Is there anything more satisfying than nearly 12 hours of sleep after running a full day on very little sleep? I’m sure the answer is yes, but on this particular day, I’m gonna say there isn’t. 🙂 Yes, I’m back in London and yes, I had to stay awake alllllll day after landing. I’m certainly not going to complain about being back in my favorite city, but running on almost no sleep is never fun no matter what the circumstances are. Thankfully, I at least made the most of what turned out to be a pretty full day!

This trip came together a few months when I thought it would be fun to come for another Doctor Who screening at the BFI. When I was here in September, I attended one with some friends, so when it was announced that another one would be happening this month (they happen a few times each year to tie into the release of season box sets on Blu-ray), I figured that would be a good excuse to come back again. Although it’s a quick trip (I arrived yesterday, Thursday, and I’m leaving on Tuesday), I think (hope?) it will be long enough to see friends, have fun, and not feel totally knocked down by jet lag in either direction. Let’s see if I’m right!

As I’ve done on my last couple of trips, I’m flying standby on Delta, which is excellent for the wallet, but always leaves an element of the unknown because I never know where I’ll be sitting or if there will even be room for me on the plane. Thus far, I’ve been super lucky – when I was here last April, I got a very nice Premium Select seat on the way here and an even better Delta One seat on the way home! My September trip was more indicative of the flexibility needed for standby travel as my friend Bill and I had to fly a day earlier than originally planned as we weren’t sure if there would be available seats on the flight we were going to take. For that trip, I was in a regular economy seat close to the back of the plane on the way there and another regular economy seat at the very back of the plane on the way back (though with no one next to, in front of, or behind me, so it was great), so it’s a different adventure every time. But I’ve flown economy on most of the trips in my life, so I don’t mind doing it on standby one bit and I’m thankful for the chance to come to London more easily (and often!) as a result!

How did I fare this trip? I had zero worries about getting on the plane because in the couple of weeks leading up to my departure, the Delta app showed 180-200 available seats, so I was confident there wouldn’t be a rush on tickets for a Wednesday evening flight from Minneapolis to London that would force me to change my plans or cancel. Although I never check my bag when flying standby (too risky, since seats aren’t assigned until getting to the gate), I still got to the airport a couple of hours before takeoff so I could get some steps in and relax in a lounge for bit. I got to the gate earlier than I needed to (about a half-hour before boarding started) and played the waiting game as I wasn’t sure if the agent would call me up or just assign seats and let us standby folks see it in the app. As it happened, she did call a few folks up, but as I was watching the Delta app, I could see she was then just assigning seats in priority order and, lucky me, I got cleared for a Delta One seat! Based on what I could see for available seats plus how many people were flying standby (16 of us, I think), it didn’t seem likely for me to get one, so I was elated when it happened! As I’ve said before, planes are ultimately a way to get from A to B, so I’m not too fussed about where I sit, but when I get a nice, big seat that lays flat, I’ll absolutely take advantage of it!

I even got seat 1A! Not that there’s anything different about it, but I thought it was funny I got the very first seat.

A smile and a pre-takeoff cheers for nice seats!

As usual, the flight itself was perfectly fine, though a bit turbulent about 60-90 minutes before we landed. Regular readers will know that I’m not much of a sleeper on planes and that holds true even when I have a seat that lays flat. Not only was it earlier than my last couple of flights, making it harder to sleep (this flight left Mpls around 515p, as opposed to my September trip, when it left after 10p, so it was already bedtime), but the environment just isn’t conducive for sleeping for me (I’m envious of people who can drift off as soon as they get on a plane!). I did try though, laying down for a good three hours, so at least I was a bit rested and certainly more comfortable than I otherwise would have been. Outside of that, I made the most of the tasty food, enjoyed a few nice views out the window (I almost always get aisle seats, so being at a window is always a bit of a novelty for me), and watched some TV on my iPad. As flights go, it was a very enjoyable one!

