Tips for an American moving to London

I have a friend moving to London this Friday on an 18-month secondment with a consulting firm, and he's never been to London before(!). As I was walking around Wimbledon today, I starting thinking of some tips or translations that would be helpful for him, and I've brainstormed a few here. I will probably add more throughout the week, and after tonight's wine tasting where I will solicit advice from 4 other American expats in London.

• If you are worried about knowing which way to look when crossing the street, look down. It's written on the pavement whether you should "Look Left" or "Look Right"
• Oh, and the word pavement refers to the sidewalk, not the asphalt
• Marks & Spencer is the best grocery store to get pre-made meals. Next best is Waitrose.
• There isn't anything as useful and all purpose as a Target in the UK, unless you count ASDA, which is owned by Walmart (to be duly avoided or flocked to, depending on your Walmart stance). A store called Argos is great for cheap household goods though.
• You bag your own groceries at all grocery stores
• On Sundays, everything closes at 5pm, so don't expect to any Sunday night grocery shopping
• The tube closes at 12:30am, but there is always a way to get home on a night bus (it's recommended to know which night buses get you home before you are drunk and it's 3am)
• When buying drinks at a bar, it is not socially acceptable to give someone money for just your drink if they've bought a round. Drinks are bought in rounds, and everyone just takes turns. This is the case for friends, coworkers, and even people you are out with who you may not know that well. In the end, it all evens out. (Ditto for rounds of tea and coffee in the office, unless people have coffee clubs set up)
• Everyone knows you are American, but they might ask if you are Canadian first (they don't want to offend the Canadians by presuming they are American)
• It's acceptable, although not required, for an American to integrate British terms and pronunciations into your vocabulary, but don't show up on week 1 throwing around bollocks, rubbish, and blimey. Take it slowly and start by mimicking pronunciations you hear all the time and you'll start to figure out the nuances of the slang.
• Never say "pants" in public. You are bound to use it incorrectly and likely embarrass yourself. It means underwear, not trousers. Same goes for any saying with the word in it, like giving someone a "kick in the pants".
• Lemonade here is actually Sprite. If you want Sprite, order lemonade. If you actually want lemonade, you are out of luck. (This is helpful when ordering cocktails). And as Kate reminded me, a shandy is 1/2 Sprite, 1/2 lager.
• People talk about their weight in stones. On stone = 14 lbs. It's confusing. It is helpful to start to learn kilos, as everything in the store is labeled in grams and kilos.
• Last summer ('07) was dreadful, and the summer before ('06) that was absolutely brilliant. This is helpful for reference when people are moaning about the weather *this* summer.
• Prices for flat rentals are per week, not per month. Do the maths, and make sure you don't end up paying more per year on rent than you intended. Also, council tax is a UK-specific bill you will have to pay (it's like the owner transferring the property tax to the tenant).
• People will not just judge you based on what neighborhood you live in, but whether you are North or South of the Thames. I've switched sides twice already, which raises eyebrows.

More to come!