The Most Dazzling and Disorienting Bathroom

On Sunday, I had planned to meet some friends for brunch at Nopi. Unfortunately, I got so lost that I missed the meal altogether (sadly for me, London was not built on a grid). I did arrive with enough time to enjoy some conversation and check out the glamorous mirror-wrapped bathroom. Had I located Nopi early enough to indulge in a few mimosas, I'm sure it would have taken me some time to find my way out!

Tea and Machine Guns

On my walk from the Tube station to the office, I pass by the Saudi Arabian Embassy. There are two British police officers that stand on the sidewalk outside the tall black iron gate holding some very impressive-looking machine guns. This morning, I noticed cups of tea in their non-machine-gun-holding hands. Ok, they may have been drinking coffee or even hot chocolate for that matter, but I would much rather imagine that it was tea. I would have taken a picture of them but there's something about their fully-automatic firearms that doesn't seem to welcome photography.

Five Snaps

Here are five snaps from my time in London these past two weeks. Enjoy!

{A Gingerbread man by the name of Godfrey! Too cute.}

{Escalator to the Tube}

{Sooooo many coins here! I need to invest in a serious coin purse.}

{Outside St. Paul's Cathedral-- where Princess Diana was married}

{Another snap from outside St. Paul's Cathedral}

A Bit of Inspiration

Find a Flat - Check!

I am excited to report that I have found a flat in Central London that has agreed to allow Herbie! I will be in Kensington and just a 20-minute commute to the office.  Although I will have a flatmate (I had been hoping to find my own place), it is a BIG step up from the studios I went to see-- one of those studios boasted a futon for a bed, a closet that could hold 8 outfits max, and a "shower" that consisted of a shower-head fixed on to the wall and a drain on the bathroom floor (as in no enclosure) all for 25% more than I pay for my Manhattan studio. Anyway, I can't wait to move in!

From Midtown to Mayfair

I know I haven't posted in a while but it has taken me some time to take everything in. Today marks the end of two work weeks completed and so far so good. My office is in Mayfair which is in London's borough of Westminster and steps away from the beautiful Hyde Park. It is land of hedge funds, private banks, and wealth managers and rents are among the highest in London. In many ways, the neighborhood is nothing like Midtown Manhattan where I used to work-- no skyscrapers, no traffic, and no bustling crowds of people. Instead, think cobblestone lanes, tree-lined squares and Georgian townhouses converted into offices. And yet I'm still within a short walk of many of the same lunch/snack spots-- Pret a Manger, Starbucks, a New York style sandwich stop, and Chop'd (London's version of NY's Chop't).

I'm Here (There)!

I arrived in London yesterday. The flight here was great. I had never flown business class before and wow was it wildly different than flying coach. I had barely stored my carry-on in the overhead luggage compartment before I was offered some champagne. And the 4-course dinner was great-- I had the pumpkin bisque, mixed greens salad, pan-seared sea bass, and a vanilla ice-cream sundae! It was definitely a step-up from my usual in-flight "meal" of a can of diet coke and crappy pretzels...though I imagine you get something a bit more substantial than that on an international flight anyway.

Once I got out of the airport, I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then took a taxi to the apartment where I am staying in Kensington. I really like the apartment-- it is small for sure (though bigger than my New York City studio) but it is new, clean and bright.

I found my way to the Tube and went into the office for a few hours. I met some of my co-workers and had "lunch" at 5pm (I'm obviously still getting used to the time difference). After work I watched some programming on a channel called "VIVA". The lineup was Teen Mom, the Fresh Price of Bel Air, and Two and a Half Men. Random? Perfect? Both.

New York, NY (JFK) to London, UK (LHR)

Today is the day. The next time I write, it will be from across the pond. Wish me luck!

A Leap Forward

Tomorrow I leave for London! I don't know what to expect but I am excited for the trip. So let the adventure begin! But not to worry New York, this time I'll be back in three weeks. Now I just need to pack...

One Week From Today

One week from today I'll be en route to London...

Weekend Wrap-up

This weekend I...

1. Showed my apartment to potential renters. Fingers crossed that it will be rented before I leave for London on Sunday!

2. Went to see Young Adult with my friends M and J and ate some delicious movie theater popcorn. Great movie.

3. Experienced New York's No Pants Subway Ride 2012 -- people in winter jackets and no pants riding on the Subway and acting like it's normal.

4. Wandered around the East Village with Herbie and took some snaps. 

I hope everyone else had a good weekend!

A Bit of Inspiration

In Search of my "Invincible Summer"

Winter officially began on December 22nd but today was the first REALLY cold day in a while. It's the kind of day where no matter how high my heat is, my nose and my hands are still cold. I'm so ready to burrow under my quilt + down comforter and instruct my dog to act as a space heater for my feet. I'm not a fan of low temps but I do enjoy winter coziness. Perhaps I'll start tomorrow morning with a mug of hot chocolate...before I wrap myself in 100 layers.

Two Weeks from Today...

It is unbelievable to me that in two weeks from today, I will be in London for three weeks to work and apartment hunt. It's all coming so fast!

                              Source: weheartit.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

The song "Auld Lang Syne" begins with the rhetorical question whether it is right that old times be forgotten and is generally interpreted as a call to remember long-standing friendships. It is a song that we all hear every New Year's Eve but it couldn't mean more to me this year. As my February move nears, the pit in my stomach grows over the fact that I won't be able to see my friends for a while. I am going to miss them so much-- the closeness, the nights out, the stories, birthday parties, pizza nights, the laughs, the smiles, the shared ups, and the shared downs. I would never forget the "old times" and I hope they don't either. My top new year's resolution is to hold on to my long-standing friendships here and to make a great effort to stay in touch from across the pond. Here's to everlasting friendship.

 

                                          

A New Year's Eve from the Prohibition Era

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great time ringing in 2012. I celebrated by stepping back in time to the 1920s. My friends and I attended a Prohibition-themed event and had a great time wearing flapper dresses, headbands and pearls.

It was definitely a process finding an 1920s-esque dress and accessorizing it but it was also a lot of fun. I scoured the East Village with not much luck at first but then I went to Angela's Vintage Boutique and found the perfect dress-- a black silk dress beaded from head to toe with the perfect amount of flapper beaded fringe at the top and bottom of the dress. Although the dress is actually from the 1980s, it still had some 1920s elements to make it just right for this event. I picked up the antique-style jeweled headband from Anthropologie and I already had the two-strand pearl necklace with crystal vintage pendant from J.Crew. I added some red lipstick and Voilà!

{Headband from Anthropologie, 

Necklace from J.Crew (no longer available), and  

1980s vintage dress from Angela's Vintage Boutique}

{A better look at the dress}

{My friend M who now counts the headband 

as one of her new favorite accessories}

{Ringing in 2012}