London is one of those cities that has something for everyone. It’s my last stop, and I saved the best for last for this Eurotrip 2022. This city checks all of my boxes:

• Tons of vegan options
• The birthplace of Goth
• Very cat-friendly
• Notable street art

The last time I visited London was in December 2018. I was so caught up in work that I didn’t have much much of a chance to get to know this city. This time was a better chance to explore more.

For most of this trip, I’ve been museum-hopping like it’s going out of style. While I enjoyed immersing myself in art and history, I decided instead to poke around the local establishments and see what gives this city its spark.

The world is your oyster in Camden Town, London

I stayed in Camden Town, a famed neighborhood that’s best known for its counterculture–a haven for punks, vegans, and queers. Shops and restaurants with colorful murals line the streets, as the rainbow Queer Pride crosswalks add a friendly message: “You belong here.” You could spend an entire day or two just wandering through Camden.

Staying in Camden is great, because there are so many options within a stone’s throw, especially with public transport. There’s the Camden Town tube station just a five-minute walk from where I stayed. The St. Pancras train station was also a 16-minute walk. The short-enough distance made it very convenient to see my friends in Brighton and Nottingham.

Favorite cafe at Think Coffee and Ink

During the day, the cafes are bustling with visitors topping up their caffeine fix or having a bite. A unique cafe called Think Coffee and Ink is a hip trifecta that consists of a coffee shop, a hair salon, and a tattoo parlor. It’s a non-profit creative space that gives back to the community and donates their profits to various charities. In addition to community efforts, they also help members of the house-less community by offering hot drinks and occasionally free haircuts.

Camden Market

I strolled to the popular Camden Market, a sprawling warren of restaurants, and shops selling vintage wares, souvenirs, and eclectic curiosities. It’s an international smorgasbord that has stuff that you just can’t find anywhere else. Whether you’re looking for glass mosaic lamps or a silver ring that might have magical powers (or curses), there is something for everyone in this market.

I wandered within the labyrinth of this vast market and encountered Cyberdog, a futuristic fashion shop that has avant-garde club wear for raves and festivals. Outside, two giant silver cyborgs flank both sides of the entrance. Inside the store, rainbow lights, florescent circuit boards, and cyborg mannequins glow under black light as techno music blasts you into a faraway galaxy.

I have essentially found my home planet.

Cyberdog offers next-level style in the form of holographic dresses, iridescent sequin coats with rainbow faux fur trim, light-up goggles, and baggy mylar space pants. While I prefer to stay shrouded in my black clothes, I’ve always appreciated rave fashion. It’s good to get new ideas of what to wear at the next festival, whether it’s goth or rave-style.

Eating vegan in Camden Town

There are several vegan restaurants, and most eateries offer at least one vegan option. If you’re vegan like me, you’ll have a field day in Camden!

My favorite spot was Temple of Seitan, which serves vegan fried chicken that delivers the perfect crunch. I got the Popcorn Bites, which were vegan chicken bites that are battered and deep-fried to perfection. Ordering was super easy and efficient. There’s a tablet at the front counter where you can put in your order and pay at the same spot. They will bring it to your table when it’s ready.

Rudy’s Vegan Diner is a popular spot for some familiar favorite meals, such as burgers, fries, and banana splits. If you’re in London and you know of a meat-eater who thinks they’ll miss out on a vegan lifestyle, this is where you take them. I tried the mac and cheese, plus a side of breaded dairy-free mozzarella sticks.

In Camden, Buck Street Market has shops and restaurants housed in colorful upcycled cargo containers. This eco-friendly market pushes sustainability for the more conscious consumer. All of the eateries have vegan options on the menu, and the retail shops offer ethical fashion and plant-based products. There are plenty of recycling points around Buck Market, and their food waste is composted to generate electricity to power the main grid. That’s so cool how they can convert food waste to make something new and useful!

A vegan red velvet cupcake from Clean Kitchen Club made a decadent treat. The rest of the menu had the usual favorites, such as vegan burgers, rice bowls, meatless wraps, and smoothies.

Camden Eye is a lively pub with a down-to-earth vibe. On Mondays, vegan menu items are 50 percent off! At £3, I couldn’t go wrong with some heavy hitters like the Seitan Strips: vegan deep-fried meatless strips that are reminiscent of chicken tenders with barbecue sauce.

The Regent’s Park

Regent’s Park is within walking distance of Camden Town. During this time of year, the 400-acre park is leafy, green, and the perfect place to run some miles through the numerous paths. If you’re more of a walker, you can take in the lush scenery at a leisurely pace. There are a few cafes to take a break in, plus a beautiful rose garden and a boating lake. This park is the home to many wildlife, including around 100 species of wild birds. There’s even a large open-air theater, if you happen to catch a play or musical.

Favorite spots throughout London

I’ve been into the goth subculture since the tender age of 13. Since London is the birthplace of goth, it was time to pay my respects by going to Slimelight, a goth night at the nightclub, Electrowerkz. A local person I had spoken to said that Slimelight is a weekly event. I checked for more information. For a popular club, there was only a handful of webpages, and the amount of information was slim. I went anyway, only to discover that Slimelight now only happens once a month because the event organizer died a couple years ago. There’s always next time.

