The *stunning* flower department at Harrod’s

My 40th was an anti-climactic covid-era celebration, so when my youngest sister Micaela told us she wanted to celebrate her 40th in London, I had my flight booked in no time, taking advantage of JetBlue’s newish transatlantic service from Boston to London Heathrow.

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Friday

We boarded our flight Friday night, landing in London around 6am on Saturday. We had booked an Airbnb in Shoreditch beginning the day before (a clutch and necessary move for red-eye flights) so we were able to check in and nap for a few hours as soon as we landed.

Cheers to Micaela from the Chase Lounge in Boston

Saturday

After snoozing for a bit and taking a shower, it was noon on Saturday in London so we headed out in the drizzle for a quick English breakfast nearby and a stroll around Spitalfields Market, across London Bridge and around a super-packed Borough Market. We then popped into a pub for some Monopoly Deal before heading to Brick Lane for dinner.

Late-night drinks at Discount Suit Supply

Sunday

On Sunday, we had a reservation on a double decker sightseeing bus that also served afternoon tea. As we were driven around the sights of Knightsbridge, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and more, we feasted on scones, tea, cakes, cookies & finger sandwiches. If no-effort sight-seeing while being fed food & champagne is your idea of a good time, then Brigit’s Bakery tours is right for you. Grab seats on the upper deck for the best views, but avoid the front row as the windows fogged up throughout the trip.

After our tea tour, we did some window-shopping at Harrod’s, then walked around Buckingham Palace through St. James Park to do some shopping at Fortnum & Mason. We then hopped in a black cab to a bookstore in Picadilly to pick up the UK version of Monopoly Deal. After that, we headed to The Ivy in Soho for pornstar martinis and fish & chips.

The next morning around 5am, we hopped in an Uber back to Heathrow to fly home to Boston. Our flight ended up getting delayed so we were able to cash in on UK261 compensation to the tune of approximately $400 USD so the flights to/from London ended up being (basically) free – score!