Category: ENJOY

Happy Londonversary to me

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God dammit, a week in and I am at risk of falling short of my twice weekly posting resolution / goal / whatever.  Well folks it may already be Thursday in the UK but by George it’s still Wednesday somewhere so Vancouver, DC and Buenos Aires this one’s for you.

Yesterday Today marks 12 months to the day that I tootled across the pond and what better way to celebrate my Londonversary than by sharing the 12 top tips I’ve learned in that time with you!

1 Citymapper

Also affectionately known by me as Sh*ttymapper whilst trying to navigate my way around Holborn in search of the nightbus home, more often than not this free app delivers the goods, or rather the directions, when I need to get somewhere fast.  You can search rain safe, cycle and walking routes though in my experience the gps tends to go a bit squiffy when you’re on foot. You can also rather handily find out how much your route will cost you before you set off so you can play the bus and Tube off against each other and win.  Take that TFL!  If you’re feeling flush you can also get a price for your journey via Black Cab.

2 Uber

Speaking of taxis, uber is far and away the cheapest way to get a taxi and you can book and pay for your ride home straight from your smartphone – no cash changes hands at all.  The app is free and you can choose along a sliding scale as to which band of car you want to get.  A couple of words of warning: Avoid the regular uber taxi like the plague.  Anyone can seemingly sign up for this and while it may be the cheaper option there doesn’t appear to be much monitoring in place to standardise the quality of drivers.  From personal experience and that of my friends uber x offers better peace of mind and the drivers seem to know where they are going!  When you sign up you link your account to your paypal so in that respect it’s a good option if you are in need of a taxi, esp at the end of a night out and you don’t fancy the night bus.  There’s no premium on safety so this app makes it easy to get home safely and, hopefully, swiftly.  Use with caution and beware of surges in price in high demand areas!  If you want to try it for free (for a journey up to the value of £10,) you can use my promo code: c5d7i.  Then, if you’re only visiting the city as a one off, you can always just delete the app.  If you choose to keep it you can share your own promo code with friends and family and you’ll get up to £10 uber credit for every person who signs up with it.  Spread the love!

3 Time Out 

Time Out magazine is an institution in this city and, if you’re early enough on a Tuesday morning, you can pick up a free copy at most Underground stations.  It’s full of the latest pop-up restaurants, gallery openings and exhibitions worth seeing though due to it’s huge popularity anything featured in it tends to get booked up almost instantly so act fast!  You can also sign up for email alerts and get some great offers like four cocktails in Mayfair for £16.  Sounds like a fun night to me!

4 Walk on the left, stand on the right

When using the escalators pretty much anywhere there is an unspoken rule that you must stand on the right hand side or walk up them on the left.  Trust me, you will have a better day.  Should you choose to ignore this piece of advice simply stand left and turn around.  You will undoubtedly find a stoic, silent type shuffling on the step beneath you, head bent to their phone, bitching furiously about your audacity on Twitter.

5 Take in a West End show

I’ve been to see a few over the past year and without doubt my top two for a sing-along are Memphis and Made In Dagenham.  Both shows will leave your spirits soaring; you will laugh, you will cry and you’ll leave with new found gumption and a spring in your step.  I went to see both recently when my mum came to visit and they are a great choice for a spot of mother-daughter bonding though audiences were a mixed bag of folk toe tapping in unison.  If you find yourself at a loose end on the day you want to go see a show take yourself to Leicester Square and you will find lots of ticket booths that want your business.  DO NOT buy your tickets from the first booth you come across as they can all vary in price.  Have a look around or pop into the theatre box office as they may have a good offer.  Another tip is check out lastminute.com – i’ve got fantastic dinner and show deals there before.  Time Out is also currently running brilliant offers on both shows and a whole host of others here.

6 Not into musicals but love theatre?

If you fancy something a bit different check out The National Theatre – a London institution where every theatre actor dreams of treading the boards and you can pick up a ticket on the day of a sold out show for as little as £5, so long as you don’t mind standing.  It’s a bit of a punt as it’s only valid for selected shows providing all other tickets have sold out on that day but definitely worth giving a go.  You can also nab £15 Travelex tickets for NT shows too – bargain!  Click here for more details.    I also recently saw The Play That Goes Wrong which Time Out is also running a great offer on.  Have a gander at my review – if side-splitting laughs are your thing this one’s for you.

7 The best museums in life are free

If you’re in the market for a bit of culture but don’t fancy splashing out for the privilege head along the South Bank to the Tate Modern.  It’s free to see the permanent exhibitions, is great for people watching and coffee and is interactive so perfect for children. They (and you) can even create an image for display on the interactive Bloomberg screens on fancy looking etcha sketches.

8 Dennis Sever’s house.

So good I went back again mere days later.  Read about it here.

