A-maze-ing Edibles at Borough Market

April 3, 2010

LONDON, UK – You’re lost in a labyrinth of gourmet chocolate, organic cherries, potent espresso, and chorizo sandwiches. Whatever shall you do? Such is the brainteaser at the center of Borough Market, the expansive maze of fruit and vegetable stalls and fine food purveyors collected under London Bridge. The sprawl… (more)

Wickedly good food at the original Gordon Ramsay

March 27, 2010

LONDON, UK – The devil had to start somewhere. Today, the merciless judge at the helm of “Hell’s Kitchen,” Gordon Ramsay, is a celebrity chef par excellence, with his “brand” splashed on restaurant properties all over the world. But he first earned his impish stripes at his eponymous restaurant… (more)

Capturing the zeitgeist of a freewheeling era at Le Caprice

March 24, 2010

LONDON, UK – Picture London in 1947: the war is over, reconstruction has begun, and a mood of optimism has settled over a city pockmarked by air raids. It’s the start of the “Golden Age” of London couture, Glenn Miller is invading the pop charts, and a sparkling little brasserie,… (more)

Media frenzy meets modernist serenity at Charlotte Street Hotel

March 23, 2010

LONDON, UK – When Virginia Woolf wrote that she wanted “a room of one’s own,” she might have been craving a space at an establishment such as the Charlotte Street Hotel in Bloomsbury. Woolf was one of the most famous members of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of London artists,… (more)

A superhero of sights: The London Eye

February 23, 2010

LONDON, UK – Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. No, it’s a plane. No wait…it’s the London Eye, the largest observation wheel (read: huge Ferris wheel) in the world. Like a cartoon superhero, The Eye soars over London both day and night, offering spectacular views of the city… (more)

A boudoir of beauty within a mecca of fashion: Urban Retreat at Harrods

February 20, 2010

LONDON, UK – Urban Retreat is like a Russian nesting doll of style and beauty. First off, it’s housed within the fashion mecca of Harrods department store, so it’s a place to beautify within a place to adorn oneself with the latest designer duds. Upon arrival, you’ll find that separate… (more)

A sip of literary history at Gordon’s Wine Bar

February 9, 2010

LONDON, UK – I have to admit, it was more the literary romance of Gordon’s Wine Bar — the oldest wine bar in London — than the wine itself that drew me to this fabled spot. The bar dates back to the 1890s, when Rudyard Kipling lived in the building… (more)

Getting naughty, Italian style, at Baglioni Hotel London

January 25, 2010

LONDON, UK – Fire up your Vespas, ladies. The Baglioni is a Roman holiday in London Town. This is over-the-top luxury fit for your inner Sophia Loren. Perfect if you happen to be planning a rendezvous with a tall, handsome, preferably Italian lover. The Italian Baglioni Hotel group is the… (more)

Rubber ducky, you’re the one! at Threadneedles London

January 19, 2010

LONDON, UK – It can be a wee bit of a bummer to visit London on business and have to make The City (the heart of the financial district) your lodging headquarters out of expediency. Not that there’s nothing to see in this part of town. Landmarks like The Tower… (more)

Picture perfect at The Donovan Bar at Brown’s

January 14, 2010

LONDON, UK – A weekday night in London, and I’m hoping for a classy lounge, a quiet corner for conversation, and a soothing nightcap to end the long day. Jenn and I found all that and more at The Donovan Bar tucked inside Brown’s Hotel. We arrived just after 10:00pm,… (more)