Visit our NYU in London photo gallery.
As a world capital of banking, insurance, commerce, design, and theatre, London is home to institutions of global importance including the London Stock Exchange, the Tate Modern, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Police Service. Along with London residents, students can explore the city's historical significance and its modern importance in almost every field imaginable.
London theatre is arguably the finest in the world. London is home for part of the year to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Both the Barbican Complex and the South Bank are sites of serious theatre, cinema, and music. The Institute of Contemporary Art, the National Film Theatre, the English National Opera, Covent Garden Opera House, and similar institutions are home to world-class art, theatre, music, ballet, dance, and opera.
London has many museums and galleries catering to every taste. In addition to the British Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Gallery and the Tate Modern Gallery, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Theatre Museum, and the Museum of London are only a short journey from the NYU Center. Entry to many of these institutions is free.
Climate
The weather in London is very unpredictable, so be prepared for all kinds of weather. The two main recommendations Londoners will offer are:(1) always carry a waterproof jacket or an umbrella ("brolly" as the English call it) and (2) dress in layers so you can be comfortable if the weather changes.
London experiences a relatively moderate change in temperature throughout the seasons. Winter lows rarely drop below freezing and tend to hover around the mid to low 40s. The warmer months, are not particularly warm either, with the average summer temperature being around 70, though temperatures do rise into the 90s on occasion.
Customs and Culture
Like the population of any cosmopolitan world city, Londoners remain relatively unfazed by the constant barrage of diversity found around them. The British, and in particular the English, have a reputation for keeping their emotions private and for being reserved in their public behaviour. On public transport, for example, people do not usually talk to other passengers.
"Queuing" in the United Kingdom is the ancient art of standing in line. People almost always form "queues" in shops, banks, at bus stops and movie theatres. Jumping the queue is considered extremely impolite. Your genes may cause you to feel frustration at the local indifference to long lines. It's best to simply be patient and "get in the queue."