9 Spitalfields Market

Since you might already be in the area if you visit Dennis’s house you may as well take a stroll over to Spitalfields market which is in my humble opinion one of London’s nicest markets.  It’s a great spot to while away a few hours boasting a variety of great souvenirs for yourself and your friends from affordable (and, of course, not so affordable) artworks to fashion, trinkets, jewellery and more.  It’s also a covered market so if the weather’s not on your side it won’t really affect you.  There are also lots of lovely little independent boutique shops there as well as plenty of places to sit down and refuel with good food and drink.

10 Take a trip down Columbia Road

Head East to Columbia Road on a Sunday to take in the sights and smells of London’s loveliest flower market.  If you’re local and want to spruce up your home on the cheap head around 2pm when trade is nearing its close and you can haggle for cheaper blooms.  Along the road there are lots of little holes in the wall selling great coffee and some gorgeous wee shops.  My favourite one is Jessie and Buddug The Shop.  Run by two Welsh artists there’s a quaint and homely feel to their shop which showcases their own creations along with others they’ve handpicked from people and places they love.  Artist Rob Ryan also has a shop along this street which I’m desperate to get to.  If you don’t know his work I recommend a beautiful wee book my mum bought me called A Sky Full of Kindness.  You can even get it signed by the artist himself.  It’s a heart warmer alright!

11 Revisit your childhood with a ride on a Boris Bike

Love him or loathe him Mayor of London Boris has well and truly made his mark with the installation of blue Boris Bikes around the city.  I for one am a fan though I’m the first to admit I’m not great on them in traffic.  If you’re as nervous as I am on two wheels in busy traffic you can still have a go in the parks.  My favourite is Victoria Park in East London.  Popular with families, dog walkers and runners alike the paths are wide enough to accommodate the very wobbliest of cyclists and if you fall off and scrape your knees you can always head to The Pavillion for a brownie and some tea to make it all better.  To keep the cost down dock your bike every 30 minutes so you don’t have to pay more than £2 for the whole hire time.

12 Invest in an Oyster card. 

It will save you waaay more money than buying individual or day tickets.

So there you have it, one year down, goodness knows how many more to go.  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this past year and are as excited about what 2015 has in store as I am!

To celebrate my Londonversary I’ve been picking up some bits and pieces from my travels for a special giveaway.  Check back on Sunday for details!

Til then, happy hump day!

xx

Belated Christmas Wishes to You All!

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Well it’s now Boxing Day and it’s hard to believe that Christmas Day has been and gone!

Apologies for the tardiness of these festive wishes but yesterday’s priorities were firmly focused on family and feeding!

Nonetheless the sentiment remains and I hope that, wherever in the world you may be, your Christmas -(should you have chosen to celebrate it) – was one of peace, kindness and too many sweets.

The diet starts tomorrow…(again!;)
Xxx

‘Tis the Season to Travel: A Festive Weekend in York

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This year my work has taken me to new places in England and one of my favourite spots is York.  It’s only 2 hours away from London on the train and with tickets as cheap as £20 each way it’s hard to think of a reason not to head north for a wee look-see.  You can do a day trip if you like with trains leaving as early as 06:15 and the last train back with East Coast rail will just about get you back to King’s Cross in time to catch the last Tube home.

As I had been to York a few times I had already built a list of things I was keen to see so opted for a 2 night stay in an air b’n’b house along with my pal Victoria.  It worked out pretty reasonable and cost under £50 each for two nights accommodation including breakfast.  Our host Claire really welcomed us into her home and was keen to recommend places she thought we might enjoy.  It was the first time I had used air b’n’b and I was really impressed with it.  It’s definitely an option to consider if you are on a tight budget and it was great to have a local person’s perspective on what was worth a visit and what we could easily give a miss.

One of the places I really wanted to see was Castle Howard – if you’ve ever seen Brideshead Revisited you’ll recognise it from there.  Our trip coincided with the first day the house was reopened after being closed for renovations and it was full of festive flair to celebrate Christmas.  There were different events going on for families with music and a chance to meet Santa – sadly we were a little too late for this!  As we were reliant on public transport we were a little peeved when we realised there are only a few buses that go to Castle Howard per day with lengthy waits of over an hour between services. The last bus also leaves Castle Howard at 17:05 – don’t miss it.  The journey back is over an hour and a taxi will set you back £70+.  You have been warned!

The upside of being at the mercy of public transport is that the route to the Castle is picturesque and offers a lovely opportunity to take in views of the idyllic Yorkshire countryside.  If you travel by bus keep hold of your ticket because it will entitle you to a vastly reduced entrance to the Castle – I think ours worked out at around £8 per person instead of £14.  Facilities at the house are as you would expect – a choice of cafe, souvenir shop and a farm shop with locally sourced produce offering up the chance to take home some little trinkets from your trip.

