22 Thoughts

Hey friends, this May, my friend Nya and I spent 3 full days in London, and I have so much to share! We started planning this trip in November 2024, and to see it come into fruition this spring was amazing. London is a city I fell in love with in 2019, and it’s a city I’ll always love. And I want to make sure you love it too! London can be a very robust city with much to do—kind of like New York—so you can always dial it to your vacation preferences. Because we had three days and it was Nya’s first time, I wanted to make our itinerary as robust as possible!

Day One

On our first day, I took Nya around London to ensure 1) she would stay awake, and 2) get a feel for the city. We went to Piccadilly Circus and got to explore Fortnum & Mason, which is a lovely shop filled with tea, coffee, perfume, jewelry, and an ice cream parlor! This is also where the Queen (rest her soul) used to shop. We also got to check out Buckingham Palace and enjoy a nice spring sit in Trafalgar Square. We had a lovely dinner at Yiqi in Chinatown, which hosted a fantastic selection of Pan Asian cuisine. I got the Yellow Curry with Coconut Rice, and when I tell you this pair danced on my tastebuds, I’m not joking.

For dessert, we made our way to an ice cream shop where I got green tea ice cream Taiyaki, and it was fabulous! We continued our walk to see Big Ben, which radiated in the golden sun, and traveled to South Bank courtesy of the Westminster Bridge! You also get a really nice view of the London Eye, which is another activity to add to your itinerary.

Day Two

Our most hectic day, friends. When I tell you we did a lot, we did a lot. The day started surrounded in art with a trip to the British Museum. We got to explore exhibits with focuses on Japanese and Egyptian culture. After, we had to make sure to snap a few flicks in London’s phone booths (so iconic). We then made our way to Covent Garden and walked through the Seven Dials for some much-needed thrift shopping and some really good matcha lattes from Jenki! Shoutout TikTok for these gems. We got the Tiramisu Pistachio latte, and it didn’t disappoint.

We were getting hungry and knew we had to head over to Borough Market. When I tell you, friends, that Borough Market has it all, it DOES. Like, it would honestly take a full day to check out each food stall. We tried the famous chocolate-covered strawberries—absolutely divine. Nya opted for Fish and Chips, while I got a lovely sandwich from The Black Pig. After lunch, we made our way over to the Tate Modern for more art and stumbled upon a lovely installation called Pipilotti Rist. Outside of the museum hosted a lovely street performance and bubbles. A complete compliment to spring! We began a short walk to the London Bridge and took photos, of course. We got to walk it, which was super fun, and took our walk to Garden 120 for a full view of the London skyline. This was a really nice view, and did I mention that it’s completely free… do what you will with that information.

Our view didn’t stop as we took a double-decker bus ride to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where, if you didn’t know, Princess Diana was married. This was an absolutely lovely sight to witness, as well as the courtyard. By this time, friends, it was dinner time, and we decided to head back to Covent Garden’s Seven Dials Market for some modern Nigerian cuisine at Jollof Mama. I ordered the Beef Suya meal, which came with jollof rice, coleslaw, and the best fried plantains I’ve ever had.

This meal was delicious! No meal is complete without a sweet treat, and we ended our night with girl talk at Anita Gelato. A full day deserves gelato—trust me when I say this, friends! When I tell you I love London, it is for moments like this. We were headed towards the Tottenham Court Road station when we stumbled into a digital exhibit right outside of it. It was circular in form, very colorful, and a stunning way to end the night!

Day Three

Our final day was one for the books. No complete trip to London can be finished without trying scones with clotted cream and jam. We headed over to Notting Hill and began the day at Cheeky Scone. I got the blueberry and lemon scone with a berry jam and clotted cream, and I was at peace. The freshness of the scone with the sweetness of the jam and cream was perfection. Add in a chai latte, and you’ve just had a Brielle breakfast. On the street where Cheeky Scone was housed, we got to stop into some vintage shops, and I was able to get some gold hoops for my nana.

We continued our walk through Notting Hill, where they housed different street vendors. We stopped at a table where there were digital cameras and took some flicks, which was super cool. We then made our way to the famous Notting Hill Bookstore, where the movie was filmed, and that was super cool! We also got to check out the blue door too. We did more shopping at some vintage shops and a shoe store before heading over to Leicester Square. We wanted to score some tickets for an evening show, but it was closed—but the tickets were secure!

We got hungry and headed back to Chinatown for some Korean fried chicken at a place called Bunsik. This hit the spot! We did some souvenir shopping before heading to walk around Carnaby St. in Soho, which boasted a lot of great shops like Lush Perfume Studio and Camper. Our night ended with The Devil Wears Prada, starring Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly. This show was fantastic. 10/10! The score, the cast—absolutely brilliant! Please go see it during your visit. The night was still young, and we stopped at The Three Greyhounds pub for a pint of cider while listening to Shrek acoustic from a live performer, and I couldn’t have described a more English experience than that. So fun!

London is a city you will never forget and I hope I was able to ad a little bit more magic to your trip! Have fun and enjoy your time in London! ❤