Party in Piccadilly!

It’s our first day in London! Even with constant waves of exhaustion and zero sense of direction, I made it off the plane. I survived my very first international flight, and I can’t wait to venture out into the unknown. Today, as soon as we got to our hotel and settle, we decided to explore our neighborhood and hit the station. With our brand-new oyster cards, we went to Russell Station and made our way to the train on the Piccadilly line. The ceilings were low, and the tile was colorful with a hint of tasteful filth. I can’t help but say everything looks like Harry Potter or every other British movie/show ever made.

After a few short stops, we made our way to Piccadilly Circus, London’s more clean Times Square that reeks of passion and marijuana. With a mix of Georgian architecture and hundred-foot-tall jumbotrons, Piccadilly Circus may be the happiest place on earth. As a professional window shopper, I was overwhelmed with opportunity once I noticed a four-story burger king and hundreds of different shops and restaurants around any and every corner. We walked around Leicester Square and saw the Bard himself, but more importantly, Paddington Bear! We traveled to the TKTS booth where we learned how to get theatre tickets at a good price.

Afterward, a small group and I decided to stay in the square and venture on our own. There was just too much to look at, we couldn’t end the night there. We traveled to the most elegant establishments like the huge M&M store and Lego store where I was amazed by all the colors and options. Then, some of us diverged into Chinatown where we got lost in the extremely abundant amount of food options for roads on end. After finally deciding where to get some quick Taiyaki ice cream, we decided to walk back to our hotel and see more of the city and our neighborhood as the sun set on our first night in the United Kingdom.