When people find out we were lucky enough to spend a year in London, they usually ask “how did you like it?” My answer is always “We loved it and still miss living there.” The follow-up question is usually “So, what didn’t you like about it?” That’s easy ~ doing the laundry. That may sound trivial (and it is) but doing laundry in a washer/dryer combo machine that doesn’t vent is frustrating. Clothes wouldn’t dry for days. Yesterday, while attending a cocktail party, a woman asked me the usual question “how did you like living in London?” but she got a shocked look when I said how much we loved living there and she followed up with “What exactly did you like about it?” Hmmmmm….let’s see…”EVERYTHING”
It got me thinking about our upcoming trip back to the UK in July. We’ll only have a week in London and a week in Scotland. There are so many places we want to re-visit. As much as I like to travel by the seat of my pants, I know we’ll regret not going back to see our favorite places and restaurants. A prioritized to-do list is necessary.
DAY TWO:
Since we’ll be staying in our neighborhood, Marylebone, we’ll want to visit our old haunts. It’ll be easy to spend the whole day in Marylebone. It’s such a vibrant and beautiful part of London.
Marylebone High Street ~ so many restaurants and shops all leading to either Regents Park or to Oxford Street
Best book store EVER ~ Daunt Books. Loved their author visits (wine served)
The beautiful and Gothic St James Catholic Church ~ our “home” church while in London
…and it’s even more stunning at night
The Wallace Collection is my favorite museum in London. It’s so cozy and intimate. I can imagine what it must have been like to be invited over as a friend of the owners to see the marvelous collection back in the mid to late 1800s. I visited so many times when we lived there (it was only a few blocks from our flat) and every time I left, I was already figuring out when I could get back to see more of the collection.
Lots of alleyways in Marylebone (and all around London). I love walking through them especially at night.
Local pub just off the High Street
I knew two people who attended the Royal Academy of Music and I walked by it nearly everyday but never went to a concert there. Hopefully we can see a performance there.
…and hopefully the directional signs on the road will help keep me from getting run over by aggressive cab drivers.
A walk up to Primrose Hill in Regents Park to see the great views of London and of course to people-watch. Lots of buff athletes or the occasional one with his pants too low. I was photo-bombed.
Would love to spend a few hours walking around Regents Park
The pressing question is: Do we go back to our favorite restaurants or do we try new ones? Hopefully we can do both. One we’ll go back to is on Marylebone High Street close to Daunt Books ~ Topkapi. YUM! Lots of vegetarian options, meat eaters were happy and it has a lovely wine selection.
Day two will have us venturing out of Marylebone…
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Displaced Beachbums 