5 Ways You Know It's February in London

1) You need your Sunglasses: I just got mine out for the first time in 2 months. The sun is finally high enough in the sky that it rests above the surrounding buildings during the day. How did civilization ever develop in northern Europe......

2) Restaurants are "easy" to get into: If you want to eat at Zucca, Dabbous, St. John, Hawksmoor, or any of the other insanely hot-right-now-band-wagon restaurants, make your reservation today! Everyone is recovering from Christmas expenditures and it is less touristy this time of year.  I am getting into just about anywhere I want to go right now. The whole less-crowded thing holds true for London's best galleries and attractions also. The National Gallery and Westminster Abbey will never be as quiet as they are this month.

3) There is lots of vacation talk: All the talk on the Tube (since I am an eavesdropper) is about getaways and trips, what sort of package people are booking, and where people are planning to go. After two months of short days and crap weather, everyone is antsy and seriously vitamin D deprived. I imagine the Canary Islands are positively overrun with really white Brits in Speedos on cheap package tours right now.

4) The barf slicks are back: "Dry January" is over and London has a lot to make up for. You think I am kidding about the barf, I'm not. It is everywhere from the banking district to Battersea. Seriously, my dog would have a FIELD DAY cleaning up this town. EW.

5) The days are gloriously longer: This should really be filed under point number 1 there about the sunglasses. But I am so excited, I am giving it its own heading. On the shortest day of the year (December 21st), we had 7h 49m 43s of daylight. Today (February 4th) we had 9h 21m 52s of daylight. I know all you people in SF are going, "whatever, is it that big of a deal". Yes the eff it is a big deal. It means the sun sets around 5:00pm now, instead of around 3:30pm. I'm sorry but a 3:30pm sunset is freaking vampire and shit. At least with a 5:00pm sunset you feel human.