How would we spend our first day in London? It was only mid-afternoon, but it had already been an adventure. If you missed the story of how I lost Kathie (just one hour into the trip), click here to read all about it. Trust me, it’s as entertaining as it sounds.
There is so much to do in London . . . where would we start? The options are endless: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, etc. You’d think we’d start at one of these legendary landmarks; perhaps stop somewhere for some fish and chips. Nope! We had other plans. Rather than do something authentic, we would be spending our first day in London at a place called Passyunk Avenue. In Philly, Passyunk Avenue is synonymous with cheesesteaks. If you’ve ever been to Pat’s or Geno’s, you’ve been on Passyunk Ave. In London, Passyunk Avenue is also where you go for cheesesteaks. It’s not a street, however. It’s a Philly inspired dive bar. Generally, when I travel I make every attempt to do what is authentic to my destination. I avoid what I can do back home, and take advantage of the things I can’t. So why would I spend our first day in a land 3,500 miles away doing exactly what I would do back home? I’ll explain—and I promise—you will understand why.
A Litte Taste of London First
For as much as I attempted to make our first day in London a “Philly” day, there was room for a little London activity. The reason we had planned a trip to Passyunk Avenue was to watch the Eagles/Panthers game. The game wouldn’t start until 6PM (GMT) so we had a few hours to soak up some London atmosphere. While I was stranded with our luggage at Green Park earlier in the day, Kathie made her way through Piccadilly Circus. She already had a leg up on me in the sightseeing category.
We checked into our hotel and relaxed a little before heading out. We had flown in the previous night, and of course, I didn’t get any sleep on the plane. It was beginning to hit me; I was exhausted. I had to get through the day with practically no sleep. I knew if I could just get going I’d be ok. We were ready to head out—but—where would we start? Kathie was having connection issues with her phone, so guess where our first stop would be? The Apple store, of course.
We departed our hotel and made our way through the streets of Mayfair, an affluent area in the West End of London. Needless to say, our walk was enjoyable. A brief stroll led us through Piccadilly Circus, a road junction famous for it’s neon signs and video displays. Kathie’s assessment was spot on, it’s feels a bit like Time’s Square. We proceeded down Regent Street (a major shopping district) towards our destination. Eventually we stumbled upon the largest and busiest Apple store I’ve ever set foot in. We got Kathie back on the grid and we were ready to roll. Up next… Passyunk Avenue!
How I discovered Passyunk Avenue
We came to London for an Eagles game, but that was still a week away. On the day we arrived, the Eagles were playing the Panthers back home in Philly. I had to find a place to watch the game but I knew it would be tough. You see . . the Brits love their football; however, the NFL is not their football. Their football is what we refer to back in the colonies as soccer. I began to do some research as to avoid bouncing from place to place in search of the game. After some browsing, I came upon a place called Passyunk Avenue. Continuously highlighted in the media, this wonderful Philly dive bar would become quite popular back home as the London game approached. At the time of my discovery, however, this was not the case. I had never heard of it. In fact, I almost couldn’t believe what I had stumbled upon. I thought, could this be possible? Could there really be a Philly sports bar in London? According to the internet—and the internet never lies—it was real. I knew I had found our spot.
I had to assume they would be showing the game, but to be safe, I sent an email to confirm my suspicion. Let me tell you—I’m glad I did. I received a response from Rob (who by the way is awesome) assuring me they would indeed be showing the game to a full crowd of die hard Eagles fans in an atmosphere that resembled that of a South Philly dive bar. He set us up with a reservation which turned out to be critically important as they would be turning people away at the door.
Passyunk Avenue
It was odd spending our first day in London going to a place that was in effect home. At the same time, it provided a very unique experience to our trip. To be in London, watching an Eagles game, in a Philly bar, filled with die hard Philly fans . . . was simply astounding! The term, a home away from home, became quite literal all of a sudden. I found myself 3,500 miles from home, in another country, yet I was home.
