Got the flat!!!

Hi!  Well, I haven't been posting because I spent the last week in New York for a Nielsen Leadership meeting and didn't have too much London news to share.  It was a bit of a roller coaster changing time zones back and forth and being back in the States so soon, but I think I adjusted quite well.  When the UK border guard asked my intent in London I said I was "going home".  Actually got some sleep on the plane and got "home" this morning.

However, one great piece of London news did come through on Wednesday ... and I have confirmed the flat!!  Yes, the one I posted about last.  They gave me a little scare on Tuesday stating that "unfortunately someone else made an offer", but in the end they chose mine.  Whew.  I'm not going to post all the photos I have right now because they all have the current tenants goods in them and don't do the place justice.  This one is the view out the small bedroom - that is the glass window that is over the kitchen eating area below.  If you Google map 26a Elmore Street, Islington, London and do the street view you can get a good look at the outside.  I am the first two floors.

I'm really psyched about it and looking forward to getting settled in and decorating (I officially get the place Aug. 13th).  I have already made a tentative plan to hit the Portobello Market that Saturday to look for a few furniture items I will need (like a desk, kitchen table - could have used the ones I sold!  Ugh).  Nonetheless, that should be quite enjoyable.  I have a little bit of a dilemma since my goods probably won't arrive for a week after I move in, so I will be without a bed, etc.  Have to think that through ...

This afternoon I had my first pedicure ... for sure more expensive and pretty scarce as well.  Think the ladies here care a little less about the appearance of their toes.  Still, walking to the salon I stumbled on another cute little shopping district.  Must be Holbourn, which is close to where I am staying now.  Had some fun browsing shops, and I got a couple books for really good prices:  "Gardening in the Shade" and "How to be a Better Foodie".  Both should come in handy!

Anyhoo ... going to check out this restaurant called Eagle tonight (http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:1658/eagle#details)  Looks to be the perfect environment to dig into my Foodie book.  Tomorrow I will head back to the Borough market for this week's supplies and a delicious lunch and then try and figure out how in the heck this washing machine works!!  Kara - thanks for the needed BFF call last night;  Mom - let's get that Skype hooked up (T&S too!).

Could this be the one??

Saw 12 flats today ... and had to navigate it all on my own since my agent sent a note this AM that she was ill and wasn't up to it.  So, she scheduled me with all these agencies (so owners here have agencies that they have lease their places for them, but it helps to have an agent that coordinates all the agencies because that process alone is enough to send any expat back home screaming "bloody hell" - got it).  Fortunately there is a little strip on Upper St. where they are located close together so I essentially just had to go up a couple doors and meet the next person to drive me about.  Today I was looking in the Islington/Highbury area.  Very cute district, the one I liked the best so far, but is a tube ride from the office.

So, perhaps it is just my budget, but there are some rumors I would like to dispel  1) some of these places are TOO BIG for me  2) they nearly all have new baths and kitchens, and 3) I could have easily have fit all my U.S. furniture into nearly every place I looked at.  All good in the end, but wish I had my dining room table and sofa on the boat heading over here.  Hopefully I can get the company to reimburse those purchases.

Anyway, none were truly offensive, but there are some weird layouts and I have to say there is one that I am adoring at the moment.  I am trying not to fall in love because another rumor is that these places go instantly.  I may have to act tomorrow if it still seems right (going to see it again tomorrow).  Anyway, it is a garden with the bedrooms on the first floor, which at first I didn't think I would want, but um, it comes with a garden.  Out back off the sunny kitchen / dining (skylight) there is a large bricked patio with plenty of room for planting and a grill (yeah!!!!!).  Also, there is some very creative woodworking - like inner shutters on the huge windows, creative hidden closet space.  The front (which I posted) is also really cute - especially when I get that Boston fern hanging up and the fuschia petunias draping from the front window!!.  I'll try and take some better pics tomorrow, when I am also going to go see some more places, mostly within walking distance of the office.  So far, so good.  Let's hope this wind of luck keeps going ...

Week One Complete!

Can't believe it has already been a week.  See how fast time flies?

