I’ve been lucky enough to visit London four times over the past 26 years. I wanted to put together things I can remember visiting… this isn’t a best of list, just some thoughts.
If you’ve never seen them, Big Ben, The Tower, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, etc., are things you could knock out pretty quickly. I am a sucker for overpriced tickets for seeing a city, so you could always visit The Shard! As a general statement… get Indian food and sushi, and clichés like fish and chips and a traditional pub. I’ve wanted to try really traditional places like F. Cooke. Some random things were meaningful to me… seeing the old home of BBC Television and their coffee shops, cafés, etc., and finding an old Police Call Box at Earl’s Court Police Box (can you tell I like Doctor Who and other shows on The Beeb?).
- Art
- Saatchi: Seeing Richard Wilson’s 20:50 is one of those things you don’t forget.
- Tate Britain (and Tate Modern): The Modern opened in 2000, after my first visit to London. Mark Dion’s Tate Thames Dig was on display for my visit to the Tate – coincidentally, he would later speak at my college in Maine.
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Design Museum: Worth the visit, though the museum has since moved.
- Shopping
- Selfridges: I became a little obsessed with Selfridges while staying at an Airbnb in Mayfair. I love the mix of 1909 architecture and contemporary styling. I found myself trying a bunch of vendors in the food court area, though many have changed since my visit (there’s now a sushi conveyor belt!?). I haven’t been to Harrods, but maybe next time!
- Portobello Road: I love dipping in and out of the shops in Notting Hill and visiting the street vendors.
- Food
- Market Thai: Honestly, I mostly remember the well-decorated interior. Mostly, I’m impressed it’s still open since I first visited in 1999! Though I just learned it opened the year before my visit.
- Goodman Mayfair: Steak spot with a few locations in the city.
- The Gate: A vegan café with several locations; I visited Hammersmith.
- Nando’s: I understand the obsession!
- Random: Honestly, I miss popping into a Sainsbury, Gregg’s, or M&S and grabbing an actually edible sandwich (<3 you all day breakfast sandwich)
- Pubs
- Iron Duke: It’s funny, you pop into a place and then learn it was first licensed in 1736, and the current version started in 1866.
- White Hart: I didn’t make it in, but I snapped a photo of the inspiration behind the name of one of my (now closed) favorite bars in my hometown. It also claims to be “The Oldest Licensed Premises in London” (it opened in 1216).
Stephen Quirk 