London Recap | What I Did + What I Wore

Hello loves! If you’re following along on Instagram you probably saw that I was just in London. I had planned this trip to visit my friend Danielle back in November, not anticipating everything that has been going on with Covid-19. Thankfully I was still able to go on my on trip, I just had to cut to cut my trip short to ensure that I could easily and safely get back home. I am grateful that I still got the option to stay in London for 2 1/2 days and I was able to do so much. In today’s post I am sharing what I did and of course what I wore. I bet none of you are planning a trip to London right now, but I thought I would go ahead and publish this for you to reference for your next trip.

Day 1

I took the overnight flight from NYC to London so I landed around 7am and was at my hotel by 9:30am. I was so glad I was able to have a full first day, especially since I had to cut my trip short. The first major thing we did on Thursday was tea at Sketch. I have been seeing this place all over Instagram and Pinterest for years and I was so excited that I finally got to go. Everything from the food to the ambience to the bathrooms (see below!!) lived up to my expectations. If you want a chic and aesthetically pleasing tea experience, I 10/10 recommend.

After tea we did some shopping on Regents street (the Topshop there is AMAZING), Carnaby street, and the Marylebone area. In addition, we stopped in Fortnum and Mason which is a place where the Queen gets food from and I’m obsessed. In between shopping we also went to Buckingham palace.

In the evening, we went on a pub crawl which was an absolute blast. We started with dinner and drinks at The Albany (the fish and chips were incredible). We then went for pints at Masons Arms and one other pub in Marylebone that I can’t remember the name of, and ended the night with cocktails at 31 Below. I’m honestly impressed with myself that I was able to accomplish so much with only 2 hours of sleep on the plane

Day 2

We started out my second day in London with breakfast at Caravan (I got avocado toast … original). Danielle had to work on some school stuff this day, so I had a few hours on my own to explore. I started out by going to Kensington Palace, which is where Will and Kate currently live. On the tour you go in the actual room where Queen Victoria was born in which is pretty iconic, and they have a bunch of royal artifacts on display. Kensington Palace also has huge gardens which I bet are stunning in the summer, but since it wasn't too cold or rainy I was able to take a short stroll (I definitely want to come back in the summer though).

Next I walked about a mile to the V&A, the Victoria and Albert Museum, which I can best describe as the London equivalent of The Met here in NYC. Admission to the museum is free and I knew they had a British fashion section, so I checked that out; they had some amazing pieces and the exhibit gave a chronological depiction of British fashion. After the V&A I walked to Harrod’s - obviously I was going to pop in to this iconic store. Somehow when I went to Harrod’s the first time I went to London I completely missed the food hall - which is absolutely incredible. Definitely check out Harrod’s whether you’re a fashion lover or not.

After Harrod’s I took a taxi over to Westminster Abby and did the audio tour there. Westminster Abby is where a lot of royal events happen such as Will and Kate’s wedding and coronations. The audio tour was great and I definitely recommend this tour if you’re a history fan.

Following my morning of site seeing, I met back up with Danielle for afternoon tea at The Goring Hotel. The Goring is where Kate stayed the night before her wedding and where the Queen stays during Christmas time. Meghan and Harry recently hosted their farewell luncheon here - this hotel is BIG with the royals. The afternoon tea was incredible (I opted for a glass of champagne with the tea as well) and it was crazy being in a space that the royals love so much.

While we were exploring the hotel lobby after tea, we started talking to one of the front desk employees about the hotel and he convinced us to stay for a drink at the hotel’s bar (which I 100% don’t regret - the vibe was amazing). After leaving The Goring we ended the night with a walk through Picadilly Circus, then a late dinner at Pizza Express, a UK chain.

Day 3

Since my flight was not until 6pm on my last night, I was still able to have a full half day of activities. This was the first day we went over to the south bank. We started out the day with breakfast at The Breakfast Club then strolled through Borough Market (totally would’ve bought some of the delicious looking cheese they had here if I wasn’t going on a flight). We then walked across London bridge and walked down to St. Paul’s Cathedral (where Princess Diana got married). We then crossed Millennium Bridge back to the south bank and rode the London Eye. These views of London were the perfect way to end my trip.

I hoped you enjoyed this recap of my trip! I had a blast and hopefully I will be able to return when once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing