From NYC to London: A New Year’s Odyssey of Sunset Views and Iconic Adventures

Intro

🛫 Kicking off my New Year’s vacay with a sunset view at JFK International Airport, NYC, en route to London, UK on a Norse flight. 🇺🇸✈️🇬🇧

From touchdown at Gatwick International Airport to exploring iconic spots like Blackfriars and Waterloo stations, and even geeking out at The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾! 🚂⚡️

Indulged in English brekkie and savory delights at Giraffe STOP and Wagamama Southbank. 🍳🥢 Took in breathtaking vistas from the London Eye and Sky Garden, embracing the charm of Leicester Square’s Christmas vibe. 🎄🎡

Wrapped up the day with classic Fish and Chips at Hobson’s and soaking in the holiday spirit at Carnaby St. 🐟🍟🎁 Stay tuned for more London adventures! 🌆 #NewYearInLondon #Wanderlust #LondonCalling

A New Years Celebration in London

Even though I have traveled to +70 countries, I had never spent the New Years Eve in a different time zone. I was excited when I was planning this trip, because I had missed the UK (had not been in years), and I was count to 12 at a different time than family and friends (I am already planning a NYE in Australia).

But now, I was in the JFK International Airport waiting for my Norse flight. I was not too familiar with this airline but here I was, seeing the sunset, one of the last ones of this year.

For a low-budget arline, Norse looks actually pretty in terms of leg space.

Customs was pretty easy. I was in the UK!!!

Now. Gatwick is a bit far from the city, but in the tub is about 55 min on the Thameslink line. From the Blackfriars station now I was able to connect to other parts of London…

…Like the London Waterloo Station. It is incredible how this is like a mall. New York City has to learn from Public Transportation from the rest of the world. Specially in Asia, metro stations are mini malls where you can find anything.

Harry Potter and the Platform 9 ¾

A bit later, I was going to meet a friend in Kings Cross station, and in the meantime while I was waiting, I got to visit the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾.

I really liked it. Reminded me a lot of the one in New York.

I had just started this trip, but I managed to buy a couple of souvenirs. There were photo spots just outside, showing the Platform 9 ¾ even though in the real Kings Cross we were far from any deck lol.

The station itself is gorgeous, and the remaining Christmas decorations made ir even more beautiful. The connection to St. Pancras was very convenient too.

Earlier during the planning of this trip, I tried to get tickets to see the Warner Bros Studio Tour, and see Harry Potter exhibition once again, but all of these days were sold out. I was devastated.

My friend was running late, so I went to eat some food very close in this station. The weather was not that bad compared to New York City in this end of December, but I wanted some traditional English breakfast from the station, and that is what I got from Giraffe STOP.

Exploring London

I finally met my friend who was coming from York (and I was coming from New York, yikes). So he took me to walk around and explore a little bit more of the traditional London. We were staying in the Southbank by the London Waterloo, and from there we decided to explore this side of the city.

The neighborhood reminded me of Teusaquillo and Chapinero in Bogota, Colombia. I know that sounds crazy, but it is the case.

Very close from there, we went to Wagamama Southbank, to enjoy some of the good Asian food that is all over this cosmopolitan city.

I am a fan of any kind of bao buns and derivatives, some here I was enjoying them and loving them.

The London Eye

After eating, we kept walking and got to the London Eye. I had made reservations months in advance, since supposedly tickets and times could sell out, but I saw people buying them on the spot.

After a few minutes in line, we started ascending.

The entire ride last around 30 minutes, and was going to be one of the ways to see the skyline during this trip. There were a few spots in the heights of London for us to enjoy this very recognizable view.

Many of the landmarks, like the Palace of Westminster, the Big Ben, The Shard, all were visible in this cloudy day in London. We loved the experience tho.

Back to Street Level

One place I had never been while in London was the Graffiti Tunnel. We got in there and kind of reminded me of Bushwick in Brooklyn, NYC. I do not think I would come back to this corner unfortunately.

But from the Southbank, we finally crossed the Westminster Bridge into the Northbank to see the Big Bean, finally out of the restoration work. Loved it.

From close to there, we took a bus to Trafalgar Square, and from there we walked to Leicester Square and its Christmas Market. We absolutely loved it. It was one of the goals of this trip, to explore these Holiday corners in this metropolis.

The food was amazing. We also got some hot cocoa, and enjoy the Christmas Carols, and the local stores.

Very Charming. If you follow my blogs, you could say Christmas is one of my favorite seasons.

The Sky Garden

Another reservation I had way in advance was the Sky Garden, located in the Fenchurch Building (The Walkie-Talkie). We arrived via bus from the Christmas Market, and to get up here, we had to make the reservations in the website (it is totally free), and the views that it offers are out of this world.

Definitely more things not really visible from the London Eye, like the iconic London Bridge.

And The Shard looked even more iconic with the sun in the back. Loved it.

Very close from there, was the Tower of London.

But definitely loved being here, but especially during the sunset. Wow. Amazing. The Shard looked really spectacular.

Soho

After a break in the hotel, it was time to spend the night getting some food, and of course I would not leave London without doing two things: 1. Visiting the emblematic Soho, and 2. Getting Fish and Chips. And to think that my very well documented love for this dish was back in 2015 when I first visit the UK.

Walking Soho, especially so close to the New Years feels surreal. It is super crowded but everyone was in a super good mood. The decorations in general give this area the necessary edge.

But of course, this area is very well known for being the LGBT neighborhood. Lots of bars and stores to accommodate this demographic.

While waiting for the bus back to the hotel, and to finish this night. I could not believe my eyes, the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Palace Theatre was right in front of my eyes. It would have been so awesome if I were to come to this play here in London, but this is very long and I had been to the one in New York City. But I still had more to explore in this big city, and the New Years was coming.