There are few other things that make me feel like I fit in more when I'm in a foreign city than being stopped on the street and asked for directions somewhere. I take this as a compliment since it must mean that I look like I belong and know what I'm doing. What I love even more is when I can actually tell the person the information they need! I am proud to say that this has happened to me several times and I have an outstanding success rate of being able to provide directions--not too shabby for only living here for a few months. (Granted, my daily life is basically contained within a 1/2 mile square plot, so I've gotten to know it quite well.)
London as a whole, like most old European cities, is a pretty challenging place to get oriented-- many roads follow seemingly illogical courses as they turn at strange angles, changing names about 6 times in one mile and at one point maybe becoming a pedestrian-only lane. When giving directions to someone, you can't say "walk two blocks and hang a right" because there are no 'blocks' here. In fact, I don't know if there are any roads that actually run due north/south or east/west. Another confusing thing is the slight variation in the names of different streets. Just within the Bloomsbury area there is a Bedford Way, Bedford Place, Bedford Court, Bedford Row, Bedford Ave and Bedford Square. This is more than enough to confuse any visitor (or resident, really). I wonder who this 'Bedford' character is...must have been pretty important to have so many things named after him/her.
I enjoy taking walks around my neighborhood and have taken a few pictures to show you some of the things around Bloomsbury. (Most of these pictures were taken a few months ago which is why there are still leaves on the trees.)

The nearest Tube station

Regents Square

My School! (on Bedford Way)

Some sheep that live in the barn across from my hall (it's part of a children's park-see below)

Children's (only) Park

Were there hippies in England in the 60s and 70s?

A local pub.
(The placard shows a Saint Bernard dog rescuing a man from icy water. The pub has recently been remodeled and the new placard isn't as funny, so I'm glad I have this old photo.)

Senate House Library
(available to all Univ. of London students.)

Yes, this is the real name of a college nearby--started by a Canadian, I hear.
A home of Charles Dickens.

The historical marker.
There are blue signs like this wherever a notable person once lived.