London Tower Bridge view from the Tower of London tour Context

London Travel Quarantine for Visitors – When can I travel to London again?

Every year, I visit London in May/June/July timeframe and this is the first time in over ten years that I’m not in the city and to be honest, I miss it.  I even miss the political discussions that ensue once the black cab driver hears my American accent. I miss […]

The Wallace Collection painting plethora on wall

Hidden Gem London – Review The Wallace Collection (of Art) in Marylebone

London Art museums can be overwhelming for me as I don’t know where to look first and how to navigate the vast space packed with tourists to ensure I experience the art and the curation properly on my own timeline.  My first visit to the V&A was supposed to be […]

Southbank view of London Parliament and Big Ben

Celebrate Thanksgiving in London – Memories, Turkey Dinner and Christmas Lights

My family is planning for Thanksgiving and asked me “when do you leave and/or when does your flight land?” as I have spent many years away for Thanksgiving (great award flight availability) as an add on to my birthday trips.  I’ve landed in Perth (Australia) on Thanksgiving, celebrated with friends […]

Hitchin Lavender flowers of england

Instagram Picture Perfect – The Hitchin Lavender Fields of England

A funny thing happens when your train leaves London, you get to see open green spaces and the countryside.  After years of navigating the historic streets of London and walking along the Thames multiple times, I’ve rarely had a chance to leave the city other than my first visit eons […]

Visiting Kensington Palace Royal Family Tree

Royal Attraction in London – Visiting Kensington Palace

It’s crazy how many times I’ve visited London and still have not checked all the boxes in “things to see”.  With the Diana, Her Fashion Story exhibit, I thought it was about time to venture over to Kensington Palace for a tour.  As I exited the Kensington tube station, I […]

London NYE Fireworks London Eye Thames

Bucketlist London New Year’s Eve Fireworks from Waterloo Bridge “Pink Area”

New Year’s Eve has never been my favorite holiday.  The forced “fun”and thinking that life changes at midnight wiping the old year’s slate clean and offering a tabula rasa isn’t quite realistic in my experience.  As I entered my 40’s, I settled into my single girl comfort (after work) of […]

Visiting The British Museum on a Rainy Day – So Much History, So Little Time!

Over the past twenty years visiting London, I am hesitant to admit I hadn’t visited The British Museum.  It’s free!  Great Art!  The Rosetta Stone (not the language classes)!  Classic museum!  There were so many reasons for a visit and with each block of free time, I chose to instead […]

Sky Garden London View inside

Review: Sky Garden London – Free London Skyline Views and a Rooftop Bar

Londoners are quite funny as they name the new buildings in the city based on their shapes – there’s the Gherkin, Cheese Grater, Shard and the Walkie Talkie.  I’m not sure of the proper names of the buildings or even their addresses but everyone seems to know what you are […]

Mail Rail ride london hidden underground

The Mail Rail Ride – Riding Through History as a Letter in London

When I first visited Venice, Italy, I remember buying handmade paper by the sheet.  It was elegant, unique and something I wanted to write on.  But what to write?  What was worthy of this special paper?  As silly as it sounds now, that paper could only be used for a […]