Platform 9 3/4

This is your chance, Harry Potter fans. Grab a scarf and a wand. Place your hands firmly on the luggage trolley and recreate Harry’s run through the wall to his new life at Hogwarts. The Platform 9 3/4 trolley was in an obscure corner of King’s Cross station until someone decided to move it to an easier-to-find location and glam it up a bit. The new, muggle-friendly spot has a gift shop, professional photographers, and a queue, but the experience and photo op are worth it. The staff provides house scarves, Harry Potter glasses and Hedwig, but you can use your own camera and props if you’d rather. There is no pressure to buy anything. If you want to try a crowd-free, queue-free experience, go before 8 am or after 10 pm. Otherwise, be prepared to wait. Look for the trolley and gift shop at street level, not between the train platforms.

This was the meeting point for my friend Newman and I once I arrived in London. I didn’t have a cell phone and his was pretty much useless for phone calls. He was staying near Kings Cross Station, so we settled on meeting here at 10pm on Friday. My flight was scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 8pm, leaving me with a two-hour window to collect my luggage, purchase a 7-day Travelcard (perfect for long stays), and take the 45-minute tube ride right into London. We took photos of each other in various embarrassing positions, with a group of Asian kids just as giddy to get their photos with a luggage cart, randomly stuck to a brick wall. I officially feel like I’m in London. Hurrah!