London Vacation 2012 – Day 2

Last time I went to London it was in 2006 and this was the first time my wife was there so this vacation was special. I’ve been to London 3 times now and most of the things we did on this trip I’ve never done before which is funny considering these are the things you usually do first.

Before our flight, I was hanging out at JFK, waiting for my Virgin Atlantic flight, and then I see someone I immediately recognized. It was Rob Zombie and his band! I immediately checked his tour dates to see where he was playing, and what do you know, he was playing O2 Arena in a few days in London. So that was really cool seeing him on the flight. At times he had a tough time getting on the plane before everyone else and had to wait. Then he had to wait in customs in London too. At least I’m not the only one that has problems going through airports haha. Speaking of which, waiting at customs at Heathrow SUCKS! An hour wait to get into the country, meanwhile I have to take a leak in the worst way.

After that, we headed on the Tube to Mayfair where our hotel, Chesterfield Mayfair, was located. I wanted to get into the hotel early but nope, that wasn’t meant to be. We got to the hotel at 10am and didn’t get into our room until 1-1:30pm practically. I was pissed because I was going on 20 minutes of sleep and had the Levellers concert that night too. Other than that, the hotel was fantastic and worth it. King size bed, they give you free water and chocolates, a welcome plate of fruit, and a farewell cupcake. Definitely recommend the hotel if you got the money and want to be in a nice central location in London. It’s just a 3 minute walk to the Green Park tube stop too.

Day 2 was filled to the brim with stuff. We went to The Breakfast Club, recommended by fellow photographer Danny North. That was off D’arby Street in Soho and about 15 minute walk from the hotel. Get there early when it opens or else you’ll wait! We only waited 5 minutes thankfully. The breakfast was outstanding and I had the best hot chocolate ever there! Check it out, they have a few locations around the UK.

After that, we headed down to Buckingham Palace, and not knowing, it was the changing of the guards. I kind of didn’t want to go during that because it would be really crowded and it was. After seeing that for a little bit, of what we could see, we walked towards Big Ben (Elizabeth tower or whatever it’s freakin’ called) and Parliament. We walked around there a little bit, started randomly taking jump shots in front of the landmarks (that’s a new thing for us haha) and then took the tube up to Holborn area for Afternoon Tea.

It was at a place called Bea’s of Bloomsbury and it was excellent! It’s 19 Pounds but well worth it because you get amazing tea, little sandwiches, cupcakes and other treats. There’s a few locations of that store as well, and wouldn’t be the last time visiting there either haha.

After stuffing our faces, we walked to the British Museum until almost closing time. That was clearly one of the best museums in London and I’ve never been there! We walked around there for a good 2 hours I think. They had the Rosetta Stone there, mummies, sculptures, and other stuff. I was laughing at some of the stuff I was seeing, like a medieval baseball cap, Madonna’s coned hat and an ancient pacifier that wasn’t allowed to be touched haha.

We headed back towards our hotel via Oxford Street and we were just amazed how much Christmas lights and decorations were put up for the holidays. They outdo New York City bigtime! Sure, NYC has the Rockefeller Tree but as far as street by street ratio, London has them beat! Every street there seems to be some sort of lighting or decorations. Near Bond Street tube, they even have FAKE SNOW! Kristen and I had our mouths open with disbelief haha. We thought it was real but then it would get on you and we’d realized it was some sort of snow bubble machine. It was definitely cool to see though!

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Tags: Bea's of Bloomsbury, big ben, British Museum, buckingham palace, Chesterfield Mayfair, christmas, christmas lights, Elizabeth Tower, england, Green Park, london, london photos, Mayfair, nikon d300, Oxford Street, parliament, Rob Zombie, The Breakfast Club, travel photography, uk, united kingdom, vacation