A Lady in London

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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!

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Four months ago I set myself an ambitious travel goal: to visit 90 countries before my 30th birthday. Since I announced the 90 under 30 Travel Project, I have worked my way up to 82 countries and have four more months to visit the remaining eight.

(more…)

After five winters in London, I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t spent a single Christmas in the UK. My first one was a sunny Christmas in Sydney. My second was celebrated in a tented camp in Etosha National Park in Namibia. My third took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and my fourth in Singapore. After experiencing Christmas all over the world, I stayed in London this year to discover the British Christmas traditions that I had been missing out on.

(more…)

I love Advent calendars. There’s nothing more exciting than cheap chocolate in plastic trays behind flimsy cardboard windows with tacky decorations on them.

(more…)

I haven’t learned much about the British lawmaking process in my four years of living in London. As an immigrant, I don’t even have the right to vote in the UK. So when I was invited on a private tour of the Houses of Parliament this week, it was my curiosity about the history of the place rather than my interest in the legislative process that prompted me to accept the invitation.

(more…)

Afternoon tea is one of my favorite English traditions. The tiered trays of tiny cakes, the warmth and comfort of a steaming cup of tea, and the serene ambiance of tradition always make for an enjoyable experience. London takes afternoon tea very seriously, with venues across the city coming up with creative themes and menus. One variation that was recently launched by The Halkin hotel in Belgravia is a new Couture Chocolate Afternoon Tea in London.

(more…)