The other week I was walking through the City of London in the mood for a coffee when I saw the famous Sky Garden hulking over me. That got me in the mood of taking my coffee with a view, so I walked over to Sky Garden’s entrance to find a line which was literally snakeing around the corner. That was not what I had gotten in the mood of, so it was time to find an alternative. Luckily, a quick google search (this is not a paid ad for Google. Google, please sponsor me) told me that the place I was searching for was just down the road at 120 Fenchurch (hence the name). 

So, was it the place I was searching for? Sort of. When I got to the Gardens entrance, there were only two people in the queue, a couple who were speaking in a language I didn’t quite recognize, something Balkan I think. Anyway, I got in the elevator, and went straight to the top floor to take in the view, which was… OK I guess. You’re quite high up, but not high enough above the nearby buildings to get a good view of the Thames and nearby Tower Bridge. The clearest highlights are St. Paul’s and the top of the London Eye, which are both quite distant. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad view, but nothing special at all. 

I then went down one floor for a coffee, I had to wait for a five second ride in the elevator bc the stairs were being cleaned. When I got there, of course, in classic Sitch fashion, the Deli, which is where they sell their coffee, was closed.

Just. Great

All in all, if you don’t mind waiting in line for a bit, definitely head up to the Sky Garden over coming here. It’s taller, the view is better, the place is nicer, and the drinks as overpriced as they are (think 10 quid for a beer kind of overpriced) are actually available.

The Garden is by no means bad, and for free you can *chap a nice view without any waiting. Just, don’t wait around up there either, in my not so humble opinion, it’s just not worth your time.

*Yiddish for grab