The real jewel in Castle Howard’s crown is the astonishing wealth of knowledge the staff have about the house, grounds and family who still reside there today.  There was no tour as such when we were there but staff are in each room and were very approachable and keen to share their passion for this beautiful place with visitors.  They really made the house’s history come alive and for that alone we felt the admission price was deserved.

We followed our afternoon of culture with a meal out in the city centre which proved tricky as every restaurant we tried was very busy catering to the whim of lots of Christmas parties which we hadn’t bargained for.  Still, we did eventually manage to get a table at Bill’s and had a great meal there which was reasonably priced.  A great spot in the centre of town with friendly staff, great food and fast service.

We rounded off our first night in York with a trip to a real hidden gem of a pub called The House of Trembling Madness.  If you are ever in York and fancy a quick pit stop I cannot recommend this bar enough.  It looks like a fairly non-descript off-licence on the outside boasting an extensive selection of beers and ales.  However, head towards said ales at the rear of the shop and you’re met with a staircase and, as we discovered, its custodian.  He informed us that it was ‘one out, one up’ and that the bar was already at full capacity.  ‘Oh great’ I thought: it’s going to be hellish.  We pottered about in the off-licence for a bit selecting the ales with the daftest names to buy as souvenirs before finally we were summoned to the staircase.

When we reached the top of the stairs I was amazed to see probably the coolest and most civilised full-to-capacity bar I had ever encountered.  As the building is so old for health and safety reasons there were less than 100 people in the bar – ie: everyone had a seat – perfect.  On the walls was an homage to taxidermy with mounted busts of animals, fearsome and otherwise, along with musical instruments and tankards dotted about for posterity.  The atmosphere was fun and friendly, the music was just at the right level and the mulled cider was just the ticket after a long day on the hoof.

Our second and final day in the city was all about eating and shopping as we made the pilgrimage (via a walk along York’s City Walls) to Betty’s for their famous afternoon tea.  We had to queue up for a while before we luckily snapped up a window seat and enjoyed three tiers of finger sandwiches, scones and little desserts I cannot even begin to imagine how to make.  It cost £18 each and while it wasn’t the most outstanding afternoon tea I’ve ever tasted it was a really nice thing to be able to do as part of our trip.

After we waddled our way out of Betty’s we made our way through the Shambles visiting little boutiques in between marvelling at the incredible architecture of York Minster mere feet away.  There’s a great selection of shops and prices are much more reasonable than in London, even in chain stores.  My favourite was a shop called The Imaginarium on Blake Street for the most enticing scented candles and quirky little keepsakes and works of art that won’t dent your budget too much.  There are a couple of shops I didn’t manage to get to this time round that deserve a mention:

If you are looking for a new perfume for you or for a friend the only place to go is Burgins of York.  It’s a teeny tiny perfumery on the corner of Coney Street with a huge personality.  The team led by Hanus really know their stuff and will pick out the perfect scent to suit you.  They are so good they can pick the ideal scent for you in seconds – amazing!

If you’re a fan of vintage head down to Gillygate to Dog & Bone Vintage where you’ll step back in time in this wonderfully curated shop.  I really love vintage suitcases as an alternative for storing blankets and make-up and they have a great range along with a good selection of men and women’s apparel at reasonable prices.

I think we managed to cram in a fair amount on our trip and there’s still plenty to visit again.  York is a lovely city to spend time in.  The people are genuine and friendly and the sights are certainly breathtaking.  It’s a very pedestrian-friendly city though though the majority of the streets are narrow and cobbled so leave the high heels at home and throw on a pair of flats for exploring and shopping.  Just make sure you get into town nice and early to catch that bus to Castle Howard.  It really is worth a visit – just make sure your trip coincides with the house being open otherwise there isn’t a great deal to do there other than take photos of the spectacular scenery and indulge in a hot chocolate or two.

Are there any great places in the UK you would recommend?  I’m always on the hunt for new places to visit and explore – recommendations are always welcome!  Bon voyage!xx

Unique Christmas gifts you can make at home

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As Christmas draws ever closer the shops are becoming inundated with panic buyers – I speak from bitter experience – desperate to snap up the perfect present for their beloveds or the dreaded Secret Santa.  But it doesn’t have to be this traumatic.  I’ve scoured the internet for the best last minute DIY Christmas gifts so pour yourself a large glass of your preferred poison and follow the links below for some festive inspiration!

* For girls and boys who like to pamper themselves

If you enjoyed my sugar scrub post last Christmas check out this video from Miss Kris whose easy to follow tutorials use store cupboard staples to create perfect pamper gifts for the beauty lover in your life.  You can tailor the scents to suit the recipient for a truly personal gift:

Similarly if you fancy yourself as a bit of a mad scientist check out these luxurious bath bombs over at Ali Does It Herself.  I love reading Ali’s blog, especially when she doesn’t sugar coat things that go wrong in the DIY department.  A seasoned do-er up-per she will keep you right and warn of pitfalls to look out for thanks to her having tried and tested everything herself in advance.

