UCLA Study Abroad | International Education Office | UK

By Chelly Jin

And the end of the year steadily roams around the corner, pressing on my brain the impending doom of leaving this marvelous city called London. And the papers I have due that are 100% of my grade. And the things I haven’t yet done in London because I’m still trying to travel to all the cities in Europe. And the friendships that I made that I don’t want to leave. And it all stresses me out. BUT I GUESS THESE ARE GOOD THINGS TO STRESS ABOUT. My mother would always berate me that I stress when things are too good. This claim is entirely true. If I were given two awful options, I would easily choose the lesser of the two and just get it over with without much resistance. But when provided the options of the many great things to do, suddenly the choice is so much harder. Looking at it from a bigger picture, if my stresses are whether or not to continue exploring London or visiting another city, or deciding which beloved friends to spend quality time with, life is really quite great. On top of the good stress can also be bad stress: papers, homesickness, and where to buy groceries when Sainsbury’s closes at 5pm on Sundays. The point is, the end of the term is the season of winter and stress — so here are the top places that I love to go to when my brain becomes cluttered and I need a good destress.

HYDE PARK

I went to Hyde Park with a lovely friend of mine, who I actually got to know really well on my walk to Hyde Park. As we watched a photographer pose his children by the flowers, I realized that the best part of Hyde Park is just sitting on a bench and people watching while the sun set over all the little ponds. It’s a great place to get a breathe of fresh air. 

LOOK MUM, NO HANDS

Look Mum, No Hands is a cozy, bicycle themed cafe near the Barbican Centre. It was one of the first cafes I visited when I came to London and one that I’ve come consistently to. Filled with quirky bicycle decor, the back of the cafe is lined with sofa seats, comfy pillows, and outlets to charge your phone. The whole place has books on bicycles with some good food and tea. 

THE ALBANY: UKULELE WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

Every Wednesday, I always look forward to the Ukulele Nights hosted at The Albany pub. There’s this cathartic nature about playing music with a group of people, alongside good food and drinks that will release any stress or resolve any busy mind. By the end of the night, I always end up walking away with more and more friends made too. 

TATE MODERN + SOUTHBANK

Just walking around Southbank has always been my go-to de-stresser since the day I’ve arrived in London. With street performers around every corner, there is absolutely nothing more relieving than buying a donut or a bag of chips from a street vender and taking a seat by the Thames while listening to the world around. 

WELLCOME COLLECTION READING ROOM

This is my most favorite place to come to. With bean bag chairs on the staircase, old bookcases surrounding the space, and little pieces of history floating all around the room to inspire you — there really is no place quite like this one to ease my mind. In a weird way, it has this sort of mess to it where there is so much going on at once, but it’s all in the best possible way where I feel like every corner has a little piece to discover.