We stayed in Shoreditch area of London; the best way to explain the location is if you’re familiar with the distance from Brooklyn to Manhattan. We loved the neighborhood because it wasn’t touristy and it had great food. The downside is we were a 20-45 minute ride on the tube or Uber to London proper. That part got tiring but we also don’t go back to the hotel to rest and go back out; we stay out all day and come home after dinner, so that worked to our advantage. If you’re only in town for a few days then I’d stay in walking distance or a short tube ride to all the attractions. The downside of staying in the popular area of London is you’ll hear American accents everywhere and it will feel like you’re back in NY :) It’s a different vibe.
Best take-aways
City Mapper - Download this app. This will work better than google/Apple Maps for getting around the city efficiently. I used this the whole time before we mapped out our train ride or opted for Bolt.
Bolt - it’s their version on Uber. They still have Uber but Bolt is cheaper and the classic UK car taxis are even more expensive.
Oyster Card - your ticket to the tube. Kids are free under a certain age (maybe 12?) I didn’t pay attention since our kids were so young. Use the family/larger entrances when scanning your pass or those doors shut hard and fast on you.
CITY
Hotel
Car
Didn’t rent one this time and I”m glad we didn’t. We took the tube, Bolt/Uber, and walked.
Activities
Restaurants: We didn’t go to a lot of ‘good’ restaurants because, kids. I do have a list for places we would have tried sans kids. I also started this trip with a stomach bug so the first few days I didn’t have an appetite and barely ate.
LONDON
MARCH 2023: This is how I jot everything down in my Notes app before a trip as I plan. Since I’ve started this page, I just fill in or edit the days as we’re on the trip.
SUNDAY (12)
Landed @ 10am at Heathrow. Almost a 2 hour car ride to Shoreditch - it would be shorter if you’re staying on the west side of London.
Spitalfield Market: our room wasn’t ready so our hotel concierge recommend we walk here to kill time.
Pizza pilgrim: This was dinner, the pizza was good but it’s kind of a chain you’ll see everywhere. It was across from our hotel so that’s why we picked it. We were so tired we just needed to eat quickly and go to bed. I was still nauseous coming off a stomach bug so I barely ate and didn’t care where we ended up.
I had BRAT reserved - this would have been one of the best restaurants but I wouldn’t have eaten anything (post stomach bug) and the kids wouldn’t either have any way.
MONDAY (13)
Harry Potter day
The ivy Asia
Food hall gelato
TUESDAY (14) LONDON PASS
Boundry breakfast
British museum
Afternoon tea @ The Shard 1:15pm
Tower of London
Uber boat
Dishoom
WEDNESDAY (15) LONDON PASS
Tube protests and strikes
Westminster
Gordon’s
Churchill war room
St James playground
St. George tavern
THURSDAY (16)
Franz and evans
High gate cemetery
Camden
The Hawley Arms
FRIDAY (17)
Hotel breakfast
Train to Oxford. Plan ahead at least 3 hrs for reserved seats.
Christ Church college tour - Alice and wonderland
Gusto Italian
SATURDAY (18)
Buckingham Palace Tour @ 11am
St John’s - abbey road
The Clifton
Cousins
Regents park
Lahori- St. John’s (Pakistani not Indian)
SUNDAY (19) Mother’s Day
Diana memorial playground in Hyde park next to Kensington palace (closed)
Eggbreak - join virtual queue on dojo app
Science museum - free but make. Reservation online
Ceccinos Italian
MONDAY (20)
Sully sick
Park Room tea @ 1
Diana memorial playground
Mayfair Chippy @ 5pm
TUESDAY (21)
Breakfast
Tattoos @ 12:30pm Samsara
Flat earth
London fields park, near Hackney
Blacklock dinner
Tempest show @ Globe Theater 7pm
WEDNESDAY (22)
HOME @ 1:25pm