* For the last minute Christmas party invite

So you’ve bumped into a friend in the queue for turkeys and they’ve invited you over for mince pies and mulled wine.  Disaster strikes – the soiree is but a few hours away and you want to bring  a gift befitting of your lovely host.  What about homemade shot glasses you can make in an afternoon?  I spied this in this week’s Stylist magazine and requires one ingredient – round, boiled candies.  Stylist spotted it over on The Watering Mouth whose original recipe I’m posting here.  While a little fiddly to shape around the shot glass (see video!) this gift will elevate you to showstopping party guest in 0 to 60 seconds flat.  And hey, what’s better than a shot glass you can eat?  Waste not want not I say.

* For dear friends who have children but also like booze

It’s back over to Ali for her homemade coffee liqueur recipe.  All that looking after wee ones is tiring (I bet) so give the gift that keeps on giving and can be made as little as one week ahead of time.  (NB: Obviously I’m not advocating parents should perform their childcare duties while under the influence.  However, most parents I know are a little pooped by the time party season rolls around so why not help them stay awake with a little caffeine kick.  They’ve earned it!)

* For friends pining the autumnal warmth of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte

I’ve yet to try this one but it’s on my list for this weekend – spiced latte hand soaps from the folks over at A Beautiful Mess.  These look incredibly easy to make – I’ll keep you posted as to whether this is actually the case or not – and with a good dose of my favourite spice, cinnamon they’re almost good enough to eat.  Almost.  Please don’t try to eat them.

* A little something for everyone

Sticking with A Beautiful Mess – one of my all time favourite blogs – check out this list of 50 DIY gift ideas to try out.  They range from the super swift 30 minute Sharpie personalised mugs to the trickier, more time consuming but oh-so-impressive leather clutch bag.

Hopefully this little list will inspire you as it has me to give crafting and DIY a try this Christmas. May it save you from the stress of barging your way through crowds on the high street and buy you more time at home with your loved ones at this special time of year.  I’d love to hear how you get on!  And if you have any wonderful gift ideas please comment and share them below! xx

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Five Star Theatre Review: The Play That Goes Wrong

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the play that goes wrong

December has been, by all accounts, a fairly cultured month.  I recently saw a great play and who better to share it with but you!  My mum was coming to visit for a few days and we wanted to take in as many sights and sounds as we could cram in to the space of a weekend.  Enter my friend Danielle who recommended The Play That Goes Wrong which is currently playing at The Duchess Theatre.  Danielle and I met when we worked in a theatre up in Scotland and her passion for the arts has led her to the bright lights of the West End where she now works.  She’s seen the play a thousand times and still gets a belly ache from laughing at the gags which, in my books, is a sure fire sign we’re onto a winner.

The play itself is the first presentation of  newly expanded Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.  For the first time in the society’s history the troupe have secured sufficient actors to reach for the stars with the premiere of ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’.  Boasting an all-star wannabe cast of amateur actors – half of whom appear to have been strong-armed into participating in the show – the play has a constant spell of bad luck from the off and despite the best efforts of Duran Duran megafan and chief electrician, Trevor and put-upon director Chris, the spell fails to lift despite the cast’s best efforts to keep calm and carry on.

The humour is completely farcical and it’s impossible not to laugh at the thespians’ misfortunes as they bravely battle to ensure the show must go on.  Anyone who’s ever been in an am-dram society will recognise the characters from pseudo-saucepot Sandra who’s convinced it’s first stop Cornley, next stop Hollywood (provided she doesn’t collapse under the weight of her own ego.) Then there’s serious veteran ac-tor Robert who rates himself above all others and poor old Dennis who valiantly tries to remember his lines with only the very occasional glance at the notes he’s written on his hand.  My personal favourite has to be stage manager Annie.  An underdog of sorts we witness something of a metamorphosis from the shy and retiring behind the scenes troubleshooter as she blossoms into the leggy love interest all the boys are after – much to Sandra’s disgust.

I heartily recommend a trip to see this play.  We laughed from start to finish and even though, as the title suggests, you know things can’t possibly end well I still spent the entire show willing the hapless troupe a little more in the way of luck.  We sat in the stalls and had a great view. I can’t speak for the rest of the venue but there is no restricted view in the stalls area, even from the back row which is great.  You can pick up tickets via the Duchess’ website (linked above) or, if you’re planning on booking before 23rd December head here to bag a ticket for a tenner for selected performances as part of lastminute.com’s 12 Days of Christmas offer.  In the meantime, whet your appetite with a behind the scenes teaser from the actors themselves.  Break a leg chaps! xx