Lovely London Located... Leeward?

I am going to London this Spring. I will be studying the London Theatre for six weeks while living in some flats just north of Hyde Park. If you are wondering why I am studying the London Theatre, even though I am studying mathematics in Utah, it's becuase I love the Pet Shop Boys' song, "West End Girls." (The West End refers to the West End of London, which is the Theatre District). While I do enjoy that song, the real reason is that I am adopting an international alias; who would suspect an American student, studying theatre, to be up to anything? Originally I signed up for the program because I wanted to go to London and it just so happened that the Theatre program sought me out and recruited me, via mass-email. However, as the program gets closer, I am getting more and more interested in the theatre. When I get back I will be more cultured then yogurt in a plastic container. And active too! I am taking a Shakespeare class and viewing six Shakespeare plays as well as five or six other productions, including one by Beyonce I believe. It hasn't been approved by the director yet, but I'm pretty sure it'll be a shoo-in. My brother is coming on the trip, as is another one of our mutual friends from Boston. Oh yea, and 31 girls. When the trip is over I plan on resuming my studies in France for a few days, and then some other destinations. If you have any suggestions, I am eager to hear them. For example, has anyone swam the English Channel, and if so, would you recommend it? It seems like an elephantine effort, but a worthwhile one anyway. More on London to come.