A Lady in London

I always associate oysters with summertime. Maybe it’s because I love eating oysters outside by California’s Tomales Bay and enjoying them by the sea in England’s Whitstable. But in reality, and in the dead of winter, oysters can easily be enjoyed at any time of year. Like February. After a snowstorm. At The Oyster Shed, a new restaurant on the Thames in the City of London.

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I took my first trip to India two years ago this month. I took my second trip two years ago next month. After a record start, I have been remiss about going back. But the nice thing about living in London is that you don’t have to travel to India to get a taste of Indian culture. This is particularly true of the cuisine. Last week I was invited to dinner at La Porte des Indes restaurant near London’s Marble Arch. I was excited to try food from a part of India that I hadn’t been to: the former French colonies.

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Since moving to London, I have spent most of my evenings eating at restaurants. This is partly because I love food, but mostly because I can’t cook. Left to my own devices, my diet consists mainly of scrambled eggs, spaghetti, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Last week my worlds collided when I was invited to make pizza at Assaggetti restaurant in London’s Piccadilly Circus area. Would having to cook my own (surely terrible) pizza ruin my dining out experience?

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I could live in London for the rest of my life and still never see all there is to see. The same goes for England. And the UK. Living here has given me the opportunity to see a lot of the country on day trips, and I have had the luxury of taking my time. But most Americans only have two weeks of vacation each year and need to pack all of their sightseeing into one short trip. In sympathy, I took a day trip to Leeds Castle, Dover, Canterbury, and Greenwich on Saturday.

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One of the things I love about London is that it is one of the most diverse cities in the world. Walk down the street in Soho and every person you pass will be speaking a different language. Try do decide on a restaurant, and you will have options for cuisine from all over the globe. Choose a festival or holiday from another country, and you can easily celebrate it without leaving Westminster. A good example of this is Chinese New Year in London.

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Brighton isn’t the most popular winter travel destination. Nobody sunbathes on the beach in England when temperatures are near freezing. But when VisitBrighton invited me on a press trip to the city in January, I accepted. I was curious to see how the experience would compare to my last trip to Brighton, which took place in much warmer weather.

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There’s nothing I like more than starting a week with a good meal. Since I am the world’s worst cook, I generally leave the food to the experts. Yesterday was no exception. I was invited to have lunch at The Grill at The Dorchester, a London restaurant in the famous luxury hotel on Park Lane that I had heard would more than fit the bill.

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I haven’t traveled much this month. With the exception of short trips to Belfast and the New Forest, I have stayed in London for all of January. Given that I’m usually on the move, cabin fever set in last week. Then I got invited to spend a night at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, and I welcomed the opportunity to staycation in London.

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It’s winter in England. Time to curl up by the fire, take country walks in tweeds and wellies, and enjoy comfort food in cozy dining rooms. While these things can (sort of) be done in London, it is much easier to do them in the countryside. When I got invited to have lunch at The Pig restaurant in the New Forest this week, it seemed like the perfect place for winter pursuits.

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Secret audience. Secret film. Secret locations. Secret worlds. Tell no one.

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When I first moved to London and told people that I lived in Hampstead, they always responded the same way. “Oh! I love West Hampstead!” they would say, even though the neighborhoods are completely different. I didn’t understand why they confused the two. I still don’t. But if everyone loved West Hampstead so much, I needed to find out why.

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It has been a year since my last trip to Asia. 12 months since I last immersed myself in cuisine laden with the clean, fresh flavors of cilantro and mango. I was starting to miss those elements in my food, and since I’m the world’s lousiest cook, I’m not exactly qualified to put them together on my own. Enter Nahm.

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It’s the new year. Time for new resolutions, new beginnings, and maybe even a new wardrobe. But where to find inspiration? If you’re me, the answer lies in food. Over the holiday season I was invited to Pret a Portea at The Berkeley hotel in London to enjoy their unique fashionista afternoon tea. The offering featured cakes and cookies designed to resemble the season’s catwalk trends.

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Happy New Year! I spent New Year’s Eve in London this year and rang in 2012 with friends in the UK. Last year I was traveling in Sri Lanka over New Year’s. I took a few video clips of the beaches in Galle, the cultural capital of Kandy, the hill city of Hatton, the lush tea country, and the famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, but never got around to putting them online. As such, my new year’s resolution this year was to finally finish putting the Sri Lanka video together. I hope you enjoy it!

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2011 has been a big year of travel for me. While I didn’t set any specific goals for the year like my 2008 goal to visit 25 countries or my 2010 goal to visit 10 new countries, I did start my 90 under 30 Travel Project. I also managed to make it to quite a few places. Here is the recap.

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