  Before long, I was bring dropped off in front of my hotel.  I hated to say goodbye.  It had been a night to remember, and it was all because great friends had decided to dedicate their precious Friday night to showing me an amazing time.  I couldn't thank them enough for the experience.  Slightly tipsy, feet screaming, I wandered my way into the hotel, shuffled to the elevator, and once I was in my room,  collapsed in a fully-clothed heap on the bed.  It was a great night.