London, June 28-July 7, 2024

Written By Gary Wong

#ID4intheUK

At some point in late 2023 or early 2024, I saw that Pearl Jam announced a stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, June 29. As it so happened, The National had also announced a date in London for around the same time, on Friday, July 5 at Crystal Palace Park. Also, in between would be the first few days of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. So, I figured, why not go to London for a fourth time in less than four months time!?

For this one, I decided to go low cost here, cashing in 51K SkyMiles (that’s after the 15% discount for Delta Amex cardholders 😬) for a one-way from JFK to LHR on Delta metal in Main Cabin and then figure out another award flight home, maybe using a stash of Lifemiles or even my one remaining Aeroplan 50K certificate. Luckily, the load factor on Virgin Atlantic metal must not have been great because I was able to rebook that one-way into a round trip on Virgin Economy for 70K total (no discount but VS > DL). Score.

Even though I was flying out in Economy, I still had access to either a Delta SkyClub (thx to holding a qualifying Amex) or the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (thx to holding SkyTeam Elite Plus status). Go figure - with Delta status, I had access to a club but not their club. Joke’s on them anyway as the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK during peak VS flight banks is light years better than a Delta SkyClub. At the Clubhouse, there’s a la carte dining and fancy cocktails with no upcharge while the SkyClub has (nice) buffets and upcharges for any cocktails or beers other than the basics. It was really a no-brainer to head to the A concourse and up a flight of stairs and have a nicely pan-fried sea bass and skip the dinner service on the flight.

Bonus - SkyTeam Elite Plus status also meant being able to stop in at the Revivals Lounge at LHR for a much-needed shower and quick bite, which meant I could also skip the breakfast service on the flight, truly maximizing my sleep (nap, really).

Pearl Jam Whitstable

After a stop at the Revivals Lounge, I made my way to my hotel in Whitechapel and was able to get a room at 11 am. So far, so good. As I got myself ready to take a quick nap ahead of being online for work at 3 pm, I saw a bit of news that pretty much ruined my morning.

The below statement that has been issued by Pearl Jam ahead of tomorrow night’s (29 June) planned show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Pearl Jam London Show Cancellation

The Pearl Jam concert scheduled for Saturday, June 29th at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London has regrettably been cancelled due to illness in the band.

This decision was the last thing we wanted to have to make, especially as we know so many of you made travel plans based on the tour schedule. There was simply no other option based on our current health and also having to avoid further damage.

We couldn’t be more disappointed to not play one of our favorite cities this tour. Despite best efforts, rescheduling was not possible at this time due to existing schedule commitments. We are deeply grateful for your support and sincerely apologize to the incredible Pearl Jam community for the inconvenience and disappointment.

Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

Ugh. There went my plans for the next day. Undeterred, I napped, resolving to come up with an alternate plan for what was looking to be a very lovely Saturday, weather-wise.

Whilst enjoying some sake post-dinner, I landed on a plan for the next day to make my way out east to some coastal town on the island. I wanted to get all the way to the eastern edge and see the English Channel but settled for Whitstable as there were plenty of options for stuffing my gullet and there would be a beach I could walk on or along.

Sure enough, I had plenty to eat and drink and made a truly solid (unplanned) day trip out of it. The wonderful thing about a coastal town is that there’s usually some decent seafood to be found and, in that respect, Whitstable did not disappoint. Crushing a half dozen oysters paired with a local beer will never not be awesome; to follow that up at dinner with lobster is just a solid daily double.

The Wimbledon Championships

As someone who is a huge tennis fan and has been to the US Open in multiple years (as far back as being to watch matches simultaneously in Armstrong and Grandstand by standing at the connected stadiums’ highest point), it would be an understatement to say that going to Wimbledon was a bucket list item. I’d entered the ballot many times without ever winning a chance to purchase a ticket. But there was one other way to attend Wimbledon and in the most British way possible - a fucking queue. Basically, you can queue for same-day tickets, ranging from guaranteed seats in one of the show courts to grounds admission passes. Either way, do it successfully and you’re in.

