London Bucket List

I've been searching the internet for things to do in London and these are the things that caught my fancy.

So in no particular order...

1.)Visit Abbey Road

I've been a Beatles fan my entire life and even had this weird Beatles phase where I had to know EVERYTHING I could about them. I can still identify a Beatles song within 5 seconds (its a fun party trick). So naturally I have to go to Abbey Road (which is my favorite album, fight me). So here's an accurate recreation of me and my new British friends when we go to Abbey Road together.

2.) Visit THE Notting Hill Bookstore

Notting Hill is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. I have to go to the Travel Book shop while I'm in London. Also, Notting Hill is supposed to be a great neighborhood. There's Portobello Market which is supposed to be one of the very best markets of London and a bunch of independent art galleries. Also I might see Hugh Grant there... maybe... which brings me to my next item...

3.) Meet Hugh Grant OR A Prince (they're basically the same thing)

This one speaks for itself.

4.) Have High/Afternoon Tea

Booze, tea, tiny sandwiches, and tiny desserts, all in one? SIGN ME UP. It's like all my favorite things in one meal. Honestly, it's one of the best things the Brits created (besides Hugh Grant). There are a ton of places to have High Tea around London all ranging at different price points. I am not looking for anything too fancy but its definitely something I have to do.

5.) Explore Food Markets

I like to consider myself a foodie. I love Food Network and trying new restaurants every chance I get. My mother and I love to go on, what we call, "food-ventures" where we go to different grocery stores and just get things we never had before. The food markets of London are a must. Local produce, unique places to grab something quick to eat, its a dream.

6.) Neal's Yard

Um so just look at this little corner of London. Neal's Yard is a little alley way with cafes, a pizzeria, and apparently a really good cheese place. (I'll be the judge of that) It just looks like a funky little place to explore for an afternoon and get some cute pictures.

7.) Go to take a picture in a red telephone booth, realize you don't want to be THAT cliche of a person, and just walk away Bri. Just walk away.

8.) ALL the Museums

There are so many museums in London and I want to explore every. single. one. Guys, I love a good museum, okay? Especially when a lot of the museums in London are FREE. Ugh, what a beautiful word.

9.) Columbia Road Flower Market

A market solely to purchase flowers... are you kidding me? There goes my food money for the week, I can see it already. I have a serious problem when it comes to plants/flowers... I can't stop buying them.

10.) Bermondsey Square Vintage Market

So where I am from there is this huge outdoor flea market that I have fallen in love with. It's just a bunch of vendors selling antiques and handmade items. So when I saw theres a huge outdoor vintage market, I had to throw it on this list. I may not buy anything, but I love to check these kind of places out. You never know what treasures you may find.

11.) Sky Garden

Indoor garden with a beautiful view of the city that is FREE. You had me at garden but won my heart at FREE.

12.) Shoreditch Street Art

Shoreditch from what I can tell from angry posts online, its a super hipster-y place in London. Therefore, it is full of street art. From the Banksy to unknown artists, there is plenty of art to see as you roam around this neighborhood.

13.) Instead of Platform 9 3/4 go to the Reptile House at the London Zoo and have a nice conversation with the snakes.

Hi, my name is Bri and I hate to do the typical tourist stuff (especially when there's lines). And I love zoos.

14.) PUB. CRAWL. PUB. CRAWL. PUB. CRAWL.

I love Edgar Wright movies and Simon Peg and ever since I saw The World's End I've wanted to do a pub crawl with my pals. There are some organized pub crawls in London that offer entry to a group of pubs at a discount (some even have drink deals so my wallet loves that)

15.) Realize you do want to be THAT person and take the telephone booth picture anyways...

16.) Go to a Karaoke Bar and sing Don't Go Breaking My Heart all by myself

So I have never been to a karaoke bar but I know, I KNOW, I will love it. I have been practicing singing this classic duet for a little bit now and can't wait to kill it for strangers. Side note: If you haven't heard/seen the RuPaul version, it is the most 90's thing you will ever experience. You're welcome.

17.) Look to this list of Instragrammable food for inspiration.

I stumbled upon this list about a year ago on Buzzfeed when I was looking into studying abroad and I have had it saved on my computer ever since. I love this kind of stuff. Good tasting and good looking food makes for a GOOD day. My favorites from this list are 1, 9, 13, 19, 26, 32, and 37. Visit them all, I will.

18.) Visit as many of the 48 neighborhoods and RANK THEM BECAUSE I LIKE TO PICK FAVORITES.

I think my plan of attack is to pick a random neighborhood and just explore it for the day. As you can tell, I am not too into all the typical tourist stuff and would much rather just go out and explore for myself. I also like making lists so this will be a fun project.

That's all I got for now. I will be editing this post as I discover new things to do/explore. Stay tuned for updates. 💛🐝

#london