ASMR at the Design Museum

The Design Museum is currently hosting a special exhibition: WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR. ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” It’s a physical sensation of happiness or deep calm–sometimes a physical tingling sensation–that is triggered by sound, touch, and movement. It can be a subjective experience: what one person feels might be different from another.

According to the museum, people are using ASMR more as a form of self-medication against the effects of loneliness, insomnia, stress, and anxiety. This is a cue to its success and transcendental appeal.

In most museums, we visitors may not touch anything. In this exhibition, we are encouraged to touch the works of art and immerse ourselves with our entire being: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Gentle sounds, repetitive movements, and soft places invite you to stay for a while and just be present. Here I am chilling out and listening to Björk’s gentle whispers while art is spinning on a screen in the background.

In another room, Bob Ross episodes are playing–right next to original paintings that he did! Ross was an iconic painter who is most famously known for his instructional videos on how to paint a landscape. His soft voice and sense of humor have always been calming to me, and I think they fit perfectly in this museum.

Veto Meato

After the Design Museum, I went to the British Museum for a little bit, and didn’t stay for long. Sometimes the sensory overload can be overwhelming!

Fortunately, there was a cozy vegan pub nearby called Veto Meato. I had the Asian bowl, a nod to Korean street food that boasted ingredients like tofu, sesame, kimchi, and gochujang sauce. I was super stoked to find this because it can be hard to find vegan Korean food. So, this was a warm treat after all of that museum-hopping.

Afternoon tea with cats at Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium

One thing that’s quintessentially British is having afternoon tea. A traditional afternoon tea consists of tea, plus an assortment of mini sandwiches, cakes, pastries, and scones on a tiered set.

In my case, afternoon tea with cats at Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in Shoreditch was very appropriate. This Alice In Wonderland-themed cat cafe has a few adoptable cats to have tea with. The whole establishment is one big cat playground with plenty of spaces for the cats to explore and chill out in. There are many shelves, cat toys, and suspended cat bridges for the kitties, plus a big tree with winding branches in the center of the room.

Visitors must follow the rules of conduct, as to keep the cats comfortable. Before entering the cat room, you must wash your hands and sanitize them. When you’re with the cats, let them come to you, if they choose to. They can come and go as they please. You can play with them, but leave them in peace if they’re eating or sleeping.

This vegan afternoon tea consisted of hummus and cucumber sandwiches, a brownie, a mini chocolate torte, a lemon poppy seed cake, a sponge cake with vegan cream, and a scone with jam and plant-based butter. It also comes with two different teas. When I ordered, the person at the counter recommended Lady Dinah’s blend, which was an earl grey infused with bergamot and rose. The second tea I had was darjeeling, which hinted black currants undertones.

To be honest, while the cakes and pastries were delicious, the sandwiches could have been better. The filling was a third slice of bread in the middle sandwiched between hummus and veggies. For the scone, traditionally clotted cream is served, and instead it was vegan butter. I still enjoyed dining with the cats, though. Here, the feline friends are the stars of the whole experience, rather than the food.

Lady Dinah’s is discontinuing the afternoon tea service at the end of June, but you can still enjoy tea other treats from the regular menu. You must make a reservation in advance. The time slots do fill up fast, so reserve an hour as soon as you can.

Doughnut Time

My last meal in London was a Pride-themed donut called “Scaredy Cat” from Doughnut Time. It features vanilla rainbow glaze, blueberry jam filling, and a vegan Candy Kitten gummy in the center.

To help the LGBT community, 10% of the proceeds are donated to Just Like Us, a charity who works with schools to improve the lives of young people within the community. Cats, pride, donuts, and community support: what’s not to love?

Street art in London

Everywhere I turn in London, there’s a vibrant mural just around the corner. Some of them are hidden, while others are more out in the open. The streets here are a street artist’s haven, the blank walls a canvas to beautify the city. These are a few of my favorite murals.

There were several murals that weren’t signed by the artist. But I don’t think they’re meant to be anonymous, because I’ve seen this style of mural before: cosmic abstract women with distinct contours and gradients throughout. If anyone knows who did these, please leave a comment.

I’ve become familiar with Urban Solid’s colorful 3D brains. As seen on the street art tour in Lisbon, Urban Solid wants to send a message about human connectivity. According to the artist’s website, “Urbanbrain is an active, living brain represented, which communicates the thought of him through ‘wireless waves,’ a graphic sign that in a few years has become an icon capable of creating an immediate connection link. The body, the smell, the emotion, the gestures are fundamental parts of communication that are thus left out, relegated to spectators of a show in which they were the main actors.”

To London and back

I really did save the best for last. London was everything I could dream of–and more! It caters to cat lovers, queers, counter culture, vegans, artists, and all sorts of folks! Even if you don’t identify with any of those, you can still find something that you enjoy. You’ll never run out of things to see or do. London is a city that’s really does have something for everyone.