I recently went on a trip to London, England and it was my first time going overseas. Granted I went in the middle of the semester, and even though I was only there for 3 full days, I was still stoked about the opportunity and had a great time!
Now I of course did all the typical tourist stuff like the London Eye, Big Ben, and Buckingham palace, but I’m not going to talk about that because let’s be real, no one wants to see photos of that for the millionth time. I explored other areas of the city as well that are, in my opinion anyways, a little more interesting.
The Polo Bar
This gem was located a few blocks from our hotel and is open 24/7, which was a godsend after coming back from the pub with the drunchies. Their menu serves both breakfast and lunch/dinner and has food that is more traditional to England, as well as American cuisine. Although I made many trips to this establishment, my one recommendation is their Jesus -like pancakes. I personally got a stack of the toffee caramel, which were topped off with vanilla creme and bananas, but if that doesn’t float your boat they also have cookies and creme, New York cheesecake, or traditional to name a few options.
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child
If you’re not a Harry Potter fan then this will not interest you (also what is wrong with you?). Harry Potter and the Cursed child is a two part play that is a continuation of Harry’s journey after Hogwarts. It’s being showcased at the Palace Theatre, which is right in the heart of the SOHO district. Each part is roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes long, and magical AF. I’m not going to spoil the show, but I will say it was truly amazing and a must see for every Harry Potter fanatic becasue the book does not do it justice. Also I cried like a baby.
I personally saw both parts in the same day so we had enough time in between showings to wander around, and grab a bite to eat. There are a ton of restaurants to choose from, as well as cute cafes and shopping. One of the more interesting shops was House of MinaLima. MinaLime was in charge of a lot of the graphic art in the Harry Potter films, so this was right up my alley. Their store boasts a gift shop and multiple levels of showrooms that have art for both Harry Potter, and multiple other projects. I definitely recommend checking this out if your a HP nerd like me!
Camden Market
The Camden Market was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I’m a sucker for flea markets, street food, and swap meets; The Camden Market is all three of these. In a way it reminded me of venice beach because of its location right next to a canal, eccentric storefronts, graffiti, and street performers. However, it is on a much larger scale. In addition to the storefronts there is a massive warehouse filled with vendors, as well as narrow alleyways And converted stables. This place is literally a maze and There are over a thousand stalls of vendors to shop from. You can seriously spend hours shopping for unique souvenirs to bring home and do some serious eating (and drinking of course).
Neal’s Yard-26 Grains
Neal’s Yard is a small little quart yard tucked away in the SOHO district. It has a handful of shops and cafes and is painted adorably with ivy crawling up the surrounding buildings. One of the eateries located here is called 26 Grains, a small breakfast bar that specializes in porridge bowls. Its aesthetic is on point and their porridge, cold bowls, and turmeric almond lattes are to die for.
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