What to do while in London for the Olympics?  Well, considering I had only 48 hours in London and had tickets to the Gold Medal Soccer Match, I decided, I’d spend as much time with friends as possible.

After landing and taking the HEX and the tube to a friends house – arriving just in time for lunch, we decided to head back towards the river and hang out. We got off at Green Park and walked by Buckingham Palace and then just wandered.  We walked around, talking and enjoying the uncommon warmth we were experiencing and stumbled across the street Pall Mall.  I remembered this street not because my previous trips to London, but from an email from my bank…

A few weeks earlier I received an email from Chase Bank inviting me to the Chase Visa VIP Lounge during the Olympics. Basically it was a receptions space with open bar and food where you could meet Olympians during set hours. To gain access, you just had to have a Visa Signature Credit Card – my Chase Sapphire Preferred got us in.  If you were there during certain meal times you’d get meals prepared by Chef Morimoto.  We were not there during a meal time, so we just drank Heinekens and ate pretzels.  Most importantly, I was able sit and chat with a friend that I hadn’t seen in years. Thank you Chase and Visa.

We didn’t take any pictures while at the Chase Visa VIP Lounge, so we’ll have to view the pictures from Adam at Point me to the Plane.  We also didn’t see any Olympians — so the main reason for going to this spot we missed out on. But we did get some free beers.

If the stars and the moon aligned and I happened to be in an area where I would have access to a free open bar hosted by my bank, I would definitely stop by again — I do enjoy a free beer or two.

Did you go to the Visa VIP Lounge in London during the Olympics? Which Olympians did you meet? Did you get some great food from Chef Morimoto, or did you settle for Heinekens and pretzels like us?

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