When I first visited Venice, Italy, I remember buying handmade paper by the sheet.  It was elegant, unique and something I wanted to write on.  But what to write?  What was worthy of this special paper?  As silly as it sounds now, that paper could only be used for a love letter, those love letters featured in newspaper articles, the ones shown in the movies, the ones found years later that evoked tears of happiness and sadness. The letter that would have been put in the mailbox to work its magic across the city, state, oceans, etc. to arrive in the mailbox of the intended paramour.  The logistics of the letter delivery lost to the sender and recipient but happily recreated by the Postal Museum and Mail Rail in London showcasing the transit of that letter across London (and the world).

The problem was I didn’t have a love to write to so I saved that paper as a piece of art – it really is a piece of art in the craftsmanship as well as in the intent.  An intent lost today in the world of swiping left and right, a world full of emojis and disappearing messages and one that “likes” my post but doesn’t actually converse with me.  That paper reminds me of history, a history of conversations that often took days or even weeks to initiate and continue.  A time when I had pen pals in Australia and Italy.

The Post Office Railway “Mail Rail” is Born

It’s easy to romanticize the piece of paper and the letter because it all seemed so simple in the early days (at least the movies and books make me feel that way). Central in all of this letter writing and waiting for the postman is the post office – the logistics of how that letter leaves your hands and gets into another is fascinating.  And in London, they found a new way to get the mail moving across the city by moving it underground.  Why bother with the mess, traffic and time-consuming horse-drawn carriages above ground when you can utilize the tunnels underground?  And thus the London Post Office Railway “rebranded Mail Rail in 1987” was born.

The underground mail tunnels were born to transport mail across London (about 6.5 miles of tracks) with multiple stops at key destinations in the city between Paddington and Whitechapel stations.  At each platform, men would have little time (about a minute) to remove the sacks of mail and replace them with other sacks that arrived by chute in an operation that ran nearly 22 hours a day.  The work was physically demanding and exhausting.  But logistically it was so advanced in my opinion.  The trains were driverless and controlled centrally.  If you ever need to be “wowed” just try to fathom the London underground system and this mail tunnel built so long ago. Visiting the London Transport Museum is a great complement to the Postal Museum Rail Mail visit.

For nearly 75 years, the mail traveled underground across London but as new forms of communications were born namely the telephone, fax and then ultimately the smart phone, the mail rail was nearing the end of its efficiency and usefulness in a world less interested in the letters and more focused on emoji’s and quick hits of texts.  The mail rail train was eventually decommissioned in 2003 but lucky us that Royal Mail decided to open up (in 2017) the Mont Pleasant station and build a wonderful attraction that celebrates the era long gone.  Mail Rail is part of the Royal Mail Postal Museum.

Where to Find Mail Rail at the Royal Mail Postal Museum

The Postal Museum is hidden industrial building about 15 minutes walking from Chancery Lane (Central Line) tube station.  Following Google Maps I was led down laneways and small roads away from the crazy that is The City.  The beige factory like building across from the empty lot with cranes ready to build a new London structure was easy to find and it took a few doors down to enter the Postal Museum shop.  The security guard directs you to leave all bags (purses, backpacks, etc.) and coats in the storage lockers (need to deposit £1 coin in the locker as security).  The staff member checks your ticket time before showing you the stairs to descend to the attraction.

Note: Buy your Mail Rail Ride ticket in advance online as there are a limited number of riders and time slots.  You can visit the Postal Museum without riding Mail Rail but for the best experience, plan ahead. 

Riding the Mail Rail Ride at the Postal Museum

When you enter the large room the video projection is on the right hand side which provides a short film history of mail rail.  Around the room are various descriptive boards and the main attraction is on the left – the small trains that have been upgraded to (snugly) fit people into the compartments that used to carry mail bags.

When your ticket time is listed you go queue (line) up and wait to board.  You can leave all bags, coats, etc. in the cubbies if you want (avoiding the deposit lockers upstairs).  Then you are asked to board (or smush into) the train in pairs.  As I was solo, I was allowed to be by myself.  The trains limit tickets to 20 people per time slot so lucky for me I didn’t have to share the small space with a stranger that day.

The glass overhead is closed to secure the train (claustrophobic feel for some) and the driver has a short announcement before we are off and the audio tour begins (speakers overhead).  The narration follows the train and we stop at the first platform to see a video projection of the history of mail, the mail rail and London.  It’s a bit Disney-fied which frankly was a great touch.  The experience transports you back in time and follows the letters, the workers and the people behind the stories over the years.

