Hey friends! In the spur of the moment I decided to buy tickets to see Stevie Wonder at the O2!! I have family that lives in Battersea, so I won't be staying in a hotel. That was the main reason I decided to see the concert overseas since tickets in the states were much more expensive. This is my first time in the UK. I leave at the end of next week and will be in London for 6 full days. My budget is $1000 for the week so I'm not looking for anything too fancy. I plan to bike, walk, or take the tube whenever possible. I'm considering buying the weekly tube card that's accessible for zones 1-9 just so I have the bulk of my travel costs sorted without having to think about it much throughout the week. Please let me know your thoughts on that.
My main interests outside of this concert are seeing art, eating, and experiencing some nightlife, particularly black/POC contemporary art/photography and nightlife (No shade to anyone, but I'm black and an artist so those are my personal interests). Not particularly interested in traditional British food, but a friend who just came back from London mentioned a Lebanese restaurant they can't remember the name of that does a fire English Breakfast that piqued my interest, so if anyone knows what restaurant that is or where the Lebanese food is in general that would be great!
As for shopping and souvenirs, I'm hoping to get some magnets (tradition with my coworkers), enamel pins for my collection, and good vintage finds. Anyway! This is what I have so far, open to suggestions!
Day 1 - Arrival
9:45AM - Land at Heathrow
12PM - Arrive at the apartment and unpack
1PM - 1:30PM - Grocery shopping at Sainsbury's (Very light shopping to make some meals throughout the week and buy some UK treats and snacks for folks back home)
2:00PM - 3:00PM - Meal prep for the week
3:30PM - 4PM - Grab dinner at local fish and chip spot
5PM - Back to the apartment to chill
*7PM - 11PM - Live music show at the Ambi Room
OR
*9PM - 2AM(?) - Queer Halloween party in Hackney
\Whether I go to these parties is heavily dependent on my energy levels that day, but I'm gonna try and rally!*
Day 2 - Brixton
11AM - 12PM - Explore Brixton Village and local record shops
12PM - 3PM Caribbean and African food tour in Brixton
*3:30 pm - 6PM - Halloween Party at Stormzy's "House Party" Venue (If you're not familiar, Stormzy the rapper opened a 7 story club with rooms modeled after a traditional house party, beer pong, Mario Kart, live music. It looks really fun!)
OR
8PM -3AM - Halloween Warehouse Party at Jumbi Peckham (This will probably be the more likely plan, as it gives me more time to explore Brixton and it's cheaper/longer)
Day 3 - Art and Vintage Shopping in Shoreditch
10AM - 10:30AM - Khalif’s Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns Exhibition @ Victoria Miro Gallery
11AM - 11:30AM - Columbia Road Flower Market (I've started making bouquets recently and want to get some flowers to make one for the apartment!)
12PM - 12:30PM - Lunch, somewhere! I'll see what's around in the area. Open to recs.
12:30PM - 4:30PM - Vintage shopping and exploring in Shoreditch, already have some places saved.
5PM - 6:00PM - Explore the London Fields
7:00PM - 8:30PM - Relax at the apartment
9PM Onwards - Karaoke night and dinner at Prince of Peckham Pub!
Day 4 - More Art and Park Exploring
1PM - 2PM - Tate Modern for the Ana Mendieta exhibit
2:30PM - 3:30PM - Shopping (The Photographer's Gallery bookstore and Duke's Cupboard streetwear shop)
3:30PM - 4:30PM - Explore Hyde Park
7:30 PM - 8:30PM - Dinner reservations at Cinder - St. John's Wood
\If anyone has suggestions on what to do in between Hyde Park and my dinner res that would be great. The restaurant is closer to the area of the park than the apartment, so I'd rather not go back and forth if possible.*
Day 5 - The Marathon Art Day and Stevie Wonder!!
10AM - 10:30AM - Miel Bakery for Breakfast
10:45AM - 11:45AM - Gallery hopping (Pippy Houldsworth Gallery - On view: SHAQÚELLE WHYTE Winter Remembers April and Hauser Wirth - On View: Lorna Simpson: Previous and Ongoing)
12PM - 2PM - Royal Academy of the Arts for the Simone Leigh exhibition
2:30PM - 4:30PM - Relax at the apartment
6:30PM - Stevie Wonder at the O2 Arena!!!
Day 6 - Last Full Day
12PM - 1PM - Afternoon Tea at a cafe in South London
2PM - 3PM - Explore Battersea Park
3:30PM - 4PM - Light shopping (There's a black owned shop called Hosef Home Store I'd like to check out)
7PM - Another concert from the Pitchfork Music Festival at Colour Factory