p Traveling with your partner?
p The bad news is that this isn't the post for you. (But this one is.)
p The good news is that when you have kids, you'll come back to this post.
h2 So, London!
p The center of the world. The city with no rival. Well, maybe except New York. I flew to London with my Yael, who's seven.
p Just the two of us. A dream I didn't dare say out loud. Until low-cost flights came along.
p But I digress.
p London with kids. Come on, jump straight to the practical part, because why enjoy alone? All the highlights here and here!
p (Afterward, come enjoy Madrid, Greece, the Black Forest, the Seychelles, New York, London with your partner or even a desert inn in the south with me too.)
p All the details are in our stories too (part 1 and part 2).
p How would I show Yael London through the right lens? How would I pass on the vibe of this perfect city, everything London stands for, its history and all its beauty? And in winter, no less?
p First I asked myself: what's the goal of our trip?
p The goal, without a doubt, is to create memories for Yael and me forever.
p There are endless things to do and see, but that's not what will make her remember this trip as a good experience. What will be etched in her memory is the quality time together.
p Another goal is to teach Yael life skills. How to navigate the Tube, and more skills I'll get to below.
p I decided that on this trip (as on every family trip so far), I'd start from endless gratitude. Maybe it's a bit spiritual, but you have to appreciate the privilege of being together on a trip. Almost a miracle.
p The trip be-gins!
p First thing: a contract with the kid.
p You already know my contract from my post on the Black Forest.
p As with everything, aligning expectations can save a lot of needless frustration.
p If your daughter knows she has to charge her own iPad and stay quiet at critical moments, like paying at the checkout or asking for a tax refund, then we parents are less stressed, and there are more lovely moments on the trip.
p Simple, simple, simple.
p In short, I'm a genius. I'll send it to anyone who wants it (leave me your email).
p Second thing: life skills.
p On this trip I taught Yael lots of life skills:
p Navigation: how to navigate, how to enter an address, how to choose a route, how to navigate inside the Tube. It's so important. It's important to teach them to be independent, to manage. She walked with my phone and took us from place to place. A pleasure.
p English. English is the most important language there is. I wanted to show Yael that with English you can manage anywhere, and again: independence! With Adler we already learned that teaching independence is one of the most important things. With good English you save time, you're more efficient and of course you enjoy more.
p Reading signs and understanding the space around them. Notice where the way out is. Where it says Exit. Notice where it says to collect your suitcases. We made up a rhyme: "Read the signs and you'll get there in no time!" and then we skipped and danced to it. Yes, there are two girls here who just want to dance. Ignore us.
p Money: understanding what a budget is, what the pound rate is. What's expensive and what's cheap? I gave her pocket money, and she thought long and hard before using it (in the end she bought a real wand at the Harry Potter studios), comparing costs and making an informed decision.
p Personal responsibility: Yael had a small backpack. On the flight it had a travel pillow attached, and day to day it held water and food. She learned to be responsible for her own bag.
p Third thing: flexible planning with backup plans. More than one.
p I planned from a list of sites and attractions I'd made in a spreadsheet. I filtered the list by what suits kids, and Yael in particular. Then I played around with the activities according to Yael.
p Kids are bundles of energy, but they're like batteries. Suddenly they run out. We were at Winter Wonderland at peak energy, and then Yael told me she was tired. Go with it, respect the request right away and go rest.
p The other option is to squeeze them dry, and then nobody enjoys it. Let's remember the goal of the trip: creating memories and quality time.
q “The best education you can give is through travel”
p Yaeli's first street performance
p Fourth thing: booking ahead. Always good. When you get to Madame Tussauds and there's a line as long as the exile for those who didn't book, and a 5-minute line for those who did, you'll want to dance in the rain!
p The downside: when plans change, it can be a problem. I say book everything that's a must, like restaurants, shows and Harry Potter. Everything else depends on your personality and your kids'.
p I booked ahead for:
p The Rainforest Cafe restaurant for kids, Madame Tussauds (Shrek's Adventure, the London Eye and the London Dungeon aren't a must, but book at least two days ahead), The Lion King, Matilda, Winter Wonderland, KidZania, the Harry Potter studios, evening restaurants of course, the tea bus, and the Science Museum for its interesting exhibitions.
p Restaurants:
p 1. The Rainforest Cafe: an experience for kids. Lots of nature, animals and jungle noises in the heart of the city. A touristy restaurant through and through, but I highly recommend it.
p Address: 20 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 7EU
p 2. Yauatcha Soho, which has a Michelin star (no kids): wow! Chic and high level.
p Something happened to me. There was a situation. What happened was I had to eat Burger King before we came, with Yael, and I was stuffed, but the people who ate with me said it was wow, ha ha. I know, it's terrible. But I had a taste :)
p Ask to sit downstairs. And of course, book ahead.
p Address: 15 Broadwick St, London, United Kingdom, W1F 0DL
p 3. Coppa Club: when I saw photos of this restaurant, I lost my mind.
p It was clear to me I was going to this restaurant.
p So yes, it photographs amazingly and I can understand the excitement, but if I had to name the restaurant with the worst service I've ever had, it's the winner!
p So either don't go, or if you're at Tower Bridge anyway, take a photo, be impressed and go to another restaurant.
p I'm not writing the address so you won't be tempted to go, ha ha.
p 4. Inko Nito in Soho (no kids). Very chic, a fun atmosphere, an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, good music and tasty food.
p It's right by Carnaby Street, which I love so much, so combine the two.