The fifteen minute ride is not enough as everyone moans upon returning to the platform.  The cost to fully restore all of the stations to take the train across the city is not feasible.  The one station and back is just enough to provide insight into the mail rail history.  You then disembark to walk through the small but nicely curated postal museum and mail rail displays with a few interactive sections.

Royal Mail Postal Museum and Rail Mail Exhibits

The U-shaped exhibit area begins when you disembark the Mail Rail Train.  The wall showcases a map listing the stations across London that the Mail Rail serviced.  Next to the map is the train driver’s car used to maintain and ride the rails – super small if you try to climb in – I tried and didn’t fit. Second is the workers storage lockers, a few intact from the final days of service.  The interactive part is for children mostly to try on the equipment and clothes.  In this area there is also a tool box to show a few of the necessary objects needed to maintain the mail rail train cars, tracks and other equipment at the platforms.

As you walk through the history of the mail rail, each section is a glaring reminder to an industrial mechanical age.  There is the control center which provided updates as to the location of the trains which were unmanned and ran on their schedule.  The display to show the large leather satchels on a mail on a hook that the train delivered as it passed by.  There is an interactive travelling post office (mail train) train car that provides a timed game to sort the mail as the train moves from side to side (I beat the clock and sorted the mail but was annoyed it wasn’t alphabetical to make it easier). Now imagine the train is moving at regular speed and like a pinball machine you are bouncing side to side against co-workers as you sort the mail.

My Mail Rail Ride & Postal Museum Experience

As a super fan of all the “How it’s Made” and “How Do they do that” type of TV shows, documentaries and behind the scenes films, I was super intrigued by all of the displays and the history of Mail Rail. For a unique peek into the history of London and its postal service, a visit to Mail Rail is a must.  The kids growing up today, in my opinion, are so far removed from mail and the post office they may one day never know the feeling of receiving a hand written letter or postcard and that would be a shame.  I’m glad Royal Mail has created this small slice of history to share with everyone.  A visit takes about an hour so you can easily fit this into your London itinerary.

The Harry Potter Studio tour opened to the public in 2012 in Leavesden, about eighteen miles outside of London and since then I’ve wanted to visit with each trip to London. Sadly, my boss has had other ideas, namely meetings, dinners and such leaving little “free” time to explore the city.  So on my “to do list” it stayed until my niece asked “can we go to London too” on our Paris tour.  Now, I had the free time in the city and rather than go solo, I had the required child for appearances sake.  Let’s be clear, I was more excited to go The Harry Potter Studio tour than she was given that I’m a film geek. I understand all the categories (even the tech awards) at the Academy Awards, watch all of the short films (animated and documentary) and yet never win the Oscar pool! I also love attending film festivals and have met many directors, actors and crew along the way.

So in addition to loving the Harry Potter films, I was loving the meticulous detail of the props, costumes, background, make up, set design, construction, art design, etc.  My niece didn’t appreciate all the little details like I did – she saw the big things and just wanted her picture here and there which made sense as she is eleven.

Harry Potter Studio Tour with Golden Tours London

I booked with Golden Tours, the exclusive Harry Potter Studio tour operator in London.  The Golden Tour cost (at the time) was £69 Adult, £64 Child, which included admission and bus transportation from London.   Upside is that you don’t need to worry about transit/shuttles, downside is that your visit is limited to three hours. If you want to stay longer, then either drive yourself or do the train/shuttle combo.  Golden Tours offers a transport only option (you must already have admission tickets) for £31 Adult, children vary.

Traveling to Victoria Station from the Sheraton Park Lane, we of course, exited the wrong way, walked around the entire building before finding the Golden Tours office/queue (hidden in the courtyard). Despite our early arrival for the 10 a.m. departure, we were queued up toward the end of the line.  We would be the last people on the double deck bus, sitting together on the lower level without a view.  The rest of the folks were put on a regular tour bus behind us.  The eighteen mile journey would take almost an hour, luckily we did not have to stop at the second pick up point on Baker Street as we were full.

TIP: Board at Victoria (or Kings Cross) to get seats together and arrive first.

Warning: This is a long post with many photos – if you want the short version – IT’S AWESOME!  A MUST SEE! Visit the website for interactive fun facts or “read more” and enjoy my tour.

