Everyone who told me that food in London was atrocious LIED! The food here is not bad--in fact, it is quite delicious. London really has become a global city in the way of food and restaurants. There are more Italian restaurants here than in Italy, I think. But besides the international food, the British food isn't half bad either. Their sausages are delightful, fish and chips is a classic, and I've become a big fan of meat pies.

("But I don't want to be a pie!")

And their festival food is to die for! The Thames Festival was this weekend (more on that later), and I ate some of the best food: risotto ball wraps, cinnamon cookies, sausage and onions on fresh rolls, and fudge of course.  And it was all fantastic. By far the best festival food I've ever eaten (except for lumpia from the CTK Festival--nothing beats that). 

I've also been cooking a lot! The NYU London dorms are newly remodeled, and have never been lived in before, so I am breaking in this new kitchen they provided us with. My friend and I have decided that by the end of this year in London, we are going to be master chefs! And we are well on our way. We've made chicken parmigiana and shrimp stir fry. Not only were both edible, but they were delicious, too!!

I don't know what our next cooking excursion will be. Maybe we will try making our own version of those delicious risotto balls I mentioned earlier!

The Beginning of Time

Greenwich is a small town outside of London, it's a cute little suburb about an hour's trip down the Thames from Westminster. Greenwich is also the center of the world. I bet you thought the center of the world was New York City (or, if you're from NorCal, the Bay Area). But no, this pretty little town is in fact the center of the world. Because Greenwich, England, is at exactly 0 degrees longitude. It is where East meets West. And the place from which all time is kept.

The Prime Meridian is an imaginary, man-made line down the center of the Earth for the specific purpose of telling the time. This line did not always run through Greenwich, and some places still do not recognize this time demarcation.  The current Greenwich Meridian was selected by a council held in Washington D.C. in 1884. They chose the point because of Greenwich's long history with time. The Royal Observatory atop the hill in Greenwich is the largest visual time piece in the world (originally used to give ship captains along the Thames an accurate time reading).  It is also where the first accurate modern star maps were produced, and where the first accurate, modern clock was created.

Greenwich has historical significance to England as well. The town has had a palace built on the plateau near the river for hundreds of years. King Henry VIII was born in Greenwich, as were his daughters, Queens Mary (Bloody Mary) and Elizabeth (the "virgin queen").

It's easy to see why so many important historical figures would choose Greenwich in which to live and work. It's a beautiful spot, close enough to the city to not feel disconnected, but far enough to be a little bit isolated.
Also, I want my husband to build me a palace like this one!

This is the view from my window. Doesn't quite compare to the view of the Empire State Building I had last year, but this will do.

Looking south down Gray's Inn Road

Looking north toward King's Cross

Quinn on London's Haute-couture

Ok, so it's not technically "haute couture" if they are selling it to the general public is high end stores on Oxford and Bond streets, but it might as well be.

Tonight was London's Fashion's Night Out, which is basically a night during Fashion Week when all of the high end designer retail stores stay open late, offer cocktails, and host celebrity appearances to celebrate fashion and the new season. It's really a lot of fun. But honestly, I would have to recommend New York City's FNO to anyone new to the fashion scene. Overall, there is more to see and do at New York's FNO. Almost no celebrities showed up in London and most stores weren't offering anything very special.

But that doesn't mean it wasn't an interesting evening! No, it was a fascinating night. You see, most Londoners are more stylish than even the best dressed American. It's true! I noticed it the moment I stepped out of the airport. Men here know the power and sex appeal of a good suit, everyone understands shoes, and women take beautiful risks with their style and understand that it is not always about the clothes you're wearing but about how you wear them.  In Europe it is not a bad thing for a man to be stylish and care about how he looks. If a man dresses well, he is not "gay" or even "metrosexual", which is really very refreshing.

Now, why Europeans are so much more fashion-forward than Americans, I don't know.  My marketing professor actually addressed this in class today and said that it is the US's "gym culture" that was the downfall of our fashion senses. He observed that in the US looking good is based on 80% body and 20% clothes, whereas Europeans base appearances on only 20% body and 80% clothes. 

If we lived in a perfect world and I got my way, everyone would understand and appreciate the importance of both a fit body and good fashion sense.

Today is 08/09/10 in England...and everywhere that isn't the US.

...think about that for a second...


Now think about this: I have gotten to experience this day TWICE this summer.
Crazy.

My first home-made dinner in London! So what if it's just a peanut butter sandwich? At least I remembered to eat at all.

Quinn Leaves Home

There is a cliche that I have heard many times that goes "you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been." I don't know how true that is, but I like my memories. So let's take a look at where I've been before we talk about where I'm going.

I grew up in the East Bay, a suburb of San Francisco, California. If you ask any kid between the ages of 10 and 30 from the Bay Area, they will all surely tell you, that this is the greatest place on planet Earth. Now, I have not seen most of this Earth (although I do plan to), and neither have these kids, but they might actually be right. I am incredibly lucky to have grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am a little spoiled because of it. Every time I leave California, I scoff at the lack of fresh veggies, glorious sunshine, proximity to surf and snow, and mix of cultures and ideas that are all so prevalent in the Bay. I am so grateful for my childhood there, and I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else in the world. I will always be a flip-flop and wayfarer wearing California girl and won't be able to pass a single summer without returning to Cali (tell my mother that, it will make her supremely happy).

However, 18 years was enough of the Bay Area for me. After that I popped my little suburban, private school bubble and moved to big, bad New York City. I love New York.  Ever since I first visited the city at Thanksgiving in 2005 I knew I would live there some day (it was a feeling like I had found the piece of my heart that had been missing). And I did just that. The 8 months I spent in New York during my freshman year at NYU were incredible. My dorm was in the heart of Greenwich Village, right between Washington Square Park and Union Square, and I had a view of the Empire State Building from my tiny window. Not everyone (in fact, very few people) are privileged enough to have such living arrangements--and I was only a freshman! Plus there was the Divine Nine that made the academic year especially awesome, but that is a story for a different time.

And so now I find myself living in Bloomsbury, London. Where our story (as it relates to this blog, anyway) really begins.

So I am a California girl, whose heart resides in New York City. But I must admit, I have never met a city I didn't like.