highlights from LONDON

I am writing the rough draft of this post somewhere above the Labrador Sea en route from London back home to New York.

My family had a great week seeing theater, exploring the city and visiting friends.  We stayed in the St. James area which was perfect for my family– close by to the tube (subway) and it was walking distance to the theater district, Chinatown and Little Italy where my family ate most nights.

I’ve now been to London a few times both with my family and on my own and it’s definitely one of my favorite cities to visit. Our trip wasn’t the most typical since we were more interested in seeing musicals than seeing churches, but we still got to see some great parts of London along the way.

Here are some of my favorite bits of this trip to London and absolute must do’s if you visit:

• Seeing Taboo in Brixton. No joke, one of the main reasons my family decided to go to London was to see my favorite musical Taboo performed live. I originally fell in love with the show 8 years ago when we saw the second to last performance of the Broadway production. It was absolutely thrilling to see my favorite show in London and hear the amazing score live.

In addition to seeing Taboo we also loved the stage adaptation of “Singing in the Rain” and “Let It Be” which used all Beatles music. If you are looking for other musicals to see in London I highly recommend “Les Miserables,” “We Will Rock You” if you’re a fan of the band Queen,  “Wicked” and “Billy Elliot”. Like New York, London has an amazing array of theater to see—one of the reasons I love this city.

• Cruising down the Thames on a “City Cruise”Boat. I highly recommend taking one of the many boats that cruise down the river.

 

• Shopping at Harrods. This store is the mother of all department stores and a must-see for any shopaholic. Other mega department stores to visit: Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

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• Christmas lights on Regent Street. London during Christmas time is absolutely magical.

(my dad tried marmite, he hated it)

• Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. You’ve never seen a winter themed carnival like this.

 

• Carnaby Street. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit Carnaby Street during the day when all the stores are open (another must visit for shopaholics) but we still got to see part of the Rolling Stones Exhibit currently on display.

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• The London Eye. This mondo Ferris wheel offers the best view of London. We didn’t go on the London Eye this time around since the whole family has already gone, but it’s definitely a must do!

 

 

As much as I love London, it’s definitely nice to regroup, adjust to the jetlag and come home to my parent’s house for a few days before starting up work again.

Anyone else spend Christmas somewhere fun?

Even in London my family managed to do the typical Jewish tradition and eat Chinese food on Christmas. Unfortunately the Les Miz movie hasn’t been released in England yet or else we would have also gone to the movies 🙂