Monday I made my way into the office.  The pic isn't the best, but it is a shady spot in a great location (as I believe I have mentioned on more than one occasion before).  My Blackberry was waiting for me, so that is a good sign.  I now have a UK and U.S. phone number for the time being.  At this point the most culture shock I have had is over being in an office full time as opposed to my peaceful "office in the trees" I liked to call it in Chicago.  It's pretty chatty and I do not have a permanent spot yet, but all-in-all seems to be a good group of people.  I suppose there is maybe 40 Nielsen people there, but I really am unsure since I haven't had a formal introduction.  There are several Americans, a Swiss, Brazilian, Scot, among many others I am sure I am still unaware of at this time, so seems I won't be getting that British accent down quite as soon as expected (though I seem to be putting the word "quite" in front of every adjective ala "that suit is quit lovely", or "wow, this dish is quite tasty").

Monday night I cooked at home, as bragged about in my last post.  Tuesday did the office thing all over again.  I am walking to work from my temp spot - about 20 mins.  It's enjoyable and making me ponder whether I want to be within walking distance from here on out.  Tuesday I found the Monmouth coffee shop, which is very well known in extremely reputable distributor of fine global coffees (http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/Company).  They have the machiatto in the little mini "to go" coffee cup with the lid.  I swear, the cup alone makes this a very enjoyable start to the day, let along the delicious espresso.  New habit with me for some reason, that I actually started while still in the U.S.   Yum. (NY has one comparable across the street from the Bowery hotel).

I had eyeballed this French spot close to the coffee and decided to go there for dinner after a little walk around the area.  Still looking to see what other neighborhoods are close by for me to consider.  I had to give my housing agent my suggestions Tuesday, so I wanted to check out Soho and Charlotte St.  Well, let's just say I ruled those 2 places out.  Soho feels to me like London's Times Square.  Dirty and obnoxious.  Charlotte St. was cute enough, but too close to Soho to be relaxing enough to live.  So, back to the French food ... OMG this carpaccio (on top of a croûton and foie gras) was to die for.  Unbelievably good ... there were sprinkles of crunchy salt and the little quail eggs were cooked just right.  Going to be a challenge resisting this just outside the office.  Especially with a cup of legit French Onion soup to follow.  Danger!!

Wednesday evening I got to meet up with another co-worker of mine from the U.S. and his family.  They are here on vacation celebrating his 40th birthday and are literally staying in a spot on the same street as the office.  How nice!  Another friend!  They suggested a restaurant newly opened by Jamie Oliver (those of you who actually watch TV will probably know who this guy is, I did not at first http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/).  He is known for the TV show he recently did going into obese U.S. towns and trying to make their diets healthier.  Anyway, it was a really great meal  - I had squid ink angel hair w/ scallops and ALSO a truffle fettuccine.  He does small plates so I decided to try two!  Afterwards we went for a little stroll and had a couple cocktails at the Covent Garden hotel.  It was a beautiful evening, great conversation, and nice to interact with them with their lovely daughter and equally as lovely mum.

To finish the week I will be "flat" hunting ... those days are deserving of their own posts.

London Restaurants ... you've got nothing on me!

Whipped up my first home cooked meal in London - all from the Borough market and in cooking devices of which I didn't understand any of the little direction icons -  fresh plum tomatoes and avocado with a drizzle of truffle oil, sautéed bunch of collard greens with chipped garlic, oven roasted free range blade steak (heavily salted) and a wine and truffle sautéed six dollar mushroom.  Wah-lah.  De-lish.

Now to see if I can go to bed with it still being light out.

First Weekend Part III: Sunday

My inner clock is still confused.  Although I stayed up quite late, maybe like 1:30AM, I still slept until noon today.  Just never felt like the right time to get up and I certainly had no trouble sleeping.  Anyway, out of fear of sleeping until dinner time, I did finally force myself to get up and plan the day.  Same goal - walk around some neighborhoods to see if I could live there.  Today I would head up to Hampstead (via Tube).  This is a quaint neighborhood in Northern London, about 8 tube stops from my office, and right on the ridge of London's largest green space Hampstead Heath.  It has an almost Hamptons like feel to it ... I almost felt like I should smell salt in the air.  Maybe even reminded me a bit of Lake Geneva.  Can't quite place it, but I would have felt I wold have fit in better with a baby blue cable knit tied around my neck.

