EP9: London Calling… SKOL!
How we enjoyed a week in London to see an NFL football game with old friends that we met on a trip to Mexico 14 years prior! We also share some fun stories and things to do off the beaten path!
Airline Travel Tips: Travel light, (this was a learning process for us) we love our COTOPAXI backpacks and be ready to take a “Bump”. Check in immediately with the airline representative at your gate and ask if the flight is oversold. Ask what the offer is and if you can be first on the list. Take a look at the airline website and Google flights to see what other flights are available so you are armed with information and can help the airline rep find a suitable replacement flight, and it could be on a partner airline. If your travel plans are somewhat flexible, this is a great opportunity to make some money back or to use for your next flight! We are usually paid with Visa gift cards that you could use for anything, really. Also: Ask to see if the bulkhead has been assigned, and if not, you may be able to switch your seats on your current flight for the more roomy bulkhead seats!
London Underground (Subway): You can purchase paper tickets for the Underground, but using your phone is fast and convenient and you should set it up before you try to go through the turnstiles with people behind you. Go into the Wallet app on your phone, click on the card you would like to use for payment, click the three little dots in the circle on the top right, click Card Details, scroll to the bottom and click on Express Transit and toggle it to ON. You will be able to hold your phone up to the reader on the turnstile and it will automatically charge your card. You will need to hold it up again to the reader on your way out as well. So slick!
Lodging: We stayed at the Montcalm Piccadilly Townhouse which is a centrally located small hotel that we booked on Booking.com that we loved! It was located near multiple Underground stops, was close to SoHo and Chinatown and the theater district.
Sites of Interest: Spitalfields Market, Beigel Bake, Covent Garden, The Wine Place, London Transport Museum, Amano Rooftop Bar, Uber Boat to Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Wallace Collection for afternoon tea, Sky Garden, Horselydown Steps/Mudlarking, Mr. Fogg’s Society of Exploration
NFL Game Vikings vs. Jets @ Tottenham Stadium: Conversation/Interview with Aaron and Ben from the UK! Tottenham Stadium hosted the NFL, it was a “Home” game for the Minnesota Vikings so it was our announcer, our cheerleaders, it felt like a home game, just outside of the country. Even as season ticket holders, we had to purchase our tickets on the open market as we weren’t lucky enough to get any in the lottery. The process is similar to getting tickets to a concert, etc. Getting into the stadium was pretty easy, but getting back to our hotel took a long…time.
Notting Hill: Lovely area with colorful row houses, shops, restaurants.
Little Venice: A canal neighborhood reminiscent of Amsterdam, in our opinion.
Victoria Palace Theatre: Hamilton was fantastic and in a beautiful, gilded, setting. Dinner nearby at the Stoke House.
Drury 188-189: Breakfast spot, delicious!
Tattershall Castle: A stationary boat on the Thames with views of the London Eye and Westminster including Big Ben.
The Vaults at Leake Street: Crazy cool tunnel loaded with head to toe graffiti, an explosion of color and artistry and an Instagrammers Fantasy!
Dishoom: The best restaurant from our trip! It is an Irani-Bombay fusion and we ate at the Battersea location, but the Shoreditch one is the famous one. Can take the Large ferry, the Uber Boat to conveniently access other places along the Thames.
Gordons Wine Bar: Oldest wine bar in the city, dating back to 1890, with a dungeon-like cave atmosphere, so cool! Go inside and put your name in for a cave table, not for a table in the outdoor garden section.
Speakeasy: Trisha’s New Evaristo Club, Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town (basement of the Breakfast Club diner), cache cache.