Let’s Start The Harry Potter Studio Tour

Despite the slow moving traffic, we arrived a bit early for our noon admission tickets, I was surprised that there were no crowds outside – I thought it would be mobbed on a June afternoon.  It is quite nice that the tickets are capacity controlled and timed allowing for a nice visit without being overwhelmed by people.  I paid for two digital tour guide rental, at the time under £10 – money well spent.  The guide not only explained the attraction but had at least three/four additional informational videos per numbered stop.  We were allowed to enter the queue earlier than our ticket time -the lobby as well as the queue was surrounded by props, posters and an original set – the “under the stairs”  to whet our appetites for all things Harry Potter.  The tour would allow entry of about 100 people at a time every 15-20 minutes approximately.

The History of Leavesden Studios

You enter a theatre to watch a short film about the history of Leavesden  and then Harry, Ron and Hermione (aka Daniel, Rupert and Emma) appeared to talk about their time at the studio and filming the Harry Potter movies.  The Leavesden history is fascinating –  it started out as an airfield, Leavesden Aerodrome, before Rolls Royce bought the land to produce engines for aircraft in World War II and thereafter.  Once Rolls Royce left, the airfield was abandoned before a few movie companies discovered its various uses. The airfield at Leavesden was so beloved that the final Concorde flight did a fly over which must have been cool. Warner Bros, the new owner, kept the control tower, original buildings and runway intact which is a nice tribute to the storied history of the aerodrome/airfield.  Warner Bros. has now invested in Leavesden Studios to create multiple soundstages and sets for filming as well as dedicate two buildings, cleverly named sound stage J and K, for the Harry Potter Studio tour.

Entering the Harry Potter Great Hall

Once the film ended the screen rose and the doors to the Great Hall appeared, we were standing outside taking in all of the set design and details.  It was an exciting way to begin our visit.  The guide talked a bit more before the doors opened up and we were led into the Great Hall, past the fireplaces and dining tables set for a meal surrounded by props and costumes.  The guide would provide more background about the films, the actors and pointed out the costumes in front from the main characters.  He then opened it up to questions before we were let free to being our self guided tour through the two sound stages.

Here is where the fun begins!

Harry Potter Studio Tour – Original Movie Sets

There are a few original sets in the first soundstage like Dumbledore’s Office, the Gryffindor Boys’ dorm room (they used the original in all films so the actors had to curl up their legs to fit in as they grew), the Common Room, the Potions Room, Ministry of Magic, Hagrid’s Hut and the Burrow.

Strolling Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley was located in the second soundstage.  In fact, Diagon Alley would be referred to as a “hot set” meaning that it was set up to film today if needed – watching the movies, I’m amazed that many extras were able to fit in the streets as they are not that wide.  The fascinating piece of Diagon Alley is that each interior shop is filled with props, they were handmade not digitally added – no green screens here.  That’s a lot of artistry and love of details for something that you barely see on screen.  The crew were so dedicated to the little things over the ten years of production.  How fantastic to care that much!

Harry Potter Studio Tour – The Animal Actors

My niece enjoyed the animal actor exhibit and reading about the various cats, dogs and owls actors. Lots of fun notes with each animal’s photo.

Picture Time!

There is the interactive picture area – you can ride in the flying car and ride the broomstick through the movies – each is a photo/video you can choose to purchase or just enjoy the free rides as I did. My niece opted out of the broom ride and wanted me to as well.  Of course, channeling my inner kid, I was game!  It was silly fun.  She would not join me in the wand competition so I skipped that activity (reluctantly).  I was embarrassing her?!

We saw all the flying props in front of the green screen used for effects, here the quidditch broomstick.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour – Courtyard Sets

After the first soundstage tour was complete (once you leave you can’t go back in so take your time) we exited to the open air courtyard where we could see more backlot sets – Knight Bus, houses of Privet Drive, Hogwarts Bridge (much smaller than we thought), car, chess pieces – as well as buy a butterbeer, sandwich or snack. Nothing fancy here but a good rest stop with seating area and the sunny outdoors before the next soundstage.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour – Soundstage K

While the first soundstage was props, graphics, set design, costumes, makeup – the second soundstage was monster magic, art design, Diagon Alley, miniatures and the two story Hogwarts Castle model imagined. It was a nice blend/contrast to the first soundstage although more for the film geek than the child in my opinion (outside of Diagon Alley).

The two story Hogwarts campus model fully realized was a great way to end the Harry Potter Studio tour.  You walk around it from top to bottom stopping, as we did, to look at the details on the model and the grounds.

