England
Rediscovering London: Living Like a Tourist in a City I Once Called Home
by Olivia Liveng
I first arrived in London in the fall of 2014, wide-eyed and weighed down by a suitcase—and the enormity of starting a semester abroad. My flat near Marble Arch put me in the thick of the city. Arabic cafés lined Edgware Road with the scent of shisha in the air, red buses screeched to a halt every few minutes, and Oxford Street’s chaos was impossible to ignore.
I told myself I was living in London, but looking back, I wasn’t. I rode the Tube daily, hunted down cheap curries, and prided myself on knowing which supermarket had the best student discounts. But the city itself—the landmarks, the history, the magic that makes London one of the most visited cities in the world? I ignored them. Hyde Park was practically my backyard, but I rarely wandered into it.
Now, ten years later, I’m back—this time as a visitor determined to experience what I missed. The perfect excuse? The silver jubilee of The London Pass by Go City, celebrating 25 years of making London’s biggest attractions more accessible. With entry to over 95 experiences—including many I once dismissed—it was my chance to finally fully embrace the city.
My first stop was the Tower of London, which I had stubbornly avoided. Back in 2014, I had dismissed it as a glorified history lesson. I was wrong.
Standing beneath its imposing walls, I felt the weight of history in a way I hadn’t before. I joined a Beefeater tour, led by a guide who made centuries of betrayal, imprisonment, and executions come alive. Queens lost their heads here. Conspiracies unraveled behind these stone walls. The ghosts of history lingered in every corner.
The Crown Jewels, which I once dismissed as overhyped, were breathtaking. Their brilliance felt surreal, as if I had stepped into a fairytale. As I stared, I imagined my two-year-old son, Aksel, wide-eyed and full of questions: “Who wore these? Why are they locked up? Could I wear them?” It was the kind of awe I had denied myself when I lived here before.
One of the best surprises of The London Pass was discovering places I’d never considered. The London Canal Museum, tucked near King’s Cross, was one of them.
This small museum tells the story of London’s canal network, once an industrial lifeline and now a peaceful escape for houseboats and kayakers. But the real surprise? The ice trade. In the 19th century, massive ice blocks were imported from Norway and stored in deep wells beneath the museum. Walking through the exhibits, I could almost feel the chill of those forgotten ice houses.
It was the kind of odd, fascinating history I hadn’t realized I cared about. I pictured Aksel here, darting ahead to peer into the displays, asking a million questions about why London needed so much ice. I didn’t have all the answers, but it would be fun to figure them out together.
In 2014, I had scoffed at the London Eye, dismissing it as overpriced and overrated. This time, I made no excuses. The London Pass let me skip the line, and as the wheel lifted me above the city, I finally understood its appeal.
From that height, London stretched out in every direction. The Thames shimmered, weaving through a skyline that blended old and new—Big Ben, St. Paul’s, The Shard. Seeing it from above gave me a new appreciation for the layers of history and change that make up this city.
Next, I made my way to Tower Bridge, another landmark I had taken for granted. I had crossed it countless times, but I had never stepped inside. With The London Pass, I explored its high-level walkways, where glass floors gave me a thrilling view of the river below. In the Victorian Engine Rooms, I learned how the bridge was powered in the 19th century, the mechanics just as impressive as the structure itself.
Back in 2014, most of these experiences would have been out of reach. As a student, paying for attractions wasn’t an option when I was scraping together coins for groceries. That’s what makes The London Pass so valuable—it allows visitors to see more for less.
In just one day, I visited the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, and the Canal Museum for a fraction of what they would have cost separately. The pass also covers guided bike tours, entry to the Royal Mews, and even Queens Ice Skating, making it easy to plan a day packed with variety.
As my trip wound down, I found myself near Marble Arch, retracing the steps of my 2014 self. The streets were just as busy, but I felt entirely different.
Back then, I was so focused on surviving each day that I missed the magic around me. This time, with the help of The London Pass, I had finally seen London.
The city never stops evolving, nor do the people who visit it. The silver jubilee of the London Pass was an invitation to rediscover, experience, and finally see London with the wonder it deserves.
