I moved from London to NYC. Here are 7 things that surprised me when I returned to the UK for the first time.

I usually fly into London Heathrow when I go back to the UK. From the airport to the city center, travelers can choose between taking a taxi, the London Underground (also known as the tube), or the Heathrow Express, a high-frequency rail link between the airport and the city.

Meanwhile, there are no direct public transportation routes from where I live in Manhattan to JFK, which is the airport I usually fly out of. That means I'm usually left with paying around $100 for a taxi or taking a tediously long journey on a bus, subway, and the AirTrain that can last up to two hours.

I didn't pay much attention to London's signature red double-decker buses when I lived in the UK.

But after living in NYC, where every bus is white and blue and only has one floor, I gained a new appreciation for the ones in my home city.

Before moving to the US, I rarely went out of my way to sit on the top deck of a London bus. However, during my first visit back, I sat up top every time I took the bus. Unlike NYC buses, they really are the best way to soak up the city views, especially if you sit at the front.

When it comes to walking, New Yorkers are known for being fast and furious. It's a stereotype, but one that rings true from my experience.

Back in London, I quickly realized that I'd become accustomed to the quicker walking pace most New Yorkers have and actually preferred it.

When catching up with friends and going for walks, I found myself having to slow down to their pace. The worst, however, was visiting crowded areas like Oxford Circus where I grew super frustrated at how slow people were walking in front of me on the street.

A couple weeks after I moved to NYC, I met someone who warned me not to move to Brooklyn because it would be impossible to maintain friendships with people in Manhattan.

I thought this was a joke at the time, but I soon discovered that New Yorkers, especially those in Manhattan, actually consider anywhere that isn't walkable or takes longer than 30 minutes to get to by subway too far.

Meanwhile in London, I was surprised to rediscover that spending 45 minutes on public transportation or in a taxi is pretty standard for going anywhere in the city. Whether it be drinks, dinner, or friends' places, taking into account that the journey will likely be close to an hour is custom in London.

I'll always have a soft spot for the tube, but after moving to NYC, I have to admit the subway has it beat — for several reasons.

The fabric seat covers on the tube, which are often discolored from how old they are and how many people have sat in them over the years, now feel super unhygienic compared to the plastic seats on the subway. Subway cars are also air-conditioned, a feature that only a handful of tube lines have.

But what shocked me the most after returning to London was the price of the tube. In NYC, the fare to go anywhere in the city is capped at $2.90. Meanwhile, in London, a single fare ride during peak hours costs £2.80, about $3.57, which increases if you travel outside certain zones of the city.

When I moved to NYC, one of the things that people I met raved about was that you can do pretty much anything you want, no matter the time or day of the week.

And while having a full three-course dinner at 2 a.m. or going to karaoke at 3 a.m. is always fun, it can take a toll on your energy and, sadly, your bank account.

That's why returning to London — where pubs close at 11 p.m., restaurants at midnight, and bars at 2 a.m. — felt like such a relief after months in NYC.

Another London perk I'd forgotten about after moving to NYC is that I didn't have to worry about the expectation of leaving a tip wherever I went for a bite to eat or drinks.

Not only did it make the dining experience less stressful by removing the burden of deciding how much of a tip was deserved, but it also made the entire payment process feel more efficient. I loved being able to ask for the bill, pay it, and leave without sitting there for an extra few minutes figuring out a tip.