Sitting in deep leather armchairs surrounded by Art Deco décor and old-school glamour, we listened as the pianist sang “Happy Birthday” to my mom. It had been 20 years since we’d last stepped inside London’s longest-surviving cocktail bar — the American Bar at The Savoy. We clinked our fancy cocktails together to mark the occasion and toast our mother-daughter adventure in London.
To celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday, my sister and I left our everyday lives behind — husbands, kids, and dogs — to spend six days in one of my mom’s favorite cities. She was born in England and immigrated to the US as a little girl.
Growing up, we made regular trips back to the UK to visit family, but as life got busier, those trips became fewer and farther between. Traveling back to London with my mom — now as a mother to my own 8-year-old — felt equal parts nostalgic, fun, and refreshing.
We didn’t pack our itinerary, but still managed to explore
Our family trip didn’t have a jam-packed itinerary full of the most popular sights. We’d seen London’s main attractions as kids, and my mom was never one to worry about checking things off a list. She’d rather experience a new place than rush to see every landmark.
As a kid, I hated sitting still for too long when there was something new to explore. My son’s exactly the same. I didn’t realize just how relaxing it would be to slow down — to take our time over tea in the afternoon and linger over cocktails in the evening.
One of my favorite parts about our London trip was the variety. Though we didn’t plan everything or stay super busy, no two days felt the same, and my mom was up for anything. We navigated the city on foot, on the Tube, and in taxis. We sipped tea at Claridge’s and coffee at Pret. We cooled off with Aperol Spritzes at the rooftop bar atop Selfridges and got cozy in old London pubs.
Courtesy of Nicole Findlay
We saw the world in Notting Hill and browsed antique maps at the amazing Portobello Print & Map Shop. We also shopped on Carnaby Street, saw Mrs. Warren’s Profession in the West End, and spent an afternoon at the Victoria and Albert Museum. And we went to the V&A café, which is both the world’s oldest museum restaurant and the most beautiful café I’ve ever been to, with its colorful ceramic tiles covering the walls and pillars, bright stained-glass windows, and sparkly globe-shaped chandeliers dangling from the ceiling.
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When it came to meals, we took turns picking. Mom chose La mia Mamma, where Italian “mammas” cook your dinner, and wow — the pasta did not disappoint. One night, we donned our fanciest fits for a fine dining experience inside Gordon Ramsay‘s Savoy Grill. Another night, we ate Marks and Spencer’s ham sandwiches in our pajamas in bed.
Courtesy of Nicole Findlay
My mom made friends with strangers wherever we went
One thing that surprised me, though maybe it shouldn’t have, was that my mom talked to everyone. Completely contrasting to her own advice when we were kids, my mom loves chatting with strangers.
Taxi drivers, waiters — you name it. She made friends wherever we went. Because of that, we got tips about good restaurants, learned tidbits about London history, and overall, we met lovely people we might otherwise never crossed paths with.
We did have our share of hiccups on our London vacation: a hotel-bound illness, a lost jacket, a stolen phone. But my mom focused on what went right, not what went wrong. Her positivity made the bad things seem, well… less bad. And a little extra positivity and a friendly attitude can go a long way — especially when traveling.