Exiting was of course through the gift shop with all things Harry Potter but before we would get there we would walk through the wand room.  The wand room contained a box with each crew member’s name on it – it was a nice touch.

The gift shop had every Harry Potter item you could imagine (I bought an old school paper guide book). The main lobby has a proper cafeteria and Starbucks for hot foods, coffees and sweet treats. But my mind was still processing all the cool stuff I had seen.

Final Thoughts – The Harry Potter Studio Tour London

The Harry Potter Studio Tour was a fantastic day out of London.  Our bus was full of international visitors- at least six languages that I could discern but we all spoke Harry Potter and smiled at our souvenirs. I did love the studio tour more than my niece.  She loved all the kids parts and I loved it all as a film geek knowing how much work and collaboration a film entails. All the little details that make it (and don’t make it) on screen could be seen on the tour.  If you are a film fan, this is a must on any London visit (book your tour here with Golden Tours).  If you are a Harry Potter fan, then get your muggles out to Leavesden asap to the Harry Potter Studio tour.  Warner Bros. did a great job in my opinion of curating a fun visit for film fans of all ages while also celebrating the amazing crew that worked tirelessly for ten years creating memories!

Disclosure: I paid full price for our Harry Potter Studio tour. This post does contain an affiliate link with Golden Tours which may earn me a slight commission if you book with them.  I only promote those businesses that I’ve had good experiences with and think you may like as well. 

Kids Today are Lucky! This weekend, I spent time with my niece Aubrey, the lucky kid who got to visit Paris & London with me a few years ago.  She was telling me of her spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale with her dad, her upcoming school trip to Virginia, a family wedding in Boston all before her summer camp is set to begin.  I was a bit jealous of all of her travels and then joked with my sister about how we either played on the sidewalk in the summer with chalk or memories of my parents putting us on the Greyhound bus to visit my uncle down the shore (i.e. – South Jersey shore).  My sister and I were maybe 9 and 12 and traveling alone on the bus to Atlantic City in the early 80’s (back when you could do stuff like that to kids raised without seatbelts).

My family went on two vacations that I can remember as a child – the 1983 Disney World visit when Epcot first opened and a beach vacation in Wildwood that my sister and I did with my dad when mom was working.  That’s it – mom was afraid of water, dad was afraid to fly and my Uncle Bill lived near Ocean City, NJ so the annual bus trip (until I could drive us) was it. We never did road trips because my dad drove a truck for a living so the last thing he wanted to do was drive on vacation.  Today, my nieces are very fortunate as are many kids today to be able to travel so much more than we did as kids (or at least my family and friends did).

So now that I’m planning travel with my Arden Road Travel site, I’ve been meeting many reps of luxury properties around the world and learning so much.  Now I feel that to fully enjoy the offerings, I might need to bring a few kids with me (my nieces were definitely game to do research and sad when I asked about their piggy bank balances) or join your family as Aunt Sue. My nieces are now working on my sister (who might be a bit annoyed that I introduced my nieces to these glamourous travel spots) and hopefully I get to experience the properties first hand.  But for now, I can only share them with you and maybe you’ll be my client to go enjoy the family luxury and report back.

Luxury Family Vacations #1 – Glamping in Montana at Paws Up!

My sister said the only way to get her to sleep in a tent was glamping at the Resort at Paws Up!  Let’s be real, these are not the little tents you pitch in the woods or in Botswana, there are over the top luxury tents and villas in Montana (on par with my Elephant Camp tent).  I’ve always wanted to go to Montana and with or without the kids, this is the place to get initiated in the West.  Saddle up with a horse ride, learn to fly fish or stay behind at the spa camp for a body treatment, it’s all very custom and luxurious.  Pick a glamping tent option or a villa.  Bring your family or invite a few friends and other families – there are many pick and choose ways to build out your own bespoke Western adventure at Paws Up.  They offer the Kids a range of activities in the age appropriate discovery programs.  One niece liked the rope swing at the lake and horseback riding, while the teenager thought the paintball and river rafting seemed adventurous. My sister and I were looking at spa and food/wine options (priorities of course!).

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With 30 luxury tents and 28 vacation homes this is a luxury escape for a memorable vacation.

With a plethora of activities year round, there are also a range of special events such as Montana Master Chefs 2016: James Beard All-Stars (Sept 29 – Oct 2), many BBQ events, Cowgirl Spring Roundup, Knit Graffiti (a week of yarn bombing art Aug 14-20) and the Canine Classic (Sept. 25) for you and your dog to walk/run/hike to support the Human Society of Western Montana.

