London

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London was another top destination for me since my mom spent the most of her formative years in Stockwell, South London. London was the perfect four-day weekend trip with one of my best girlfriends. Let this be your sign to not blow off your friends just because you are married or in a relationship. Sometimes a trip with your  bestie resets you like no other!

DAY 1: London was a complete exploratory trip! In fact, when we could not check-in early after our red-eye flight,  we changed in the bathroom, had the desk hold our bags and had the most wonderful day exploring. We were determined to maximize our time! After a hotel breakfast, we walked to Westminster to see the famous Big Ben. Shortly after, we walked to the Thames River for a sightseeing cruise. I highly recommend this option if you want to get a quick tour and see the sights, including the London Bridge, without spending an entire day. Many tourists want to get on the London Eye, the Ferris wheel-like attraction. We say NO to this tourist trap. We decided to skip this since the lines are long and you have to get a ticket early. There are other ways to get an amazing view (see the food section below)! We learned how to take the tube, or London’s subway, to the most famous food market – Borough Market (more below). After, we finally went back to our hotel. To relax? Oh no! We booked a theater show to see The devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theater with Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly. London is known for theater! I highly recommend seeing a show when you’re there. We did have a hard time finding food after the show. It felt like everything closed early.

Day 2: After our delicious hotel breakfast, we got dressed in our twee’d fits, we set out for some tea. You must do tea in London! We went to Sketch, which is a viral tea room but it’s a tourist trap we say YES to. Make sure you book a reservation in advance. We were in the huge main yellow room with high ceilings and violinist playing early 2000s hits. Make sure to visit the bathroom! They have egg-like stalls and the most amazing design. After our tea experience, we took our longest tube ride to South London so I could see the home my mom was raised in. We also made a stop at the famous Piccadilly Circus, the [clean] time-square of London, where we enjoyed window shopping + the vibes before heading back to our Hotel. That night we have an amazing sky-view dinner and live-concert where we had a proper dance night and great cocktails (details under food).

Day 3: Our last full day was a blast! We walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the King’s Guards (the men in red suits with the black, furry bearskin hats). We ran into a very cute children’s race – see what I did there   . We strolled over to the Big Ben once again to take proper picture (because, of course) then hopped on the tube to go to the East end’s Brick Lane. We were pros at the tube at this point. Brick Lane is a MUST! It is a young and multicultural street with clothing stores, vintage and book shops, ice cream, treats, and what I thought was the best foot market in London!

A Candid Cost Calculation:

Accommodation – We were not concerned with staying in a super fancy hotel in London. We knew that we would be out most of the day and the room was just to sleep and shower. We stayed at the CitizenM London Victoria Station Hotel. The room was small but manageable and the staff was very nice. What was important to us was having a free daily breakfast so we didn’t have to start our day hunting for food. The buffet was delicious! It was centrally located and overall exactly what we needed for this trip. 

Food – London is known for their food markets! Borough Market is the most well known and we had fun there. Definitely try to viral strawberry and chocolate cup. It is a long line but it moves fast. You’ll also want to try the Fish and Chips. My mom was a huge fan of this growing up but it was only okay to me. I also didn’t try it with malt vinegar, which is a popular way to eat it.

As previously mentioned, I thought Brick Lane had the best food market. It is officially called, Upmarket Brick Lane Food Hall. I thought it had better vibes (diverse, young crowd) and better food from around the world! We ate so much here! It is not as well known as a Borough Market but defiantly worth the adventure over there.

If you don’t want to wait in the long London Eye lines, I mentioned there is another place you can go for a view, meal and party! That place was Sky Garden. It is London’s highest public garden where you can also make dinner reservations. They have live music and events from time to time so make sure to book on a fun night!

Transportation – You will walk a lot in London. It is a great way to see the city! Uber also operates in London so we would use rideshare if it was late at night. Other than that, would it really be a trip to London without using the tube? It may be a little confusing at first but don’t let that stop you. We found it to be very efficient and the best way to go far distances.