An Elder Millennial's Guide to London

What I did during my solo week in London and what I wished I'd done different

What I did:

My very first trip overseas was in May of 2001. I flew to London to meet a girlfriend who was studying abroad in Spain. It was the first time I’d ever taken an overseas trip and it was the first big trip I’d done alone (unless you count moving to Los Angeles from my small hometown in Michigan when I was 18 as a big trip). I celebrated my 20th birthday in London that year and London has held a special place in my heart ever since. We crashed in a hostel in the Earls Court Neighborhood and hit some tourist hotspots, including what would become a London tourist favorite of mine, The Tower of London.

Checkout baby Megan on the left (taken on my 20th birthday) and current Megan on the right - both photos taken at The Tower - 22 years apart!

I love the Tower for its sordid history, beautiful grounds and of course, a gander at The Crown Jewels (I’m a girl who likes shiny things okay?). If you’ve never been to London or if you have any real interest in history, The Tower is the 1 touristy thing that I think is a “must do”. Take one of the free Beef Eater tours, they last about 30 minutes and will give you a good overview and make you giggle a little. They haven’t changed much in 20 years!

I also took a guided tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and learned so much! This theater nerd/English major had a happy heart leaving (I can’t believe it was my 1st time taking this tour). I also stopped at the Victoria and Albert Museum - always one of my favorite places. The building’s architecture blows my mind and the rotunda chandelier is one of my all time favorite pieces of art.

I always catch a show in The West End while in town. This year I chose Back to the Future the Musical. I’m an avid Broadway fan and hold season tickets here in Kansas. My challenge was picking a show I hadn’t already seen and didn’t have tickets for. Back to the Future is one of my all time favorite movies, so this seemed like a really fun choice. 10/10 for production and acting. The original music was super forgettable and we all know the plot already - but it was worth the price of admission and I had a lot of fun.

Where I Shopped:

Liberty London - a cute “luxury” department store housed in a Tudor Revival building. It was spacious and well curated and had just the right amount of products/departments. It wasn’t over crowded the way Harrods is (I left after 5 minutes the crowds were so bad) and they had a lovely selection of Christmas ornaments. I scored two non-breakable ones for my tree. Selfridges had the best decorations and their window displays outside were incredible.

Choosing Keeping - this is the cutest little stationary shop in Covent Garden. They had the best selection of paper products and I picked up the cutest squirrel bobblehead (yes a squirrel bobblehead) for a friend. I also grabbed some holiday cards and wax envelope seals. This was the only shop (outside of a bookstore and Christmas ornaments at Liberty) that I actually purchased anything.

All the Twinkle:

London at Christmas

Best spots for Christmas lights in London: Regent Street, Oxford Street, and Mayfair & Marylebone neighborhoods. The Christmas light displays in London were over the top. Primarily the commercial ones. Anywhere you could shop or spend money was decked out to the MAX.

What I ate:

London is actually one of the great food cities of the world. By far the best meal I had was at Dishoom. I ate at the Covent Garden Location, but there are several throughout the city. The lines get really long and they only take reservations for lunch. This meal will live rent free in my mind for a long time to come.

I enjoyed breakfast at Duck & Waffle - the food was fine/mediocre but the view was breathtaking. The restaurant sits on the 40th floor of the Salesforce building and boasts impressive views of the city. The photo below was the view from my table.

I took high tea at The Coral Room. The service was top notch and the atmosphere was fantastic. The food was so-so, but I enjoyed myself and am glad I went.

Mr. Fogg’s Tavern for lunch. There are several Mr. Fogg’s (insert fun theme here) throughout the city. The Tavern is a throw back to old English taverns and has an excellent drink menu and decent enough food. It felt like Disneyland created an English Pub (the prices were Disney-level too). It was a fun stop and conveniently located, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go again.

Best drinks were at Bar Américain - getting to the bar was a bit of a fun adventure - through the doors of a sidewalk cafe’, down a hall and then down a flight of stairs. The atmosphere was laid back and cozy with exclusively table service. I enjoyed two champagne cocktails and was delighted when my “Airmail” came with a stamp.

Mayfair Chippy - a hot spot for fish n’ chips. I had a reservation and still had to wait for a seat for close to 20 minutes. The line for walk-ins and take away was down the block.

Hawksmore Air Street - I arrived Sunday morning and had hoped to catch a Sunday Roast. Timing didn’t work out so instead of the roast I enjoyed a steak at this art deco restaurant. My steak was cooked perfectly and they had an excellent selection of wine and cocktails. My side dish was “meh” but dessert was top notch. The restaurant was stunning and the service and atmosphere excellent. Bonus: the views of the Regent Street lights.

What I packed:

London in the fall is notorious for damp/rainy weather and cool but not cold temperatures. I knew I’d be walking a lot and in and out of buildings. Dressing for this while not just walking around in yoga pants and sneakers was a bit of a challenge. I lean towards minimalism and have a pretty good capsule wardrobe which came in handy while packing:

3 pairs of shoes:

• Chelsea Boots - highly water resistant and very comfortable - they look cute/chic with slacks or jeans and add a little edge to a skirt or dress

• Sneakers - I have wide feat so I tend to stick to a few brands I know deliver. New Balance are my go to for casual walking around a city shoe.

