London Tips ‘n Tricks

Did you get a chance to read about my 10 favorite places in London this past Tuesday? Today I’m sharing tips and tricks from my time in London, things that I learned throughout my week spent in London, or things I thought about upon my return.

Crystal’s London Top 10

Two weeks ago I was in London on a surprise vacation for my “LLL” (Lifetime Leading Lady) 30th birthday. About 2 months prior her husband had texted me and said, “How would you like to surprise Kristin for her 30th birthday in London?” It took me about 5 seconds to type the word “YES” and about 5 minutes to book my roundtrip ticket. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my first opportunity in life to spend some time in London. I’d first been presented with an opportunity to intern there when I was in college, but at the time I was so poor that I never could make the trip work. There was no way I was going to let this moment pass me by a 2nd time!

Since this was a surprise visit we planned very little up front and had no agenda, or trip itinerary. I can now confirm that London is indeed one of those cities that you do not need an agenda for in order to have fun. We found something new and fun to do every single day and when I left I felt like there was still so much left for me to see. The history, culture, lights, shopping, food, people … I loved it all. There wasn’t a single moment of the trip that I disliked.

In order to make this blog post manageable (and readable – you’re welcome), I’ve narrowed my London list down to my Top 10 favorite experiences:

January Book Review: Mrs. Hemingway

This year I started my reading off right with Naomi Wood’s Mrs. Hemingway. While venturing through London via the Tube last week, I’d observed no less than half a dozen Brits deep in the pages of Wood’s recent piece of fiction. Then, while at Heathrow waiting for my gate to be announced on Monday, I decided to pick up one last London souviner: my very own copy of Mrs. Hemingway. 8 hours and 3500 miles later I was 3-quarters of the way through one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time.