Gee, do you think they fed me enough?! I went for the chicken dish for dinner, plus the sides that came with it, and ice cream for dessert. Before we landed, I had the quiche for breakfast, which I really enjoyed. Needless to say, I was NOT hungry when we landed!

We landed around 630a, which is a pretty popular arrival time at Heathrow as it seemed people were deplaning from multiple flights as I made my way to passport control. Although I’ve always had really smooth experiences at Heathrow, especially since they introduced e-gates a few years ago, I was thinking things would be slammed, but there was barely even a line by the time I arrived! A quick passport scan at the e-gate and I was on my way!

Unlike last time, when I took the Elizabeth line, I decided to take the regular ol’ tube to get into the city, which I knew would be risky because I was traveling during peak morning commute time, but what’s the worst that could happen? This is where the slowdown happened as the Piccadilly line had delays on the entire line, so it took about 20 minutes for a train to even arrive, by which time a sizable crowd of travelers had amassed, so the train was already kind of full when it left Heathrow. Loads more people got on at the next couple of stops, so it was wall-to-wall people for most of my trip. I was glad to have a smaller carry-on bag with me instead of my full-size suitcase! Despite the crowded train though, I had no issues reaching Earl’s Court and then Victoria from there, which was my destination as I’m staying very near that station on this trip (more on that below).

It wasn’t even 9a by the time I reached my hotel, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to check in (didn’t stop me from asking though!), but they were able to take my luggage so I could go out and enjoy the city (and stay awake!) without schlepping it with me. My only planned activity for the day wasn’t happening until mid-afternoon, so I did what I always do when I’m in London – WALK! My hotel is only about 1.5 miles from Trafalgar Square, which is what I always consider to be a kind of homebase, so I walked there, snapping a few photos along the way, as usual. I had podcasts in my ear and nice, if cloudy, weather around me, so I was happy!

Not having anything specific planned, I ended up checking a couple of things off my list that I knew I’d want to do at some point anyway – shopping at Forbidden Planet for nerdy stuff and at Fopp for movies. How convenient that they’re just down the street from each other! Although I didn’t find anything to buy in either place, it helped keep me awake. With a few miles on my feet by the time I finished, my stomach was ready for a little something, so I made a stop at Tortilla, which is a favorite fast food stop in London. I haven’t made it there on my last couple of trips, so it was a tasty visit!

Before my window shopping, I stumbled on Phoenix Garden, which I don’t recall hearing of or seeing on previous trips. A great little green space in the city!

While I was lunching at Tortilla, I happened to see a Facebook about Queer Britain, which I also don’t think I’d ever heard of before. It’s the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum and the article told me how it had recently reopened with some new content, so I decided to visit as it would be the perfect time-filler between lunch and my matinee.

I had to catch a train to King’s Cross, which was easily done from Charing Cross, and then walk a few minutes to reach the museum. As I was walking there, I realized I had walked through the same space, Coal Drops Yard, with friends Sophie and Matt a couple of years ago! I guess I’ve visited London enough times that those déja vu moments are going to pop up now and then. 🙂 I quickly found the museum in a nondescript brick building (watch for the small signs as you’re near it) and made my way inside. It’s very small – really just a few rooms of exhibition space, but it’s got some great history in it (plus a small shop, of course). I talked to a couple of the staffers there and they were very friendly and knowledgeable and seemed eager to share more about the history of the community. The main gallery (all in one room) has six sections, with each focused on a different theme connected to the LGBTQ+ community. Even though there isn’t a ton of content, it’s all interesting and seems to be well-curated. In a separate exhibition space (the next room over), there’s a display called Queer Print, which is also good. There’s another small space where some video content is playing, but that’s about it (plus the shop). I have to think that this is even more interesting for LGBTQ+ folks from the UK who lived through some of what’s covered in the museum, but it’s a good visit for anyone!

The entrance to the museum along with an intro to it.

Various displays from the main gallery, including club kid attire, a section of the UK AIDS Quilt, and a section dedicated to Justin Fashanu, who was the first professional footballer to come out as gay. He was also one of the first footballers to command a £1 million transfer fee.