• Loafers - I’m old enough now that I care a lot about arch support and a good sole. These have a chunky sole to keep you supported and the leather away from any puddles you might run into on the rain soaked London streets.

Jacket:

• Lightweight Trench

• Wool Poncho

Tops:

• 3 mid-weight sweaters - black, grey, light blue

• 2 oversized button downs - 1 blue, 1 white

• 3 plain t-shirts: 1 white, 1 navy, 1 dark grey

Bottoms:

• 2 pairs of Jeans

• 1 wide leg black trouser

• 1 pair Pixie pants

• black leggings (for the flight home)

I was able to fit this all in a carry on sized suitcase and brought a small weekend bag with me as my under the seat carry on as well. It was easy to mix and match all week and I wore everything I packed at least once.

I also have a minimalist makeup routine, relying on Merit products and Ilia mascara. I have a small neutral eyeshadow pallet from Urban Decay that let me create a few different looks without carrying around extra bulk. I knew my hotel room would have a blow dryer (not worth packing mine since I’d also need a converter) and instead of a curling iron I relied on a heatless curling set to keep my hair from looking too flat. This saved space in my luggage and put me at zero risk for causing a fire or burning off my hair.

What I missed:

Darjeeling Express - I tried to eat here, I even had reservations. But when I arrived at the restaurant it was closed up and there was a lot of construction happening in the building. Upon further investigation the restaurant has apparently moved but their Apple Maps address hasn’t been updated. It was too far away for me to make my reservation and I was hangry so I missed out.

The National Gallery - I’m an art lover and this has one of the best collections in the world. I’ve been before and this time I opted to prioritize rest over art.

The Natural History Museum - I walked by the history museum on more than one occasion but didn’t make time to stop in. As someone now in my 40’s I enjoy a more laid back vacation style and don't try to cram every single last thing into my trips. So I opted for naps and leisurely reading over extra museums.

Sketch London - this is an instagram favorite and a hot spot in London. They won’t take reservations for 1 and I never had enough energy to wait in the queue or make a decision about which room I wanted to be in.

The takeaway:

London is a wonderful city full of cultural things to do and historical sites to see. It’s crowded and noisy but in the most delightful way. Be prepared for crowds - especially if you go between May-September. There are queues everywhere. Get reservations for things ahead of time as much as you can - including museums.

Be ready for tiny coffees. Every morning I’d stop and get a flat white to go from one of the local coffee shops. These coffees are TINY. TINY. Like half the size of an American “tall”. Caffeine junkies beware - you’ll need two or three of them.

You can get a tube card (called an Oyster card) or you can just use your phone pay or a credit card to tap as you go in and out of the stations. I have an old Oyster card so that’s what I used and just topped it up at the self-pay kiosk located at every tube station. Since you have to tap going into a station and coming out, this felt less risky to me than trying to dig my credit card in and out all the time. If I dropped it I was only out the $10 on the card - not the hassle of replacing a credit card.

Pick a neighborhood that you’re going to be spending time in. This is the one thing I’d do differently. Every time I’ve been to London I’ve always stayed in Earls Court. It’s the far west side of Zone 1 and the station is right on the Piccadilly and District lines (the two lines I use the most). It’s practical and a little more affordable because none of the major tourist spots are in the neighborhood itself. When I was younger and would leave my hotel at 9 a.m. and not come back until 9 p.m. this was ideal. As someone who enjoys a mid-day break now, I’d choose Mayfair or Kensington the next time. I ended up in the Covenant Garden area a lot and it would have been nice to have been staying there.

Embrace your inner tourist. Some of the most tourist-y things are also the most fun/interesting. Historical sites, museums - these are all pretty touristy but they also add a layer of context and culture to the city. If you’ve never been before, they’re worth doing at least once. I’ve done most of them at least once now and I always recommend The Tower of London, The Globe Theater and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Pack an umbrella and carry it with you. I got really lucky and only had to open my umbrella once - for about 6 minutes. It wasn’t even really raining, just aggressively misting - but that’s unusual for London in November. Just be prepared. Wear layers. You’re going to be in and out of buildings and for some reason London shops seem to think 82 is the correct indoor temperature so you’ll want to be able to take off layers easily when you go inside.

Wear good shoes. Everyone was wearing sneakers or boots. You’ll be walking 5-8 miles a day and there are still cobblestone roads and lots and lots of steps so plan accordingly. Some of my best memories of London are from when I was just wandering around - discovering neighborhoods or the enjoying the vast urban parks they have.

Choose your season carefully. I’ve always gone during “shoulder season” - right before or right after the major tourist seasons of May-September. Shoulder season is nice because it’s not as crowded but everything is still open (just on truncated schedules) This trip was a bit late in the season and definitely “off season”. It saved me money and things were less crowded but some of things I would have liked to do were closed for the season.

My last travel tip is for flying out of Heathrow. Schedule your security line time. I was able to book a 30 minute window and use a separate security line - for free. I still had to take out my liquids and electronics (unlike America’s TSA-pre-check) but it saved me time and headache.