Working Remotely in London, England
This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad.
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Note from Amy: I visited London in November 2022, but am only just not writing about it. Something about this cloudy city is just elusive like that…
This is my second time coming to London, but the first time writing a blog about working remotely here! Last year I came to London for just five days and the go-go-go nature of the trip kept me from documenting it. This year, we spent two weeks in the city for the NFTLondon conference and also to meet up with collaborators, friends, and clients.
Here are my favorite recommendations in London for digital nomads and remote workers.
Where to Stay in London, England for Digital Nomads
We’ve stayed in the East London area for the past two years, and it’s become one of my absolute favorite neighborhoods. This year, we stayed right off of Brick Lane in the Whitechapel area, which was fantastic — more on this neighborhood’s perks when I share with you my top food picks!
There are hostels and co-living spaces (such as an Outsite location in SoHo) but personally, I love the vintage shops and artsy feel of East London, so we will probably continue to stay here in the future. While the rest of London can feel a bit polished, East London has character. Street art drips across old buildings, container-parks-turned-trendy-bars and food stalls give each cobblestone lane a “local” feel. East London also has a ton of vintage shops, great Indian food, and other gems for nomads and travelers to enjoy.
I’d recommend East London for the walkability and constant buzz of things to do, but if you’re looking for a more traditional London experience you could try another neighborhood like SoHo.
What to Do in London, England for Digital Nomads
The first night my partner Kyle and I landed in London, we dropped our bags off at our Airbnb and then hit the road to catch Bon Iver in concert. We almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad we did: we caught the one night that Taylor Swift dropped by to sing Exile with Bon Iver and it was epic.
Just like any other major city, concerts and live music thrive in London. It’s an artist’s city, so be sure to check and see who’s playing before you go.
We also went to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — a delightful piece of fanfiction that was about three hours too long. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll enjoy the stagecraft and the story, but otherwise you can probably skip this show.
Another major attraction in London is its immersive theater scene: this city is obsessed. I had heard good things about The Burnt City — an immersive show put on by the company Punchdrunk, responsible for Sleep No More, a legendary show that’s still running in NYC. However, The Burnt City was a total letdown: fancy sets, but an impossible mess of weird choreographed numbers and no real story. I was bored to tears and recommend you stay as far away from this show as possible.
The show we did love, however, was Guardians of the Galaxy put on by Secret Cinema. This was my first secret cinema show, and it did not disappoint. This immersive show feels like a mix of an amusement park and an escape room: they build out multiple rooms and sets that make you feel like you’re in the movie, and actors put on mini-games and mini-performances for you. It’s awesome, the food was really good, and overall this is one of the highest expressions of great immersive theater I’ve seen so far. Definitely try and catch a Secret Cinema show if you’re in London! They’ll also be coming to the U.S. as well, so stay tuned.
When in London, prioritize live entertainment — this city bleeds theatrics, so try and find events of this nature.
Of course, there are plenty of other touristy things to do, from the usual itinerary of palace tours, double-decker bus rides, and museums. There’s a good amount of things to do here no matter what you’re looking for.
Where to Eat in London, England for Digital Nomads
If you stay in the East London area, there are a ton of food options. Here are some of my favorites:
I ate so many things from Old Spitafield’s Market. There are so many shops, stalls, and curiosities to keep you busy for the entire afternoon. What I love about this market is that all the food is excellent, and the vendors have a huge range of different types of foods. They also sell clothing, handmade goods, and other gifts worth browsing through.
The UpMarket Food Hall is another epic foodie destination: you have to try Chai Baba, an incredible chai stand here with quite possibly the smoothest, creamiest chai I have ever experienced.
On the weekends, there are a ton of random vegan churro stalls and other snacks and food stops lining the streets of Brick Lane and the surrounding area, so you’ll be well-fed no matter where you are.
What the Pitta is a great falafel place. It’s a small, fast-service restaurant but the food is excellent and vegan-friendly.
The After School Cookie Club is in the Box Park (the converted container park area) and it has some great vegan-friendly desserts. There are a lot of other tiny stalls here with other interesting food choices as well.
The Whitechapel area has a ton of great Indian food joints as well: you can take your pick and most places are pretty great.
My recommendation would be to spend a ton of time at the food halls and markets, and then after that you can explore. The food stalls are just more special compared to the fine-dining here, which felt a tad forgettable.
Overall, London has some great food, but you have to be willing to look for it.
Review of NFTLondon
It’s been fascinating to see the web3 space evolve over the past few years. To be honest, decentralization hasn’t held up to the hype: there are so many scammers and “effective altruists” like SBF in the space that it poisons the well for meaningful change. I got into web3 for the promise of a revolution: artists could cut out middlemen, big tech would have less power over people’s digital lives, and the Internet could be more democratized.
I’m still hopeful for that future, but for now I’m also accepting the reality of the space, where “digital collectibles” is how Reddit rebranded NFTs, and where people are trying to get further away from the trappings of the space and into more consumer-friendly language.
That’s not to say web3 is dead, by any means: Starbucks just rolled out their web3-powered integrations, Reddit made a splash in the space, and other brands are learning how to harness the power of the blockchain. The language and presentation to consumers may be different, but the underlying technology is web3 all the way.
At NFTLondon, I spoke on a panel about how to market NFT collections, and discussed the power of storytelling in the space.
Overall, I loved the event — despite being much smaller than the NFTNYC conference and satellite events. If you’re near London and have an interest in web3, I recommend going, but otherwise I think NFT NYC is a better conference because of how many community-run events there are. NYC just hits different.
My Take on London, England
London is an accessible, modern city with lots to do. Concerts, immersive theater, great chai lattes — there’s no denying it’s a cultural hub and worth the trip.
But if you’re a digital nomad, I can’t recommend this city for stays longer than two weeks. On a practical level, London is just expensive enough to not make sense for longer-term stays. I also think other cities pack a better punch when it comes to food and things to do, and the dreary London weather can be a downer.
So, stop by London on your way to other European countries, but don’t stay too long. You’ll find better value and experiences in other places.
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