Laney Luvs Adventure: London Edition
My first vacation since the pandemilovato started… and I chose London to adventure in :). Lots of fun times, loads of art, celebrated Black History Month, going to art supply shops under a bridge, hangovers and touching every corner of the city over 10 days.
Why London?
Why did I choose London as my first trip out of the country after lockdown? It felt like European cities had organized themselves better post-lock down than Toronto had. Also, I missed my friends who live there. The friends I have in Europe are very different to the types of friends I have in North American. I KNOW. I know. Them is fighting words but you won’t get it until you’ve experienced it. My European friends are unconditional. It’s not based on how much money I have or what I bring to the table. They’re just wholesome friendships that I cherish.
Also, I wanted to buy professional grade art supplies that I can’t get over here in Canada at an affordable price. I’m taking my art more seriously. Plus, the art galleries in London are top tier.
Day 1-2: Travel Day & Regency Cafe
The flight from YYZ was very smooth and we arrived early in London. That gave me the most of the day to explore the city before I headed to my AirBnB. I love the Regency Cafe. It’s so niche and wildly cinematic inside. There’s a petite woman who takes your order from the counter with pen and paper… then she shouts out your order when ready for pick-up. The first time I heard her, I jumped out my skin. Her voice is bellowing, deep and full and she calls out as if she’s working in a shipyard, yelling at sailors. Pricing is very reasonable and service is good.
Following the inhalation my chips and steak, I walked around Victoria to get my blood flowing before I boarded double decker buses for a scenic ride to my AirBnB at the edge of Notting Hill. The apartment was perfect for the amount of days I was staying in the city. It was centrally located but down a quiet muse that had no traffic. I settled in, filmed some content, showered and headed out again for some SHOPPING and a black history event in Soho. I came back and crashed for most of the next day because I needed the rest. It is my vacation after all.
Day 3-4: Art, Supplies & more Art
I did the most over these few days. I went all over the city buying all the art supplies I could get my hands on. Each Jackson’s Art Supply location saw my patronage. They really have a bad in-store reputation, but I found the service to be stellar. I had a quick lunch at the Barbican Market and savoured my meal in the mini park beside it. Then I bussed over to Choosing Keeping for their delicious handmade watercolours and other art schnick-schnacks. I could barely carry all my purchases on the tube. I clearly blacked out shopped, but I love everything I purchased.
Next day, I met up with my crew to peruse art galleries and special exhibitions, because Frieze London had taken over the city, and the private collections were showing out. Amy Sherald at Hauser&Wirth, Tyler Mitchell, and Tega Tafadzwa were a few artists we viewed up close. I have to apologize to Amy for any drool I may or may not have left on her work.
After absorbing all that beautiful art, my friends and I pretended we were young, raided our favourite parfumerie, night shopped and got blitzed in Soho at SH.
Day 5-6: Market Day & More Art
This part of the trip was a blur. Most of my items I purchased online had arrived and needed to be returned. I took myself out for lunch at Caia before thrifting and drinking at Portobello Market. No, I did not drink alone but with friends I lost touch with. I apologize for the lack of footage from my market excursion.
Next day, my favorite Frenchie got me a ticket for Frieze and I flew over there. But first, Pastel de Nata from Lisboa Patisserie as dessert for brunch and quick jaunt by the canal to look at the boats. Frieze is VERY big. Almost too big. I don’t know how anyone gets through it all, cuz I sure didn’t. I was overstimulated but there were many pieces of art I wanted to take home with me. UGH… inspiring art everywhere, my neck hurt from art whiplash. Look left, look right fast before it’s sold.
After 3h, I floated to my brunch in Brixton, where I happened upon an exhibition in Brixton Market… and bought something! The artists name is Wayne Campbell and he’s an activist photographer. He had an image of a masked woman of the cloth, holding hand sanitizer in one hand and a box of masks in the other, IN FRONT of a Black Lives Matter Here sign place on the church gate. If that’s not 2020 in a nutshell, I don’t know what is. Her pose was reminiscent of Lady Justice and ‘La Pieta’. Instantly obsessed. Paid for it and it was going to be delivered to me before I’d leave the city.
Then my lovely friends and I ate and drank, than drank some more and moreandmore… til the day was new. It was exactly what I needed.
Day 7: Surprise… More Art
I was hurting at this point. I barely drank for 2.5 years and here I was consuming liquor like I was out of… lockdown lol. What’s crazy is how much more art I wanted to see. My mind was starved for culture and I missed how museums smelled. I took the train to the Tate Modern and Bankside Gallery to search for affordable art. Didn’t find anything, so I bussed to the newly renovated Battersea Power Station with a Pink Floyd earworm / stimm that lasted for hours. One of the most iconic symbols of working class London is now a mall with a Zara. Not sure how I feel about that.
I ended the day by walking over the bridge to the other Jackson’s Art Supply shop to buy what I couldn’t find at their other location. By then my legs had given out and I needed to get out of my 2 day old clothes. Picked up a quick takeaway and hung out at the Airbnb the rest of the night.
Day 8-9: Food with Friends
These last days were reserved for visiting more friends. We ate, laughed and shopped. Lina Stores‘ food was bright and The Pelican attempted to over charge me for the lobster pie. It all worked out in the end. We grabbed a few pastries, and walked to Hyde Park to feed the ducks. Beautiful end to a much needed vacation away from The Big Toe.
Day 10: Sad goodbyes
My flight wasn’t until late in the afternoon. I tidied up the AirBnB and had a slow breakfast at the local cafe. Last night, I had to go to the other end of the city to retrieve my art piece from the artist. It took me a couple of hours but I had the chance to ride the double decker buses, with excellent views of the city.
My final thoughts
London is changing. A man who lived across from my AirBnb almost got slapped when he started to raise his voice because he heard ‘my’ heater go off in the night. Some random man yelled at me ‘U dough kneed to whair dat ear!!’ when I decided to wear my mask. How it’s any business of his what I do for my health, is anyone’s guess. If I didn’t have a group of friends who lived there, I would not have stayed longer.
The newspapers had strange headlines too and the general sentiment was that outsiders shouldn’t stay longer than they have to. Spend your money and leave type of vibe. Which I did…but most likely won’t do again for a while. We’ll see what happens in a few years. I was happy to get what I needed and to see all the people I wanted.
The End.
VLOG CHAPTERS
0:00 Monday
0:21 Tuesday – Regency Cafe, walk around Victoria, Airbnb Tour
3:26 Thursday – a quick Kiki, Jackson’s Art Supply, Barbican, Choosing Keeping
9:46 Friday – Gallery hopping, Matches Fashion event. Artists: Tega Tafadwa, Tyler Mitchell, Amy Sherald
10:21 Saturday – Caia London and Portobello Market
11:59 Sunday – Lisboa Patisserie, North Kensington, Frieze London, Loughborough Junction, Brixton Market, Wayne Campbell Art, brunch with friends
14:12 Monday – Tate London, Battersea Power Station, Hungover Kiki, Jackson’s Art Putney Bridge
16:23 Tuesday – Lina Stores Marylebone, Selfridges
16:47 Wednesday – The Pelican Pub, Hyde Park, Harrods
17:17 Thursday
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See you next week Luvlies!
xoxo Luv Laney Luv
