After our return to London from Paris on Saturday evening, Chi Chi and I grabbed some grub whilst walking back to our AirBNB. We relaxed at home that night and watched a romantic comedy on TV, happy to enjoy each other's company and finally rest our feet for a bit. On Sunday, we rode the Tube into town and bought several souvenirs at the Jubilee Market at Covent Garden. I had heard stories about how expensive vacationing in London can be, but I honestly found the trinket prices quite favorable at the market. I did my best to stop fawning over every single variation of British accent that I heard there, but I'm pretty sure I looked like this the whole time:
In 1985, Brixton residents rioted again after an unarmed Black woman, Dorothy "Cherry" Groce, was shot, wounded, and paralyzed by police when they raided her home in search of her son. After being confined to a wheelchair for nearly 30 years, a London jury found that the incident contributed to her death. The 1990s saw gentrification of the area, and longtime Brixton residents being pushed out or challenged by newcomers and law enforcement alike. A 26-year-old Black man by the name of Wayne Douglas was held down, face down, while handcuffed and questioned in police custody about a burglary. He had heart disease and died of heart failure after collapsing in the interview room. The 1995 Brixton riots quickly ensued in reaction to his death and as push-back for the ever-changing demographic of new residents in the area.
We retired for the night in preparation for our final full day in London. That day, we checked out the Arsenal field (my uncle is a huge fan!), went to the 11:00AM Life Guard change at Horse Guards, and explored St. James's Park. I kept aiming for a funny pic of me smooching the horse guards on the cheek, but Chi Chi was completely off in her angling and perspective with the camera, lol:
Chi Chi and I rounded out our trip with discounted tickets (#LondonPassConcierge) to a show at the Comedy Store in London. We weren't sure if we would "get" the humor, and were delighted to find that the improvisational satire had us in stitches! The host, Imran Yusuf, was kind enough to pose for a picture with us afterwards! Learn more about Imran here.
It is what it is! There was something so effortlessly sophisticated about how the Brits said nearly every word. Aha! Perhaps that was why nothing seemed too pricey, lol! They could have said "That will be 5000 pounds!" for a pack of gum and I would have been all, "Oh, completely reasonable!"
Just kidding! I was able to get this nice vintage teapot with saucer, several bars of handmade rose and lavender soap, and a Melba teacup trio candle for under 60USD. Would you believe that the teaware was actually forged in the late 1800s? The candle maker goes to old castles in her spare time and collects antique pottery for repurposing. I fell in love with the concept and was apt to support her art; check out The Duchess of Candles when you visit!
We wrapped up at the market and took a brisk three-minute walk over to the West End for the afternoon production of "Lion King: The Musical" at the Lyceum Theatre. We purchased tickets in advance through the London Pass Concierge, which afforded us a nice discount. We sat 4th-row center for about $170 a piece. The tickets were well worth it! The vibrant, colorful costumes, strong vocals, and comedic enjoyment made this show a good option for both adults and children. I strongly recommend that you check it out!
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| See how close the stage is? |
Next, we walked around SoHo to figure out dinner options for later that evening. We scored a reservation for bar seating at The Palomar, a trendy venue that prides itself on serving modern cuisine from Jerusalem. I liked the polenta, shakshukit, and falafel; the Bumblebee cocktail had a nice "kick" to it without being overly strong. Check out their menu here for pricing and information, and be sure to book your reservations in advance!
After dinner, we went back to our AirBNB to rest and searched the Interwebs for events in London that night. We stumbled across a site called Shoobs, which allowed us to search by date, location, and even musical genre! We decided on hip-hop karaoke at Hoxton Square, a live music venue, bar, and light fare venue about 30 minutes away. We split a 21USD Uber, forked over the £5 cover at the door, and had the best time of our best lives! I managed to muster up my courage, down an adult beverage, and make my way to the stage to perform Nicki Minaj's "Superbass!" Although I was nervous, the crowd of Londoners was very sweet and encouraging. A few people even approached me afterwards to share their kudos! Here is a clip of the (blurry) awesomeness in action; aren't the Brit accents in the background adorbs?!?:
We really enjoyed how diverse the crowd and karaoke performers there were. We had a chance to chat with various shades of brown, peach, and everything in between that night, and felt welcomed by most folks overall. There was like one peach dude who walked away while we chatted with his peach friends, but I attribute that to either his a.) being shy, b.) being inebriated, or c.) not being able to follow social cues. Overall, the night was one that I will never forget!
Our Uber ride home was uneventful, and we slept in the next morning before riding the hop-on hop-off bus included in our London Pass to check out The Shard (a mixed use building intentionally constructed to mimic a large shard of glass sticking up into the skyline), the Tower Bridge (built between 1886 and 1894 over the Thames River with a cool glass floor at the center), and other famous landmarks.
At my urging and with some convincing of Chi Chi due to her concerns about safety, we ventured into Brixton via Tube and bus. Brixton is described by some as "the side of London they don't show you," due in part to its history of riots in the 1980s and '90s. The Brixton riot of 1981 occurred in reaction to a stop-and-frisk policy implemented by London law enforcement there. As Brixton's population was and still is majority Black, the targeting of Black males by plainclothes officers in an area already suffering from high crime and unemployment as well as poor housing ended, literally, in flames. More than 50 police vehicles were set ablaze and approximately 5000 people were involved in the rioting.
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| Seen in Brixton near our dinner venue |
So right, understandably, Chi Chi was a bit weary about traveling into an area known for high crime, racist law enforcement, and judgmental yuppies, lol! I likened the area to parts of New York, or even Philly, and promised that we would leave before sundown. We walked around for a bit and had dinner at Wahaca, a hipster-ish Mexican spot in the seemingly more gentrified part of town. The dinner was alright, but the service was excellent. I was also impressed at their Wahaca phone app, which allowed you to check out seamlessly and tip without ever exchanging cash or card with your server.
We retired for the night in preparation for our final full day in London. That day, we checked out the Arsenal field (my uncle is a huge fan!), went to the 11:00AM Life Guard change at Horse Guards, and explored St. James's Park. I kept aiming for a funny pic of me smooching the horse guards on the cheek, but Chi Chi was completely off in her angling and perspective with the camera, lol:
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| "Kiss my sash so I know it's real!" |
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| Dude is clearly smirking at how bad the photographer's angling is! |
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| He's looking at me like, "Why are you trying to kiss my BOOT?!?" |
When the show ended, we went back to our AirBNB for a night of R&R before our flight back home the next morning. We arrived at the airport early enough for me to enjoy this English breakfast, complete with sausage, baked beans, potatoes, grilled mushroom and tomato, eggs, toast, and bacon (I asked them to hold the black pudding). It was decadent and held me over until lunch service on the plane! We also stopped at the mini Harrod's at London Heathrow, where I debated purchasing the Honey Oud from Floris London (I ended up ordering it online later when I should have just bought it at discount at the airport; you live and you learn!).
That just about concludes the recap of my London trip; I'll share some helpful London Q&A soon! In the meantime, head over to Instagram and follow me @TravelsWithoutTrepidation for more visually adventurous amazement!
That just about concludes the recap of my London trip; I'll share some helpful London Q&A soon! In the meantime, head over to Instagram and follow me @TravelsWithoutTrepidation for more visually adventurous amazement!
