London Calling: 5 Recent Faves & A Build-Your-Own Itinerary Menu

All my favorite places to eat, drink, and see in London

Hello,

I owe you a recap and recs from my recent trip to London. I got back 2 weeks ago, but somehow it feels like forever ago (probably because I’ve already boarded a plane and headed somewhere else. Hi from Boston, btw!).

Where did we leave off? Oh, right… after Dublin for The Eras Tour, we made our way down to London. I’ve been to London 5 or 6 times now, so visiting feels more relaxed. I’ve seen all the tourist highlights I care to see, I have a rough geography of the city in my head, and I’ve established a few favorite spots. There’s not the pressure to “see it all” that I feel on other trips. I know I’ll be back.

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. If visas were easier, I’d seriously consider moving there for a year. One of my favorite parts of visiting is wandering aimlessly and imagining an alternate, fantasy version of my life where I live in a London townhouse—maybe a classic white one, or maybe a hydrangea blue one an Instagram-bait street of rainbow houses. I think that’s part of what I love about the city: so many of the areas you visit as a tourist feel both fancy and “of another time,” a combination that undeniably appeals to me and feels so different than New York.

Despite my general laissez-faire attitude about visiting London, there was extra pressure this time because it was my friend Elizabeth’s first time, and I wanted her to love the city as much as I do. So, this trip was full of classics and showing off hidden-gem favorites.

Trip Highlights

My top 5 recs from this trip that I plan to foist on friends! (That’s you!)