I was hoping hoping my museum visit would time well with me being able to get back to my hotel to check in, shower, and change before my matinee (especially as I was really feeling that “travel grime” on my body by this point) and thankfully, that’s exactly what happened. I caught a direct train from King’s Cross to Victoria for the very short (2-3 minutes) walk to my hotel. On this trip, I’m staying at a new-to-me hotel, CitizenM London Victoria Station. If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of it, but it’s a recently-acquired brand in the Marriott portfolio and I had enough points to cover my entire stay, so I decided to give it a shot.

The vibe is similar to my much-loved Premier Inn Hub hotels in that their schtick seems to be central city locations with compact, comfortable rooms, coupled with a “young” vibe in the lobby and common spaces. Check-in doesn’t technically start until 2p, but I got back here just before 1p with my fingers crossed and I was able to check in with no problem! I couldn’t get fully unpacked, but I had enough time to shower (which was glorious – excellent water pressure!), change, and get some of my stuff situated before I was back out the door.

I like the design! With a big, central bar and tons of seating, there’s lots of room for folks to talk, work, have a drink, etc.

And here’s my room! As you may remember from previous Hub stays, the layout is kind of similar, but the bed is notably bigger (definitely a true king-size as opposed to the doubles at Hubs) and the shower is a bit bigger as well. I thought the sink outside the toilet/shower space might be a bit awkwardly-situated, but it’s fine! The real added bonus is the small refrigerator built into it (the open drawer in the last photo). I’ve already stocked it with some water and bevvies!

Having slept here for one night, I can say the experience is comparable to Hub hotels, but I’m actually going to give the edge to CitizenM! Although similarly-sized, I do think the room here is a bit bigger and the layout works a little better, too. I love the larger bed and it’s neat that everything in the room (lights, temp, TV) is controlled by an iPad next to the bed. I also love the fact that I can easily cast content from my phone or iPad to the room TV (that used to work at Hubs, but hasn’t for a few years). I will say that the AC isn’t quite as good as a Hub hotel, but it’s fine. Really glad I chose it!

Enough about hotels! By the time I was showered and changed, I had to head out to my afternoon event – a West End show of Paranormal Activity. I’m a HUGE horror fan, so when I heard about this stage show while browsing current West End offerings, I knew I’d want to go. I was curious about how a seminal modern horror film would translate to a stage, but I was delighted with how good it was! I won’t spoil anything, but there are plenty of scares that had audience members scared and a story that mostly holds together (it lost me a bit at the end). I will say that the only real similarity it has with the film is the name and a couple dealing with a scare, but it’s very good and definitely worth seeing. I was in the circle and had a great view of the two-level stage, with just a bit at the top of the lower stage cut off from view. If you’re a horror fan and you’re in London, you should see it!

Unsurprisingly, I did start to get sleepy sitting in a dark theatre for 2.5 hours (including the 15-minute interval), so even though it was only about 5p when I left, I knew I was close to needing bedtime. I didn’t want to give in QUITE that quickly though, so I stopped at Halfway II Heaven for a drink on my way back to the station. Although Retro Bar is my “regular” place here, I switched it up this time and I’m glad I did as I think this place is equally chill. As an added bonus, they were playing Sister Act on one of their TVs and First Wives Club on the other! Methinks they know their clientele. 🙂

I managed to stay for about a half-hour, but didn’t want to fall asleep before I could get back to my hotel, so I caught a train and got myself to my home-away-from-home. As I’ve said before, I like to get my stuff put away (shirts in drawers, jeans on hangers, toiletries by the sink, etc.) when I’m staying in a hotel for more than a night or two, so I did get to finish doing that. I even hung on long enough to get all my photos edited, which I was pretty proud of! I knew writing this post was beyond me though, so I officially threw in the towel just before 8p. To my utter delight, I remained asleep until 730a today, waking only briefly a couple of times. I feel SO much better this morning and have knocked this post out for your reading pleasure. I have nothing planned today, but have some ideas, so come back to see what I got up to.