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.