p Address: 55 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9QS
p The atmosphere at Inko Nito
p 5. A gorgeous lunch restaurant called The Real Greek, in Covent Garden. The service was among the most amazing we had, it's a fun restaurant, and it's right next to The Lion King theater. Combine them.
p Yael: this was the most fun experience I had on the trip! Funny what kids end up remembering.
p Address: 60-62 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JE
p 6. A restaurant in Camden, Honest Burgers: finger-licking good. Simple, cheap and tasty.
p Address: 34a Camden Lock Pl, London NW1 8AF
p More restaurants I went to last time and recommend:
p 7. Sketch: a great-don't-come-hungry great restaurant. The rooms there are really special: one room has a fairy atmosphere with lasers, and the bathrooms feel like you're in a sci-fi movie. An experience.
p 8. Assaf Granit's fun restaurant, Barbary.
p What do I think of some of the attractions?
p An amusement park in winter! Winter Wonderland: if you're coming in winter anyway, come only on the dates it's open! It's gorgeous! Entry is free and you pay per ride. It's huge fun: there's a big wheel and lots of special rides like fun houses, and of course restaurants and food stalls. An experience! A must!
p Endless fun. Third time on the same ride, by the way
p KidZania! A grown-up world for little ones. A crazy city with fire engines, police, restaurants, studios, books, hotels, all for kids. Amazing. Insanely noisy (I got dizzy), but genius. You go in the same way you board a flight, because you're flying to the kids' country of KidZania, where you can work, get paid and spend the money you earned. For example, clean a hotel room and you get money. Sold at the supermarket? Worked in a delivery room? You get a salary. Committed a crime? Straight to jail! Recommended! Basically kids go in on their own, but because Yael doesn't speak English, they let me go in with her.
p Exhibitions at the Science Museum: entry is free. The museum is amazing, with lots of special, changing exhibitions. We booked:
p Wonderlab: science
p Legend of Apollo
p Red Arrows 3D
p You could spend hours here. We bought clever games in the shop.
p The tea bus: we booked at the last minute because we had a gap in the schedule. Basically, it's a regular tour bus with loads of cookies and pastries, and tea of course. The bus is decorated and the atmosphere is nice. Too expensive for my taste and not worth it. A message from Yael: boring.
p The Harry Potter studios: impressive, but nowhere near Universal Studios and the like. These are the studios where the films were shot, and it really suits Harry Potter fans. I was looking for something different for variety, and we really enjoyed it. It's cool to see how everything is fake, and how they filmed that crazy castle in a tiny model shorter than a person! We came out with great souvenirs. See the video. Very expensive, and we were there about 6 hours.
p Disappointment and amazement at once: the Harry Potter castle
p Musicals. We saw The Lion King and Matilda. Both wow! We both really enjoyed them. During The Lion King, Yael sang the whole show in Hebrew and was thrilled by the characters who passed through the audience and played with her, and I translated Matilda for her. At Matilda we sat in the front row, and Yael asked why they were spitting. I explained to her what it means to be within spitting distance of the actors, and how much fun that is. Speaking of booking ahead: it's cheaper to book front rows ahead, and the experience is much better.
p Shopping
p Definitely not the goal of the trip. So we made a list in advance of what we were missing and which gifts we wanted to buy for whom, and stuck to that list only. Only.
p Near Piccadilly there's a multi-floor sports store called Lillywhites, with amazing prices. We bought shoes for everyone there. A very big check mark here, and all that's left is to enjoy.
p Primark without trying anything on: an hour and a half and you're out. Stretching kids longer than that can be tough. We bought almost everything on our list.
p Gap and Next: a quick pass and you're set.
p Westfield mall
p Getting around
p We took the Tube, took Ubers, and walked a looot. Walking around London is so much fun. You stop at Ben's Cookies
p You stop at a random café and really experience the city. No plans.
p Navigation: I have Waze, I have Google Maps, but the app that won the crown, the best navigation app is (drumroll) Citymapper (green, with an arrow). If I turn around, it knows I've turned. Brilliant! With Google I can walk for a minute before I realize I'm going the wrong way. In short, warmly recommended. Especially with kids.
p The practical part
p The schedule for five full days.
p Day 1: The flight, a rest, and a trip to the Piccadilly area: the famous M&M's and Lego stores and the Rainforest Cafe. In the evening I went out with my sister-in-law to Coppa Club (don't go).
p Day 2: The wax museum, lunch at the gorgeous The Real Greek in Covent Garden, The Lion King musical right nearby, quick shopping at Primark (done in just an hour and a half for Yael and the family), Yauatcha Soho.
p Day 3: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland first thing, a rest, Matilda the musical.
p Day 4: The Science Museum, including exhibitions we booked ahead, the tea bus (very meh, but pleasant), a last half day in Camden: ice skating for hours and restaurants in the market like Honest Burgers. An experience.
p Day 5: The Warner Bros. Harry Potter studios outside the city. Inko Nito restaurant.
p Day 6: Shrek's Adventure, the aquarium (look out for the game they hand out at the entrance; it keeps the kids nicely busy), the London Eye, KidZania (a grown-up world for little ones, at Westfield mall).
p Did you like it? Follow me on Instagram: all the London stories are saved there in three parts. One with Roni (my partner) and two with Yael. On Facebook, and of course here on the blog :)
p To sum up, London is amazing.
p With kids, without kids, with a partner, with friends, alone.
p The main thing is to understand what a privilege it is to be there. So enjoy, because why enjoy alone?
p And come visit my new Instagram and my Facebook group, where you can share your own good times too, because why should you enjoy alone?
