Back in London!! Day 2

When I woke up and went on my phone to find something to do, I was reminded of "TodayTix," an app that gives amazing discount prices on theatre and other events going on. I first learned about it from my professor during my study abroad in London over the summer of 2019. I originally used it to enter the Friday Forty raffle for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was only £40 for both performances! I believe they have the same raffle in the States for $40 too. When I was looking through the options, Frozen really caught my eye, but it was still quite expensive. Then, I saw Back to the Future and was really intrigued. I haven't seen the movie in a while, but I figured it could be really cool to see a classic American film turned into a musical in the heart of London!

Since I still hadn't found cheaper embroidery floss, I set off to a place up north called Slipstitch (isn't that so cute??). For those who don't know much about sewing or crocheting, a slipstitch is a very common stitch used as an "invisible" stitch. Nearby was Alexandra Palace which I had never heard of. It sounded cool, so I figured I could just take a look.

In order to get there, I actually had to take the Tube on the Northern line and transfer a little past Archway/Highgate, so I decided I could see my old flat again. I originally wanted to avoid this since I revisited last time, but something in me told me that it would be really nice. I was pleasantly surprised to remember that there is always a little market on Saturdays, so I took a look at the stalls. One of them was a really cool bagel vendor, but it was a tad expensive for me. I also stumbled upon a lovely vinyl vendor! There were so many really cool records and it was so hard to decide what to get that I ended up not getting anything...until about a minute later when I made myself turn around and get this one record I could feel in my gut I would regret not buying. Once I got the record, I was really happy and the vendor gave me the perfect sized bag to carry it in too! Then, I had to make an obligatory lunch stop at McDonald's, where they were in the middle of adding Halloween decorations. They had an amazing £1.99 deal on wraps, so I had to indulge and got the crispy chicken caesar wrap meal. Oh my god. It was so freaking delicious I probably could have had another. I also got this incredible toffee latte that I so wish we had in Luxembourg.

After eating, I made my way to my old flat, and it was so pretty, as usual. The resident cat wasn't there, which was a little disappointing, and I really hope they're okay. I also really miss the cute red post boxes. We had them in Japan too, so it's a bit of an adjustment seeing the relatively boring yellow metal boxes on the corner in Luxembourg. I made my way to the bus stop I always got off at and took a bus directly to Slipstitch.

The walk from the bus stop was so gorgeous. All of the houses reminded me of Germantown with the pointy roofs and dark wood paneling over the light walls. The store was so unbelievably cute, and it was stocked with the most gorgeous yarn I had ever seen. They had an amazing display of DMC floss, but it was still £1.40 and I didn't want to spend that much money. I decided to at least get 2 and then some yarn for crocheting because it was super cheap and looked like it was great quality. I found the perfect chenille yarn for the mini Christmas stockings I wanted to make my kindergarten class, but I had to awkwardly stand there and do the conversion from yards to meters to double check I would have enough for the project. Thankfully, they ship internationally, but it would still be an annoying hassle. Something funny that happened while I was in the shop is that one of the workers said "Baseball is America's pastime," and then another said "I thought that was shooting people." I then responded, "As an American, I can confirm."

After I finished up, I went next door because I saw some cute cards. I never got any postcards when I was in London, so I'm taking the time now to find some nice once. Unfortunately, there were only real cards meant to be sealed in envelopes, but I found a funny goose one that I'll send to my boyfriend later. I overheard a conversation between a Black woman and the white store owner that I originally thought was a good productive conversation about the Free Palestine protests. It turned out that the store owner was saying that she didn't think protests would get anywhere and that they're pointless. When the Black woman left, I made a point to tell her I agreed and that the owner just doesn't understand because she has the privilege of not needing to protest for her rights. I also told her I wish I intervened, but I was too scared because I'm American, but she seemed to understand. I didn't exactly want to support the business anymore, but I also really wanted this card for my boyfriend, so I got it and left for Alexandra Palace.

The park was just around the corner, but it was quite big. There was an adorable playground for children as well as a swan boat pond. The cafe right beside it was very cute, and they even had ice cream for dogs! I also saw a woman feeding oats to the ducks and pigeons. Funnily enough, there was a sign that said don't feed bread to ducks because it's bad for their stomachs. Good thing she knew her stuff.

The place was really big and hard to get a good picture of from the outside. In addition to looking pretty, it's a theatre venue as well as an ice skating rink. The inside has concessions, like food and drinks, as well as a cute little merchandise store. They had some of the coolest postcards there, so I bought two. There were lots of kids in the play area, and there was even a mini exhibition with the history of the building. What a hidden gem! I didn't need to spend long here, so I figured it was time to head back and drop my things off before getting dinner and heading to the musical. As I walked to the bus station nearby, I couldn't help but gawk at the incredible view of the city. I decided to walk a bit more to get a better view, which is where the more picturesque side of the building was!

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It was another smooth ride back to the flat, and I couldn't wait to eat. It's so easy to get around because you can just tap your credit/debit card in and out, so you don't have to get an Oyster card. I found that the number of trips I take isn't worth getting the day pass, but it might be worth it if I planned more things to do.

I had about 30 minutes to relax, so I started looking for places to eat dinner. Lying in bed, I remembered that there are pre-theatre meal deals around West End theatres, so I looked for some good Indian Restaurants. I was happily suprised by how gorgeous the restaurant was, and there was even a man dressed up outside in a suit and top hat the open doors. It was also right around the corner from the Adelphi Theatre, so it couldn't have been more convenient! London's Broadway musicals never cease to amaze me!

Despite Back to the Future being a classic, I won't say too much because I don't want to give it away in case of anyone not being as familiar. The cast I had was spectacular and I really wish I could tell you who the members were, but I wasn't ready to pay 12 quid for a catalogue. The music wasn't exactly memorable, but everyone had fantastic voices. I think Marty's dad was one of the true stars of the show. One of the craziest parts for me was hearing the cast give their speech to ask for donations and getting to hear all of their real (British) accents. I truly didn't hear anyone's British accent come through during the entire show. Also, I felt a bit bad I couldn't donate because I'm living under a student budget, but I felt less bad seeing the buckets were quite full by the time I exited. Plus, they even had a QR code for electronic payment, so I'm sure they reached some pretty good numbers. One day, when I have more expendable income, I would also like to join in and make a donation. They were going head-to-head with Six down the street, so that was some more cool incentive to add to the mix. I really want to see that musical as well, but it's still quite expensive, so I'm holding out. After I left, I couldn't stop smiling all the way home. Theatre is so special to me and I'm so glad I decided to take the leap and get tickets for tonight. I hope I get to experience this magic again soon. Maybe I'll even come back to the West End while I'm close!