Walking up to the bar it was clear we had found a piece of Philly in London. A blue banner on the outside of the building with the words Passyunk Avenue written in red Phillies font was a familiar greeting. To further accentuate this Philly feel, there were people standing out front wearing Eagles jerseys. Indeed, I felt like I was walking into a bar in Philly. Inside we found a room that was showered with Philly sports memorabilia. As the bar filled to capacity with Eagles fans, it was hard to believe we were in London. After settling in I made sure I scoped the place out. It was fascinating. Everywhere I looked I saw great Philly sports memorabilia: jerseys, banners, license plates, baseballs . . . even a Phanatic doll. Proceeding into the basement things got serious. The stairwell was painted green with the famous “Philly Special” play diagram on it (a trick play that led to a Nick Foles touchdown catch en route to their Super Bowl victory). Fittingly the banner above the diagram reads, Nick Foles Bar, which is exactly where I was going. The basement bar is “the Nick Foles bar.” As you would expect, more wonderful Philly sports memorabilia filled the room.
Hats off to JP Teti, Philadelphia area native and owner of Passyunk Avenue. He got this place right. From the memorabilia and kitschy props to the Nick Foles room, he has truly created a piece of Philly in the central London district known as Fitzrovia. The only thing left now was the food. As you would expect, a Philly themed dive bar named Passyunk Avenue most certainly served up cheesesteaks. How would it compare?
Cheesesteaks & Wings
I had yet to find any part of this place that had not exceeded my expectations. The food would be no exception. The Eagles/Panthers game was about to begin so we settled in with a pint of Passyunk Ale (yes, they have their own brew). Up next an order of wings. Let me say they were phenomenal. Crispy and full of flavor. Soon it would be time for a cheesesteak.
Life was pretty wonderful from my barstool at Passyunk Avenue. The Eagles had taken an early lead; I was drinking great beer; I just had amazing wings; and a cheesesteak would be arriving in my life shortly. Wiz Wit is the way I get them in Philly. Naturally, it’s how I get them in London too. I often find myself engaged in the debate over who has the best cheesesteak. Is it Pat’s, Geno’s, Jim’s, Joe’s, perhaps Tony Luke’s? Everyone has their favorite. I’ve claimed on many occasions that the average person couldn’t differentiate between them in a blind test. Throw a Passyunk Avenue cheesesteak in the mix and I believe that statement holds true. That’s right, they’re right up there with the big boys. The cheesesteak was amazing. The biggest question mark was going to be the bread. Let me assure you, no problem there! It’s pretty close to the real thing.
A Wonderful Enviornment
I had already felt like I was in Philly, but munching away on my wiz wit cheesesteak made me feel like I was—dare I say—on Passyunk Avenue. And Passyunk Avenue is the place to be. Not just back in Philly, but also in London. This place is simply amazing. I’ve spoken about the many elements that made our experience memorable, but I have yet to mention perhaps the most important. The wonderful staff. Everyone there was great. I felt like I was in a room full of friends; like I was a regular in a place I had never been to before. They were just as excited to be a part of the atmosphere as any patron.
The entire experience was incredible. I had to keep reminding myself I was in London; in another country. Yet, as patrons entered the premises, I couldn’t help but think someone I knew would walk in at any moment. It was a bit surreal. I’m happy to have been a part of that.
It was the perfect start to our vacation. Almost everything was perfect, except one thing. The Birds lost. They had been up 17-0 but somehow managed to collapse. No doubt a victory would have further enhanced our Philly experience at Passyunk Avenue but it wasn’t to be. No worries, fortunately they had about five prescriptions on tap to relieve us of our depression. Anyway, a loss was not going to spoil our week. We had an amazing first day with with a week ahead of us. This was going to be an amazing trip!
Buckingham Palace
We left Passyunk Avenue shortly after the game and made our way to Warren Street Station to catch the tube back to the hotel. We emerged at Green Park, the same spot I waited earlier in the day after Kathie went AWOL. Surprisingly, the park was very dark. Regardless, knowing Buckingham Palace was on the other side we figured we’d walk off our cheesesteaks. Finally, after a day of Philly fun, there we stood in front of the Palace. We were in London!
During the upcoming week, Passyunk Avenue would become a hotspot for Philly fans. Within a few days the media would be showcasing the bar on several news programs back home. A few days later, I received a text from my friend Alan, seemingly shocked to find this bar I’ve been telling everyone about on a Philly news station. Passyunk Avenue would be booked up for the rest of the week. Fortunately I was able to secure seats later in the week. We would be returning—to what would perhaps be the biggest highlight of our trip. Stay tuned . . . story yet to come!
This concludes our first day in London. The following day would be another adventure. Click here to continue on. On this, our second day in London, we visit London Bridge—then head over to see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Our night would end at the iconic Harrod’s department store, but not before dinner and a pint at the historic Leadenhall Market.