Witty exchanges and insights into post-Edwardian England have garnered international acclaim and cult following for Downtown Abbey. Facebook erupts with the Dowager’s pithy one-liners every Sunday evening, reiterating the show’s success among American viewers. Now fully obsessed, we have to wonder: can fans tour Highclere Castle, the real-life estate where the BBC films the series? … Read more
The Dorset Square Hotel has opened, with thirty-eight individually appointed bedrooms tucked inside an historic Regency townhouse. Many guest rooms overlook the property’s private garden—the site of Thomas Lord’s first cricket ground. What many don’t realize is that the Dorset Square Hotel joins the ranks of other exceptional boutique London hotels: the Charlotte, Covent Garden, … Read more
It’s late in the day, and you’re scrambling to finish a memo before meeting a friend for dinner. She keeps emailing you. Where are we going? She asks. She’s getting antsy; you’re getting desperate. A restaurant name, recently recommended by a colleague, is on the tip of your tongue but you can’t hone in on … Read more
Christmas is upon us, heralded by dismally dark days, festive lights and gingerbread lattes topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. This time of year is one of my favorites in London. I love meandering along Regent Street beneath dazzling lights, where I can’t help but indulge my inner child at Hamleys before building an age-appropriate … Read more
Happy December, Anglophiles. I hope you’re enjoying holiday festivities as much as I am, depressingly short days notwithstanding. It’s been a while since I posted. Quite a while. An embarrassingly long while. Although I’ve been busy writing about all manner of things, including London, I’m struggling to provide regular posts on the site now that … Read more
Several months ago, I posted about London’s best American comfort food. Tex-Mex, Burgers & BBQ, although scarce in foreign metropolises, serve as integral antidotes to culinary nostalgia. This summer, another BBQ joint hit the scene: Pit Cue, a temporary mobile food cart located beneath the Hungerford Bridge, has garnered a cult following during its short stay … Read more
When I first visited London as a young girl, my parents awarded me $100 to spend during our three-week tour of the UK. Delighted by their generosity, I tucked the cash away until arriving in London, when I cooly approached a currency exchange in Knightsbridge. The agent smiled wryly, dispensing several bills and heavy coins … Read more
Happy Independence Day to everyone preparing to celebrate the 4th of July, my favorite holiday! To the rest of you, many of you ambivalent towards, or eluded by, this annual show of intense American spirit, you’re missing out… …on fireworks, fried chicken, cold beer, blueberry pie, and awkward red, white and blue-themed costumes. Although I’d love to … Read more
Summer in London. Does it get any better? Londoners are emerging from their flats like bears from hibernation, ready to soak up eerily long days with pitchers of Pimm’s at cricket matches, Henley, Wimbledon, and… who needs an occasion? It’s also a time for fresh beginnings, and this Expat Blog has long needed a facelift. … Read more
Early exposure to spicy Tex-Mex cuisine spoiled my taste-buds, curious little things that they were, already pushed to adventurous limits by parents who wouldn’t tolerate childish behavior at the dinner time. Or anywhere. Whether at our cozy kitchen table, dining at a local favorite, or experiencing novel cuisine on foreign soil, we were coerced into … Read more
