London: Why it's my new favourite place
London is my new favourite place. This year, I've been down to England's capital three times, which isn't too shabby considering we've been locked down and restricted for a large part of the year. In that time, I've absolutely fallen in love with the place and I want to explain why in this article.
Why London?
The most obvious one is access. I live in Liverpool, which is only 2 hours away from London on the train. Since I can't travel pretty much anywhere outside of England because of current restrictions, having this close proximity to one of the world's most visited cities has been a godsend.
Not only that, but London is rife with opportunity, fun and pretty much anything else you can think of, at a much, much grander scale than you can find anywhere up North here in the UK. It also beats out most places on Earth for the above too.
What do I do in London?
Well, a lot! I've been to London several times this year and each time I've gorged myself into oblivion doing tourist stuff, eating copious amounts of food, drinking like Oliver Reed and shopping til I dropped, then some more. Here's all the hedonistic nonsense I love to do in the big smoke. It may even give you some ideas:
Swanky hotels
I do love an Air BnB, but there's just something special about getting set up in a hotel isn't there? I love the Assembly and The Dorsett City, London. Both offer something a little bit different but deliver on location and luxury.
Our room in the Dorsett was right on the corner with amazing views and located right above the tube for ease of travel. The assembly was a completely different vibe, but located right in the centre of Leicester Square. Despite this, both rooms were silent and offered a perfect luxury stay.
Supercar spotting
This needs no explanation. The density of supercars around London is just sublime. Look to your left and there's a Ferrari. Over to your right, a Rolls Royce. It's the norm over there and it blows my mind.
Selfridges
This is the starter to Harrods' main dish. Different experiences obviously, but I always like to do Selfridges on one day and then Harrods the next. My favourite thing to do is to go to The Fount to quaff a bottle of house champagne and then explore what Selfridges has to offer. Usually that'll be lots of clothes, lots of stupid sunglasses, doorstop cookie cake and people judging me for not having the money that they do. Ah, good times.
Rinse the tube
Everyone will have to do this anyway to get around, but I do enjoy the tube. Plus, it's always BOILING down there, so it's a nice bit of respite from the cold weather if you go in winter.
Clothes, clothes, clothes
God I bloody love clothes. I don't usually buy them though, I'll usually treat myself to a piece on a special occasion or if I really need it. That said, London is always a special occasion, so I went to town with the Amex.
Here are some of my favourites:
Represent Clo t-shirt
Cole Buxton oversized hoodie
Sandro polo shirt
Canada Goose Chilliwack jacket
Generic sightseeing
There aren't many things better than being an absolute tourist. Some people find it embarrassing being seen as a tourist in a city and would rather pose as a local. Not me baby. I love gawping up at buildings and landmarks, learning all about the place I'm in and just generally being happy to see all the most popular spots.
I do also enjoy the less tourist-y things - don't get me wrong - but those who reject any form of generic sightseeing because they don't think it's cool enough can bugger off.
Never be embarrassed to be a tourist fellas!
Keep fit
You'll do a whole lotta walking when you visit the capital, but sometimes that's just not enough. Especially for most of my readers who are generally into their fitness. Finding cool gyms/classes is always a treat when you travel. I decided to train at Jubilee Hall Gym smack bang in the middle of Covent Garden, just because.
Loads of unreal food
Here are my highlights (although everything I ate was a highlight...):
The Real Greek
Greek isn't usually the number one cuisine you'd think of when coming to London. And apparently, The Real Greek is some big chain restaurant but I'd never heard of it before! I was not disappointed on my first experience. In fact, it was the best food I've had to date during all of my trips to London.
The Ivy Soho
Very classy indeed. We went here for my girlfriend's birthday. Some of the best grub in town here. The Ivy Soho is part of the Ivy group as well, so there's lots more options across the UK.
Leon
Naturally fast food - what's not to love? I got some salad box thing and it was delicious. Good macros as well which is good for the gym bunnies amongst us. A solid 7/10 for Leon.
Rooftop restaurant
What's the best way to see London? From the rooftops! Get yourself a meal and enjoy the views. I went to the rooftop restaurant above my hotel and had to re-order my main because it was just that good. I also have an insatiable appetite for pasta so...
English Breakfast
What good is a trip to the big smoke if you're not going to scoff big ol' English Breakfasts? 10/10 greasy goodness.
Market fodder
If there's a market on (especially around Christmas) then get down and enjoy everything it has to offer. God knows I did...
Loads of equally unreal drinks
Here's what I got through:
Smoothies
Possibly the only healthy goods I consume when down in the capital. I like to start most days off with one of these. As long as I hit the gym in the morning and polish one of these off, I can be happy knowing I've at least done one good thing for my body that day.
Cocktails by the Thames
As long as it's semi-decent weather, some outdoor cocktails looking over the Thames is just about as good as it gets.
A proper pint
I probably had too many of these.
Champagne
Probably had too many of these too. See evidence below.
Coffee
And I DEFINITELY had too many of these. But when there is a selection of caffeination as vast as London at my disposal, how could I ever say no? That buzz of the first coffee is one of the greatest feelings there is. If you want something high-end, get yourself down to Harrods for their lattes - top tier goodness.
The Harry Potter Experience
Butter beer, fudge, chocolate frogs and a peek behind the curtain of the magic. What's not to love?
Harrods
As mentioned above, their lattes are absolutely larvly. Every good shopping trip starts with a coffee and Harrods should be no exception. It opens at 10am and you’ll probably be able to spend all day in there, so I’d wager that’s high time for some caffeination. Right? Guys?!
Making big splurges is my bread and butter. I never buy anything for myself usually, but then will have periods where I just go crazy and buy everything. Harrods is no exception.
And finally, if you can get in, do Harrods champagne afternoon tea. It was the best afternoon tea I’ve ever had and it’s not even a close competition. It was just unbelievable.
Also, if you think there's a theme with me and champagne, you'd be right. I tend to think I'm a big time Charlie when I'm out and about.
Usually my ego comes crashing down when somebody next to me orders something 50 times more expensive though, so that's good.
The Big Wheel
Obviously.
And if you can get an entire pod to yourself like we did then even better!
Get a haircut
I tried out what is apparently the best barber shop in the UK - Ruffians. They didn't disappoint. I went a couple of hours early to grab a bit of WiFi and a few beers. The atmosphere in here was fantastic and so was the cut. Check them out if you're ever in need of a trim on the fly.
Meet with clients
Everyone knows that London is the place to be if you want to make it big. I have multiple clients down in the big city and love to get some face to face time in with them as much as possible. The difference in opportunity is night and day.
If you want to learn a little bit more about what I do for business, you can view my website here.
Winter Wonderland (Christmas-only, obviously)
And this one is a little Christmas special that'll only be relevant to anyone reading this in November or December, but I had to include it. There's not many things better than Winter Wonderland during Christmas. It's like its very own festival with rides everywhere interspersed with food and drink huts and an entire Bavarian village where you can get steins to your heart's content.
It has everything and is a must if you're visiting London any time around Chrimbo.
So what on Earth are you waiting for? Get yourself to London and live like a king.
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