Platform 9 3/4

Time to get nerdy guys!

I couldn’t very well visit London without heading to Platform 9 3/4, which proved to be quite an experience in itself.

For those who haven’t read Harry Potter, here’s a quick summary of how important Platofmr 9 3/4 is: To get to Hogwarts, the wizarding school, young witches and wizards must get to King’s Cross and run at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. They will pass through the wall which acts as a magical barrier, and will appear onto the platform where the Hogwarts Express will be waiting to take them to school.

Ever since I picked up that book as a little girl I had visions of running at that platform full tilt, finally proving to myself that I was in fact a witch and I would be going to Hogwarts.

Alas, it was not to be, because the actual platforms are sealed off now for security reasons. You can’t get to the platforms at King’s Cross unless you have a ticket for a specific train leaving from that area. I never did, even when my family and I caught the train to Scotland, which was super disappointing to say the least!

Luckily, Harry Potter fans are a clever, and downright devoted bunch. A trolly has been set up on a nearby wall that looks as though it’s half stuck into the wall, and it presents the perfect opportunity for a photo op. They’ll even give you your house scarf if you know which house you’re in, which let’s be real, of course you do. You could rattle off your house, it’s head and ghost, your patronus, your wand wood and core, and any trivia question asked of you within a single breath.

You can have your travel buddies take your picture for you, and I’m sure that anyone in line would gladly take photos for you if you handed them your phone, but the people who work at the Harry Potter store associated with the trolley will take your photo for you. You can then purchase it in the store along with all sorts of other Harry Potter paraphernalia.

To find it just get off the Tube at King’s Cross St Pancras station. When you come up from the Tube have a look around. Are you in a long, high, well lit hallway? That’s St. Pancras station, you’ll need to cross the street to get into King’s Cross. If you come up to a low ceiling with a bunch of shops around you and an exit to the street on your right, you’re in the right place. Head left. You should be able to look up and see a much more open hall with a bunch of boards lit up with train times and destinations. Look left. If there isn’t a crowd, you’ll see the twisting lineup for the trolly. Don’t bother planning for a special day, it’s always busy, just try to get there a good few hours before the store closes.

For those of you who are a little bit shy, thinking that Harry Potter was great for you when you were a kid but now that you’re an adult you need to grow up, I promise you that you will not be the only adult in line. In fact, there will be far more adults than children.

Go get your picture taken. Seriously. Nerd out. If Harry Potter was as important to you as it still is to me, then you have every right to be excited about it and enjoy it. Always.