Virtuoso Benefits:  $300 Activity Credit per room/tent, bottle of wine upon arrival and roundtrip airport transfers from Missoula Airport (MSO)

Luxury Family Vacations #2 – The Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World

If you are like me and love Disney World, then you’ve stayed at a variety of properties over the years from International Drive Orlando to Disney Resorts.  It seems like a right of childhood now to go to Disney World.  I’ve done Disney World in Orlando in a variety of combinations –  the family trip as a child,  high school graduation as a teenager with my BFFs, a grown up girls week of sun, wine and fun and also as a multi-generational visit.  Over the years, I’ve found the property that most closely aligns with my inner hotel snob is the Wilderness Lodge, but now after seeing the sales presentation for the Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World, my Spidey senses tell me, it’s time to up my hotel game and go five star Four Seasons luxury to experience Disney World in a new way.

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With a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks each night and a desk of Disney cast members to assist you, it’s the best of both worlds of luxury service. Breakfast with Goofy is offered twice a week at Ravello Restaurant and they offer a kid’s camp plus movies by the pool all without a resort fee.  The outdoor water park has a lazy river on five acres and is enough to make you forget there’s a world of amusement parks and entertainment off property to visit. Worst decision after the presentation was visiting their website because now I want to go to Disney, stay at the Four Seasons Orlando and watch the fireworks from the Capa Steakhouse – red meat, red wine, chocolate cake and fireworks?! Happy Place indeed.

Virtuoso Benefits: $100 spa credit, once per stay

Four Seasons Benefits: Email me your dates and I can let you know as they vary

Luxury Family Vacations #3 – The Galapagos Trip, Nature in Action

When my friend and I were chatting about family vacations, she remarked “I feel like every upper middle class family must take a Galapagos vacation or we’ve failed our kids”.  I laughed and said that’s a bit crazy until I started seeing all of the new family offerings from National Geographic in partnership with G Adventures in my email and brochures in the mail. The Galapagos trips are now being marketed to families who want more –to go beyond the zoo experience, beyond swimming with the dolphins at Atlantis Bahamas and becoming more immersive to do a land and sea adventure with the kids.  The Galapagos offers a plethora of active vacation options as well as easy to charter private boats (and yachts) for a family or a group gathering of a few families or a multi-generation trip with the grandparents.  The Galapagos are still on my list of places to go because as a solo traveler there is the much hated single supplement on the cruises I’m interested in.  But the more research I do into the combo land and sea options, the more I’m excited to do a photography tour or active vacation with a side of sea viewing.

Most trips to the Galapagos start at $5k per person, not including airfare so this is definitely a luxury excursion for a select few at this time.  G Adventures starts at $1,999 pp ($1,799 per child minimum age of 6 y.o.) There are many benefits that I have access to when planning a trip to the Galapagos, so contact me for more information. 

So am I jealous of the kids today?  Somedays, I think yes, other days, I consider myself lucky to have had the backyard pool and playing freedom with the neighborhood kids without the distraction of the internet (we would eventually get Atari to compete with the pavement hopscotch).

What’s your favorite family vacation memory? Do you take your kids on luxury vacations or would you?

Three years ago, I started writing about my travels and pressed “publish” on this blog.  I had no idea how my life would change from that action – the blog has helped me overcome sudden loss, connected me with new friends in London and around the world and has been my creative outlet during my job transition.  Suddenly I was sharing stories, photos and tips outside my circle of family and friends and receiving feedback from strangers that I would get to know and start to call friends and fellow travelers.  I remember the first time I received a “thank you” and how amazing it felt to play a small part in someone’s trip.  Whether it was a restaurant recommendation, a secret sweet treat or a favorite hotel, someone tried it and liked it too.  I remember when someone said “I booked my stay there next month” and worrying for a month whether or not they would like it.  So after years of suggesting where to go, what to do and helping people plan their journeys, I’m now branching out into a new venture, Arden Road Travel. Vist my new website for more information.

I’ve created Arden Road Travel to help collaborate and curate travel experiences – if you can dream it, I can plan and now book it for you.  I was asked recently “Do travel agents still exist?” and I laughed said, “We’ve evolved and are now your travel advisor, consultant, concierge and therapist all rolled into one”.  I read somewhere that the average person spends time on over twenty websites doing research on where to go, when to go, what to do, how to budget for it and what to pack.  For those who love the thrill of the chase and putting together the DIY puzzle of a trip, you don’t need me but for everyone else, I’m here to help.  You hire experts to save you time, money and provide expertise for all parts of your life why shouldn’t you do so for travel?

