It has now been one hundred days since it was announced Britain was in lockdown. As I reflect on all the outing’s I had made every weekend when we were in a time before lockdown, I thought I would give you my top choices. You might want to put these on your list to do once we are out of lockdown or you might be able to share more ideas for me to do. I enjoy and always want to make sure I have something to look forward to each weekend to get through my week. All ideas on the list do not need to be with partners and some of the below have been attended with my female friends (you know who you are!).
1. Lunch at The Ivy
There are many different locations for this restaurant and the menu at dinner time can be pricey. However, why not experience the same décor and waiting for service for half the price at lunchtime? I advise booking if you are going on a weekend at a key location. But do see it as a date and dress up with your friends to take photos with their beautiful decorations. What is also interesting is each venue has different decorations and scenery.
2. Climb O2 Tower
If you are looking for more of an adventure it can be fun to take part in this as its reasonably priced. Once you have climbed the tower it has a great view at the top to take photos even in cooler seasons which are less popular. It is also situated in a shopping center with plenty of restaurants which you can enjoy after you have successfully descended.
3. Gordons Wine Bar, Embankment
It is one of London’s oldest wine bars and has a great atmosphere to drink in their candlelit cellar filled with wine barrels. The food and drinks are cheap for central London and every time I have been it has a lot of customers enjoying their time there. I would recommend it as it is hidden away but awfully close to any activity you are taking part in central London.
4. Table Tennis Bounce (Holborn)
I have chosen to have this venue for a couple of my birthdays after I discovered it on a work social. I personally prefer the location in Holborn as the dance floor is closer to the table tennis boards which means you can be close to all your group of friends. The price again to enter is cheap but be warned drinks are London prices. It is important to book a table tennis game for a selected time otherwise it runs out and you might not get one, particularly on a weekend. Also, be careful what you wear as the lights are UV and will show are darker underwear under white tops (I have been there)!
5. Swingers Crazy Golf
I again personally prefer Swingers Crazy Golf to many other fun golf places including Junk Yard Golf. They are all terribly similar priced however Swingers seems to be looked after more and there are nice places to sit down to eat if you have rushed there after work. You will need to book in advance online especially if you want to play with a few friends. A lot of the customers are young and looking to chat at the venue we noticed.
6. Santander Boris Bikes to Art galleries
These are easy to hire anywhere around London and to return allowing you to sightsee for next to nothing. Just check that once you have finished you have properly put it back and someone cannot take it off as it will charge your card. This is also a great experience if the weather is nice and you have plenty of time to explore any of the surrounding areas.
7. Backyard Cinema
There are many events they put on which are quite interesting and, on their websites, they have a variety of different interests to watch. It can be nice to experience added extras if you have been wanting to watch the latest movie for a long time or a classic older movie for a special occasion.
8. Electric Cinema
These cinemas are in different locations around London and they are only a few extra pounds than your entrance to a regular cinema, but they are a lot more comfortable. You book to have a sofa or bed to watch the movie and can order drinks from the bar or order food to your space. The extra décor and atmosphere are a nice added touch as Notting Hill Electric Cinema is one of the oldest working cinemas in Britain.
9. Soho Theatre
Again, I would recommend checking out the website when you have free time to see if there is anything coming up you might want to book to watch. It is a great place to watch shows, drama productions, or comedy without the huge price’s other theatres charge. Sometimes you will be lucky enough to watch an up and coming rising screen star!
10. Warner Bros Studio Tour – Harry Potter
Booking to see this can be more expensive and does take more planning to reach the Studio however the building itself and experience can last many hours. The people that work at the Studio have been trained well and know A LOT of information about the show. There are talks at different stations and plenty of opportunities for your own personal photographs. This is one of the most enjoyable dates I have been on and I was not even a huge lover of Harry Potter before I went.
11. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, Covent Garden
This restaurant is tucked away down a side street in central London and is very popular so you will need to book if you are going on a weekend. They serve the greatest joints of meat (particularly steak) and all of it is cooked on a real charcoal grill. It is a lovely open-spaced base room and the staff was particularly charming when ordering. They also have a classic classy cocktail menu.
12. Strictly Come Dancing Tour O2 Arena
This experience of course is very personal as I enjoy watching dancing but if you get a chance to watch anything at the O2 I would grab the chance. The area was packed, and it is great to be surrounded by people that are cheering and engrossed in something that you enjoy. Be careful when booking as the top seats are high and it is steep when you are looking down at the arena.
13. Olympia London
There are many different events that are hosted at Olympia throughout the year including the Ideal Home Show, Crufts Dog Shows, Move It- Dance, Eat & Drink Festival, and The National Wedding Show. If you are planning to come to London or have a free weekend coming up I would advise looking online to see if anything interests you as it can be nice to spend the afternoon learning from experts.
14. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
This was also one of the best dates I have ever been on as it was vastly different from anything I had seen before and felt great to watch our countries young talent. I do not know if it was a one-off event to watch the ‘World Cup Athletics’ at this London Stadium but I will definitely keep my eye out to see if any other sports events come up to be hosted here. The view was really good and it had plenty of places to grab snacks while watching. They were also very open for you walking down to watch closely and take photos.
15. Breakin'
On both occasions to visit this escape room, I have enjoyed the room chosen and booked for. On both occasions, each challenge had a variety of mysteries and the story flowed from clue to clue. It was exciting knowing you are getting closer to the end while the time ticks past. It is nice knowing if you are stuck someone is there to prompt you but not give it away and it still feels satisfactory to get as far as you can. It is great too as they let us walk the very ending to know what happened as we were so close. The staff is happy to take photos of your group as a memory for free. I enjoyed this escape room for the price I paid on both occasions (great one to take work colleagues).
Of course, this is only a few of the many experiences you can have in London. Please do let me know if you have any experiences you would recommend as it can always be daunting when searching online for events. I cannot wait to start booking in experiences again with loved ones in London and in surrounding areas. When we are allowed to be out once again, I will definitely be booking my next flights to tick off from my bucket list.
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