Category Archives: Travel
Take me to London!
This is probably better suited for a Monday, but I’m posting it anyway! Thanks to Ally for sharing this!
Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!
A walk on the beach
I love this photo of William and Kate! There’s something very British to me about bundling up for a crisp walk on a quiet beach with Wellies and dog in tow. My MIL lives in Devon and that is pretty much how we spent winters (minus the sunshine and obvious royalty) when visiting her. I really hate the cold, but love the thought of a hot cup of cocoa after.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Pity Shitterton’s tourism board
On our last visit to the north of England, I snapped this pic of one street, Slack Bottom, in Yorkshire, but it really doesn’t hold a candle to some of these names.
No shit. The U.K.’s worst place name goes to Shitterton in Dorset, according to a recent contest by Findmypast.co.uk.
But there is no uh, end, to the list of poorly named villages in the country. Here’s their top 10:
1. Shitterton, Dorset
2. Scratchy Bottom, Dorset
3. Brokenwind, Aberdeenshire
4. Crapstone, Devon
5. Golden Balls, Oxfordshire
6. Ugley, Essex
7. Crackpot, North Yorkshire
8. Backside, Aberdeenshire
9. Great Snoring, Norfolk
10. Happy Bottom, Dorset
These are good, but they’ve completely missed some beauts that were catalogued by the Daily Telegraph, including Cocks, Cornwall, Butt Hole Road in South Yorkshire and Hornyold Road in Worcestershire. Check out their list.
A bit of London in West Hollywood
A few months ago, we spent a long weekend in West Hollywood and I had the chance to meet up with a British friend of mine who recently made the big move stateside.
Where did we meet? She suggested the London Hotel in West Hollywood and picked me up in her sweet little Mini Cooper for what I imagined would be a quiet drink in some tatty, themed hotel bar. I should clarify – she is a class act, but anything with the moniker of the London Hotel would have to be a little Sweeney Toddish? Am I right?
Well, actually no. This is the London Hotel.
All photo credits: London Hotel
After a brief walk through the lobby, I realized how very wrong I was. I was actually the closest thing to Sweeney Todd in the room.
The hotel was immaculate, stylish, luxurious but not stuffy. We took a seat at the hotel bar (AKA The London Bar by Gordon Ramsey) and perused their delicious looking cocktail and wine menu. I ordered the English Rose ($15), made with Absolut Vanilla vodka, Absolut Apeach vodka, fresh lemon juice and white peach puree. It was a very fruitful and lovely take on the Bellini. She ordered a glass of Napa red wine (I can’t even recall what it was… something from Rutherford, I believe) and we had a nice chat in this refined setting, which was an utterly delightful way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon, catching up with an old friend.
And if you’re ever visiting in West Hollywood and looking for a place to indulge, London Hotel has some unique amenities for the anglophile including free calls to London and a complimentary breakfast spread of fresh fruit, pastries, farmhouse cheeses and charcuterie from Boxwood Cafe by Gordon Ramsey. (The cafe also serves a traditional English breakfast if you fancy something more traditional). All-suite rooms currently start at $249/night.
British Airways’ #HomeAdvantage ad
Kudos to British Airways for their very clever and engaging #HomeAdvantage ad, which encourages Brits to make the most of the summer events that are taking place in the U.K.
Before the web video begins, it asks for a home address if you live in the U.K. and then plugs in some scenery from that address (based on Google maps) in the ad itself. It’s seamless and has been endlessly entertaining. I’ve used our old addresses in the U.K. for kicks and boom, there is the British Airways plane driving right by our old house. So clever!
Carhenge
My friend Layla took a roadtrip last week from California to Chicago. On her way there, she stumbled upon this majesty and took this photo.
Behold! Carhenge!
Nestled in Alliance, Nebraska lies a roadside attraction called Carhenge, a uniquely American take on Stonehenge. Built by artist Jim Reinders, who studied the design and purpose of Stonehenge while living in England, he created this auto masterpiece in 1987 using 38 cars. It stands as a memorial to Reinders’ father, who once lived on the farm where Carhenge now stands and attracts about 80,000 visitors each year.
If you build it, they will come … I think it’s stunning and strangely eerie – well worth a visit if you ever find yourself in western Nebraska!
“My London, and welcome to it”
The Waterloo Bridge, with St. Paul’s in the background. Photo credit: Andrew Testa for The New York Times
I enjoyed this travel article by A.A. Gill in the New York Times published last month. If you missed it, give it a read. It’s a real insider’s profile of London as it currently stands – where to go, what to do and see, what to expect – for the next time you’re visiting the Big Smoke.
(I’m also curious to read A.A. Gill’s book on America, which is coming out next year.)
Home sweet Haringey
It’s been over a decade since we were living in North London, off the Green Lanes, in the Turkish neighborhood of Haringey.
It used to feel like a place you’d need a passport to get to – the antithesis of what outsiders think of traditional British – but it was an interesting place to hang a hat for a few years. Back then, it was “up-and-coming.” A little rough, yes. Colorful, certainly. But a great spot to get a kebab and homemade baklava at any time of the day or night.
I recently was Google searching to see what the neighborhood was like now. House prices have risen significantly since we were there – now a three-bedroom terraced house will sell for £380,000 (That’s $612,000!).
But I also found a little write-up on Time Out’s website, which completely captures the essence of that place when we were there.
Maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same. It was actually comforting to know it still really is “a place where you can buy offal, electrical equipment, exotic fruits and elaborate wedding cakes, often in the one shop.”
Good times …
Last week, a British friend took a trip up to Scotland and actually went by our old flat in Edinburgh. He was kind enough to snap a picture (we lived above the bookshops!).
What a special place it was!
We were located right in West Port, a stone’s throw from the famous Grassmarket, surrounded by plenty of independent shops, pubs and restaurants and some tremendously tasteless strip bars. Our flat was on the top floor (I feel out of breath just thinking about it! No elevators!) with a view of Edinburgh Castle (via a very small window). We opened the flat with a big, old-fashioned skeleton key.
Ah, good times …
Best budget stays in Britain
Charlie Brown's in Colchester is included in Rough Guides' "Best Budget Places to Stay in Britain."
Let’s face it. We all don’t have the coinage to spend a mini-break at Babington House or Stoke Park. But £50 a room at Charlie Brown’s in Colchester? Well, sure! I think this is something we could do.
Rough Guides has just released its “Best Budget Places to Stay in Britain,” which details plenty of lovely staycation locales for Brits on a budget.
BRITRISH.COM 