My good friend decided to be my guinea pig as my first client after my Virtuoso training. When he tried to crowdsource his vacation (it’s what he does), his group settled on a week sitting on a beach in Cancun. We live in that world where you ask on Facebook or Twitter “where should I go”.  I laughed when he asked “will I like it there”.  Of course, his social media followers know the persona he puts out there but I’ve known him for over ten years and know that he can’t be still so a beach vacation is a horrible fit.  I suggested a cruise on Norwegian from Miami in a studio (solo) cabin.  A cruise allows him to enjoy all the food he wants, provides constant entertainment and has a gorgeous spa/gym to disconnect and relax in his own way.  Knowing what he likes (speciality dining, tours, spa) and doesn’t like (unlimited drinks, internet) helped me craft a vacation for him on a ship that fit him.  He’s been texting me all day with O-M-G with each new feature he found as he explored the ship, I love his spirit and he’s made me smile the whole time.  What a great feeling!

Having spent over twenty years in the corporate, luxury travel space as well as personal travel to over forty countries, I am now rounding out my travel knowledge in the leisure space.  Whether you want to find a hotel or rent an island, attend surf school or a yoga retreat, embark on a cruise (barge, river, yacht, or mass market), I can help you sort through all the choices in the quest to find the right fit.

I’m still working through all of the changes but am excited to open this door to the many possibilities out there to enjoy life as we discover the world together.  I’ve decided to align myself with the Virtuoso network to have access to a plethora of vendors, added benefits and expertise around the world.  Last week, I was speaking with local owners in Belize, Chile and Denver crafting experiences for clients and also meeting the Four Seasons reps to learn about thei properties (I really want to stay at the Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World!).  It’s been fun having personal contact with folks who know and love their products, service and experiences.  I’m not looking in a brochure and putting you on a bus with other people – I’m customizing a trip just for you and your family/friends/pet.

So I hope you will continue to follow my journey here on PhilaTravelGirl and when you need assistance planning your vacation, you visit me on Arden Road Travel or contact me.

Thank you for your support, words of encouragement and patience with the site changes and posting schedule the past few months. 

I thought rather than explore the standard museums – British and Tate Modern, I would introduce her to the world of street art.  I’m sure I should have cared about her feelings but frankly, Aunt Sue wanted to do just one thing in the ten days and that was the Shoreditch Street Art tour.

Having seen the street art of Melbourne, Paris and Santiago during my travels, London was next on my list.  The more I learned about street art, the more fascinating it became even more so after viewing the documentary “Exit from the Gift Shop” (which is brilliant).   If nothing else, street art allows you a bespoke adventure as the art on the walls today will be gone tomorrow.  Just like life, the art is fleeting….

My niece and I journeyed over to Spitalfields Market, which in itself is a destination of market stalls and shops.  It was a warm, sunny, blue skied June day and perfect for a walking tour.  Despite visiting London many times over the years, I hadn’t been to Shoreditch (very trendy now) or Brick Lane area so in addition to the art, I would explore the neighborhoods too.  Our guide met the small group of ten (we paid in cash £15 for me and £10 for my niece) and he began showing us small street art in the form of stickers along the street post.

And thus our exploration began as every surface became a canvas for artistic expression in the form of stickers, paint, yarn, large scale pieces and small modifications.  Street Art becomes a game when you start trying to find it mixed into the everyday minutae of life.

For the next three hours we would turn down streets and alleys, told to look up, over and down to see the art that was hidden in plain site.  For some of the art, there is no way that I would have found it without a guide or had the background to know more about the work and the artist so the guided tour was invaluable.

Just like the other street art tours in Paris and Melburne, I took hundreds of photos, unlike those tours this time I had a tween asking me “are we done yet?  when can we go shopping” while I was pointing out a Banksy and trying to explain it to her.  Let’s hope when she gets older it all clicks (one can hope).

I’m back in London on the way home from my European sabbatical soon and look forward to wandering the streets of London in search of more fantastic works of street art. That’s the fun of street art, it’s never the same thing twice.  If you are planning a visit to London do add the Shoreditch Street Art tour to your MUST list but leave the tween at TopShop (with supervision of course)!