24 Hours in London
Two weeks ago, I flew to London for my friend Clay's birthday for a long weekend, but I only spent maybe 12 playtime hours in London. Mostly, I was there for Clay's party at a house we rented in Bristol and just gave myself a little cushion so I got places on time. That left me Thursday night, Friday morning, and Sunday night. This was my first time in London, so I had to see some tourist attractions, but I also miss being in a real cosmopolitan city, so here's what I did:
Thursday night: I took a nice walk from my hotel in Hyde Park on Oxford Street to Oxford Circus, down Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus, and then took the Tube back to the hotel. Along the way, I stopped to do a little shopping at Selfridges London, had a Saffron Sidecar cocktail (gin, cointreau, lemon, pear) at The Fumoir Bar in Claridge's Hotel, popped into the launch of the Fall/Winter line at Cos where they plied me with champagne and house music (I resisted because I expertly packed my luggage), strolled down Savile Row, and oggled holiday displays from the outside (it's safer that way).
Friday morning: This was the only time I was going to have for daylight activities, so I took the Tube down to Westminster Station and made my way back to my hotel on foot. I saw Big Ben (which was getting a little facelift), the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. Then I went window shopping on Sloane Street and at Harvey Nichols, where I had lunch at the Wallpaper* Bar + Kitchen, a cafe by the same people that make Wallpaper* travel guides and magazines. Harvey Nichols was a dream. They had the beige moleskin coat Raf Simons designed for Calvin Klein's runway collection brand 205W39NYC that I've been seeing in magazines and on Instagram. After that, I picked up a bowtie for Clay's birthday and hopped on the train to Bristol from Paddington Station.
Sunday night: We got back from Bristol late Saturday afternoon, which left me just enough time to meet up with some friends for drinks and dinner who were also in town. We met at the London Edition, a hotel by Ian Schrager of the infamous Studio 54. Sadly, Nopi is closed on Sunday nights, and The Gallery at Sketch couldn't seat us until 10:45. But we had a great dinner at Tamarind Kitchen, where I had the most delicious fish curry.
My roughly 24 hours in London were just enough to satisfy my yearning to try the latest clothing trends, to experiment with innovative food, and to walk along historic architecture. I felt right at home because cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., borrow directly from the architecture and city planning in London. Many of the founders of these cities were, after all, the younger brothers of London's landed gentry. I'll be back soon to take historic tours, tour museums, and bring back souvenirs.