So that’s how I found myself on a Wednesday morning, waking up at 4 am so I could catch the first of three buses that would take me from Clapton to Angel to Clapham Junction to, finally, Wimbledon Park at around 6:15 am. That first bus was around 4:45 am so we’re talking about 90 minutes of bussing around - thankfully, these buses weren’t exactly busy and it was easy enough to find a seat on each one to get some light napping in. Once that bus let us out, it was a sprint to a gigantic lawn where thousands were already queueing, some having done so since early in the evening prior.

The thing about The Queue (seriously, it’s quite proper) is that, yes, it’s a queue and one in which you’ll be on for hours as tickets don’t go on sale until 10 am. But it’s almost like a party or picnic where folks have blankets and camping chairs set up and you can while away the time as you see fit. Some will nap (I did for part of it) but many will make a proper event of it with drinks and food whilst soaking in the convivial atmosphere. And that’s how it went for the first few hours there until they started moving us along into the ticket purchasing queue a little before 10 am.

All in, I spent about five-six hours each in the two days I did The Queue. Why two days? Well, the first day was a rainy affair and play pretty much stopped in the late afternoon so I decided to come back the next day, this time with a friend (thx for keeping me company, Tovy). While the second day queueing was more enjoyable in the sun, I would not recommend doing this on consecutive days as you’ll be quite sleep-deprived that second day.

But once you make your way through The Queue and you’re in? YOU’RE IN. I had just the most incredible time basking in The Wimbledon-ness of it all. Yes, I had the strawberries and cream because can you say you’ve been to Wimbledon if you didn’t? And, yes, I had a Pimm’s Cup because to not do so would be just wrong. In between all the must-have staples of the experience that is The Wimbledon Championships, there was some tennis to be played and, boy, did I see some matches.

Day 3, Wednesday, 3 July

Frances Tiafoe Borna Coric
Otto Virtanen Tommy Paul

Day 4, Thursday, 4 July

Xinyu Wang Jessica Pegula
Taylor Fritz Arthur Rinderknech
Caroline Wozniacki Leylah Fernandez

Among those five matches, I’d say that seeing Frances Tiafoe up close on Court 18 (The John Isner Memorial Court) beat Borna Coric in straight sets was the (grand) slam dunk highlight of my two days there. A close second was seeing Xinyu Wang and Jessica Pegula split a tight first two sets before Wang ran away with the third as Pegula just fell apart. Between seeing the matches, it was just an immense pleasure to walk around the grounds, stopping at all the different gathering places, including spending some quality time sitting on Henman Hill (or is it Murray Mountain now?) watching matches taking place on the show courts on the large screens on the Centre Court exterior.

If you’re a fan of tennis? Or even if you’re not? I can’t recommend highly enough to come out to SW19 and spend a day at Wimbledon, starting with a lawn party as the sun rises and watching high-quality tennis as the sun sets. You won’t be disappointed. It’s the quintessential summer London experience, really.

The Food! The Drinks!

Over the course of ten days in London, I ate… a lot. Even still, I only managed to have two meals at a place where I’d eaten before which goes to show just how much there is I hadn’t had until this trip. Let’s start with the Michelin two-starred La Dame de Pic London, offering a four-course lunch menu for £100 which was just an absolute bang for the buck quid. The pollock cooked over embers was incredible with an unmistakable truth in advertising because the flavor was unapologetically smoked. Alas, the restaurant is no longer, having closed in February 2025.

Of the dozen other meals I had at new-to-me places, two for me stood out. First, an early supper my first night in London at Poulet where I just went to town on a very delicious half rotisserie chicken that was doused in jus that might as well have been crack. I’m certain the meat by itself was moist but having it swim in chicken jus was next level. Paired with a gin and tonic (when in England, amirite!?), this was a great meal to end my first full day in town.

Second up was a quick bite for lunch at Bánh Mì Hội-An where I had… bánh mì. This was easily the best one I’d had in London and I clearly wasn’t the only fan as there was a line out the door of this small shop. Oh, and it was lightly raining too so they must really have wanted it.

As for the two places I’d been to before, I’ve never written about them in a trip report so I figure it’s worth giving them their props in this one. Roti King is an absolutely phenomenal Malysian underground, hole-in-the-wall spot. The first time I went back in 2021, I waited in line for some time to enter but that may have been because I got there after they’d already opened and missed the first seating. This time, I got there shortly before they opened at noon and was among the first to be seated. I’d already done the roti canai last time so I went with the char keuy teow and the ayem goreng berempah (fried chicken) on this visit. I loved the wok hei flavor on the noodles in the char kuey teow and the fried chicken was solid though the meat was just on the right side of not being dry.

