London: First Stop on the Euro Summer Tour!

London: Day 1 – Jet lag, Tea, & Beyoncé

I flew from Miami to London Gatwick—a smooth 9-hour flight, surprisingly, coming from someone with plane anxiety (I know... a traveler with plane anxiety, lol). Thankfully, I had all the leg space in the world thanks to my exit row seat, which made the flight so much better. The meal on board was... well, basically a glorified cup noodle, but honestly, with all that extra legroom, I barely minded.

My flight took off around 5 p.m. and landed at 7 a.m. When I checked Uber, it was pretty damn pricey, so figuring out the train system became the only real option. My mom and I (she joined me for London and my next stop, though she won’t be with me the whole summer) bought the Thameslink one-day travel card—under £15 each and valid for unlimited rides that day. A steal, if you ask me. It was about an hour commute to our station: Aldgate East in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Where We Stayed

We booked our stay at The Gate Hotel—probably the best bang for our buck because London hotels are expensive as freak. It was actually pretty nice. Note for my fellow American travelers: when you book a king room, it’s a European king, which is really more like a U.S. queen. Not a scam, just... different math. 

The hotel was a 5-minute walk from the train station in what felt like a safe, calm neighborhood. When we arrived around 10 a.m., our room was ready—but they wanted £80 to check in early, and that just wasn’t happening. So we dropped off our bags and went to find breakfast.

Mission: Full English Breakfast

I know no one comes to London for the food, but I had three must-tries on my list: a full English breakfast, fish and chips, and pie and mash. We ended up at Jack the Chipper (diner vibes), and the staff was amazing—super friendly and hospitable. I channeled my inner Brit by starting with a pot of tea, then ordered the full English breakfast I’d been dreaming of. They even gave me an extra plate—egg, toast, avocado, and turkey bacon—on the house. They’re a halal spot, so turkey bacon galore, but it still hit.

Cowboy Carter

The only real agenda for the day? Go to the Beyoncé concert and have a time. Over breakfast, we realized our concert fits weren’t really giving, so we headed to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to grab some Cowboy Carter merch before the show.

By the time we finished all that, we were finally able to check into our hotel and thought we’d fit in a nap—wrong. No time. We got ready and jumped on the train, which was now absolutely packed with Beyoncé fans. I’m honestly surprised we even fit on.

The concert was the best three hours of my life (yes, I say that about every Beyoncé concert I go to, but still). We tried to dip out before the last song to beat the crowd, but jokes on us. We still ended up in a literal sea of people outside Tottenham station for about 30 minutes. I will say—London knows how to handle chaos with some grace.

Not Lovin’ It (But Still Ate It)

Starving and delirious, we stopped at the McDonald’s inside Liverpool Station... and honestly? Absolute mess. It was chaos—drunk people, cowboy hats, drunk people in cowboy hats—all packed in, pushing past each other for a Happy Meal. We waited 30+ minutes for our food (they lost our order), and while I could say it ruined the night… no night can be ruined when a McDonald’s snack wrap is involved.

By the end of it all, my step count was sitting pretty at 16,000+. I didn’t know whether to be proud or concerned. Between the jet lag, the chaos, and Queen Bey, Day 1 took us out.

London: Day 2 – Musicals, Mishaps & Mushy Peas

I set three alarms to get an early start, but turned off all three in my sleep. Woke up at noon in full panic mode because we had tickets to see Oliver! at 2:30 p.m. And if you know Broadway, you know missing the start is criminal. 

We rushed through the train stations and ran to the Gielgud Theatre on the West End, making it with four minutes to spare. Four. Minutes. I was so sweaty the sweet woman next to me handed me her fan—an angel in disguise.

It’s a Fine Life

Seeing Oliver! was a bit emotional for me—this was the first play I ever performed in as a kid and probably the moment that sparked my love for musicals. Being there, second row, close enough to see the spit fly (literally), felt like a full-circle moment. I was in awe.

Intermission hit and, as expected with me and my bowels, I had a stomach ache and was fighting for my life in the bathroom. But I made it back in time before the second act, thank God.

By the end of the show, I was holding back tears and hangry, so it was time to go find some food, glorious food (if you know, you know).

From Big Ben to Bites: A Walk Through London

We walked from the West End to Green Park, made a quick stop by Buckingham Palace, and kept it moving to Big Ben. We of course got our classic red photo booth pic, and the search for food continued.

I was still on my fish & chips and pie & mash mission, and we found a pub called St. Stephen’s Tavern that had both. 

The food looked legit. Definitely more gourmet than the greasy spoon versions I’d seen on TikTok. But... flavor? Kinda missing. I had to hit it with salt, pepper, and a full-blown malt vinegar facial before it started tasting like something. The mushy peas? Not my jam—but hey, at least I can say I tried them.

We stayed and sat for a while, soaking in the moment like true Europeans, and then hit the streets again.

We walked from Big Ben to London Bridge, soaking up some of the best city views of Tower Bridge. The wildest part? It was still bright outside at 9 p.m. The sun doesn’t go down until 9:30 in the summer?? What is that even?

By then we were fully spent, so we walked the 20-ish minutes back to our hotel, made a grocery stop, and ended the night perfectly with chocolates, charcuterie, wine, and season 5 of You.

Final Thoughts: London, You Got Me

My time in London was short-lived, but I absolutely loved it. I know London sometimes gets a bad rap compared to other European cities—people call it gray, expensive, rainy—but for me? It was everything I needed it to be.

I genuinely love British culture. I had to actively stop myself from breaking into a fake accent every five minutes—bloody hell, the urge was strong. And I swear I saw every London stereotype come to life: an unapologetic love for tea, people confidently driving on the wrong side, fancy posh types in tailored suits, and over-tanned ladies giving full Essex glam. Top it off with someone actually saying “innit,” and it felt like I was walking through an episode of Love Island UK.

The weather? Surprisingly perfect. And even though I was warned that athleisure isn’t a thing overseas, London definitely didn’t get that memo. People were wearing comfy fits and trainers without shame. Respectfully, TikTok lied.

So… is London my new NYC? Because it definitely gave “I could live here” energy. They’ll absolutely be seeing me again. And again.

10/10, y’all. Toodle-oo!