Day to myself in London…what would you do?

[BarrelOfOtters2]

9 to 4. Staying near Westminster Bridge. I know London fairly well. It’s in a October.

I’d look to see if there was an interesting exhibition on at the National or National Portrait Gallery.

I’d spend some time in Foyles, including cake and coffee in the cafe.

I’d go for a walk along the South Bank and browse the second-hand books if the market is on under Westminster Bridge.

Id go to the Tate Modern, have afternoon tea at The Globe Swan restaurant and mooch along the South Bank maybe take in a free lunchtime concert tnere and do some Christmas shopping.

I’d probably go clothes shopping, especially for things that are hard to order online (coats, shoes). But that’s because I really need some new clothes right now.

If I didn’t need any clothes… Maybe a gallery or museum. British Museum has a fab looking exhibition about historical women at the moment, I don’t know if it’s still on in October. I would definitely find myself a nice place to have lunch and perhaps wander round some quirky shops in Spitalfields or Soho.

walk along the river to borough market and have a pastry and a coffee, choose a musuem/art gallery for a good look around then lunch at the oyster bar in bentleys with a glass or two of champagne. A quick mooch around liberty, detour for a pedicure or massage and then back to hotel for room service and some uninterrupted netflix or book in the bath.

Uber boat to Greenwich and wander round the free museums and the shops. I used Tesco vouchers to have a zizzi lunch with a great view of the river.
If you have the evening as well, you can take advantage of being in your own to get a ticket to whatever the show of the moment is.

Mudlarking. Find out if the tide's out while you're there and see what you can dig up from the mud at the foot of the stairs outside the South Bank Centre. Walk along the river, eat at Borough Market. Or get a glass from Gordon's wine bar, north side of the river at Charing Cross.

Or take the overground to Ridley Road Market in Dalston, Hackney. I like the market because I used to live round the corner, but when I last went a few years ago, I was pleased to see that it still sold West Indian remedies, a choice of hot peppers and Nigerian dried fish. No more portraits of Malcolm X though, instead, Obama. There are Turkish steam baths nearby, too, and the Arcola theatre and bar, which does interesting shows.

@ThreeLocusts mudlarking…that would be new.

like the sound of an exhibition and borough market.

or might find a decent Japanese and eat everything….