My brother and his family was actually in town during part of my time there so we met up on his first night there at one my favorite places - Blacklock, at their City location. There’s nothing fancy about them (except for maybe their big chops, especially on Monday nights) - they just do solid work with meats and you’re always gonna have a good time there. With four of us, we went with a big ol’ plate of chops and were handsomely rewarded with all of the meats. As usual, a pleasure.

Oh, that Sunday Roast at Hackney Church Brew Co. I mentioned in my London trip report for earlier in the month? Yeah, I did it. Lagom does a wonderful one. Go get it, especially if you’re looking for a brewery + roast combo.

After I finished my chicken at Poulet and in search of a nightcap, I stumbled upon the nearby Kanpai London Sake Brewery & Taproom. This was quite the find and their sakes were the perfect post-meating drink - I’d already had a beer nearby and that was not the way to go after demolishing that plate of chicken, potatoes, and salad. Sake, however, hit the spot and Kanpai’s variety on tap as well as their bottle pours meant lots to choose from. Which I did. And had. Nightcap accomplished.

I was in London during Euro 2024 and, with England in the knockout rounds, it meant the place was lit. As luck would have it, I would watch the Three Lions play their Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches in breweries. At Howling Hops, I watched the first half of their match against Slovakia before moving onto less crowded pastures but not before I had a few of their hoppy beers, none of which were hazy 🙏🏻. At The Pembury Tavern, run by Five Points Brewing Company, I watched the second half of their quarterfinal against Switzerland. Well, the second half, extra time, and penalties, to be exact. It was a joyous time seeing the patrons celebrate after England came out on top, made all the better with drinking hoppy beers minus the haze 🙏🏻.

Final note on food and drinks: somehow, I managed to not have a single bowl of ramen on this trip. Again, I was here for 10 days!!! I was in London for only four days earlier in June and still managed to have two! I’ll make up for it the next time I’m in London for a week or longer - count on it.

The (Inter)National

I actually posted a photo over three posts on social media for each song in their setlist - well, 26 songs but 25 photos since Humiliation bled into Murder Me Rachael but there actually is a 26th photo that covered them walking off after Fake Empire. I think the captions from those posts best sum up this experience.

I’ve seen The National | @thenational quite a few times but it was an absolute treat to see them in a large outdoor venue and, for the first time, outside of the States.

It’s a little crazy when I think about it - seeing The National | @thenational, a band that paid their dues playing tiny venues in NYC in the early-mid aughts, on another continent entirely. They, unlike any other band I’ve seen, is one that I’ve grown old with.

It was a pretty wet day but thankfully, the rain mostly held off during the show. After the show, however? Wet. Very very wet. I was absolutely soaked by the time I walked through the door of my lodging in Hackney.

Also? Hearing England in England? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🤌🏻

Oh, A Race!

One of my favourite things about visiting London is that it’s pretty much a given that I will a) find at least one race in or around town to run and b) likely run one of them. There’s a decent number of race organisers in the UK so there really is no shortage of races to choose from. London, with its many parks is conducive to holding races on a frequent basis, not having to close roads to traffic to pull it off.

That’s how I found myself in Regent’s Park on the last day of this trip, to run a 10K put together by OneRace - they have a number of races throughout London’s parks. I was fortunate this one was the perfect distance away to get in part of a long run as a warm-up ahead of racing the remaining distance. I even ran into a fellow New Yorker on holiday and, as it turns out, was also flying home that evening. He even had the same Virgin Atlantic flight I originally had to JFK that got cancelled. Whereas I was fortunate to be able to rebook onto a direct flight home on Delta metal for slightly later in the afternoon, his rebooked itinerary had an early afternoon flight to CDG before his final destination of JFK. Oof. The race was at 10 am so I hope he made it!

This race was… not my best showing. I’m not even talking about the time I finished in. No, I’m talking about making a literal mess of myself where I thought I was squeezing Honey Stinger gel into my mouth but instead it went all over my hand and water bottle and arm. It was a disgusting, sticky last few miles and I didn’t get the full nutrition I needed. Ugh.

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Gary Wong
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