There were children eating ice cream cones, lots of sidewalk cafes, breath taking windows of pastries and breads, antique shops ... have I mentioned that so far everyone in London seems really happy?  Anyway, I took a nice stroll down the "high street" (Main St. USA =  High St. UK).  Saw the Tom Ford sunglasses I have been yearning for $100 less than the U.S.  - good sign, didn't buy.  Stopped off for a bite outside (cappuchino, smoked salmon on the best bagel I think I've ever had) and then continued down the way to see a few more hoods.  Hampstead is so, so pleasant, but I am still not sure it is the place I would live every day.  The flat they want to show me there though is in a vintage building with stained glass and within walking from the park, so I still will no doubt check that out.

The plan was to walk down toward Belsize park, then toward Chalk Farm and finally Camden where I would hit a major tube stop and could decide what to do from there.  Well, I missed a street, got into a residential area that I wouldn't want to live in and then all of a sudden got spit out right smack dab in front of this MAJOR market going on.  

So, even though by this time my feet and legs were tiring, I had to check this out.  OMG, everyone needs to see the Stables market in Camden.  It literally is a humongous old horse stable from the late 1800s and today holds a gigantic maze of a flea market with goods from all over the world.  I just kept walking and walking.  The interior of this place is beyond description with the woodworking and horse sculptures.  The afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. 

I ended up making a couple purchases - a wood ring and earring (because one can never have to much wood jewelry), and necklace made of little brass beads, and a black leather bag (because every purse I have is too small to carry everything I need on my journeys).  Man, this was a wonderful surprise.  

By the time I left it was 6:30P and I was in need of some more food.  I decided I wanted a little pizza and decided to take the tube back down to Covent Garden.  Once I got there everything was closing again, but did allow me to see the area again.  I do like this neighborhood, even though it is quite touristy.  One final surprise for the weekend  ...  as I was walking around up and down small brick streets I literally deadended into my office.  Whoa!!  Can I just say, AWESOME location.  Not only that, but there was a little Italian eatery right there with just what the doctor ordered.  I am sooo looking forward to working there.  That way perhaps I can get the Covent Garden bug out during lunch hours and after work happy hours and be more content living in a different hood.  All things to consider ... for now, off to bed.  Tomorrow is the first big day in the office.  I am here to work, you know.  

First Weekend Part II: Saturday Evening

So, I had a little homework from my real estate agent - "go and visit those neighborhoods I liked, walk around a bit, and see if you think you could live there."  So, even though I had a big day at the market I decided to head over to Islington in the evening for dinner.  It was the neighborhood I enjoyed the most of my tour.  Trendy and hip, but not touristy.  Diversity, from name brand to independent.  I would liken it to the East Village a bit in New York.  The apartment I was shown there was not particularly breathtaking, but it is in a superb location and I literally would have all floors of this corner building to myself.  Intriguing.  I will be going back to see it.

Anyway, I decided to walk there.  This was not a small decision, as it computed to be about a 45 minute walk, but I really wanted to use the time to get to know the area and see if any other neighborhoods stuck out.  My A-Z street guide has come in quite handy.  So, off I went.  London really is quite lovely (Brit speak), most streets are charming and small.  Roads that look to be quite significant on the map end up being tight, brick alleys so you really have to keep an eye out for where you're going (and lack of street signs on most does not make it any easier).  The buildings are mostly quite low to the ground and I have yet to see an area of glassy highrises like we would see in downtown areas in the States.

I made my way up Upper Street through the Angel neighborhood (which is known to be a good area to hang, but at this point I classify it as having a lot of name brand shopping) and into Islington.  It is an interesting, fun transition on this street into the trendy area.  There were a couple Brazilian restaurants, which I liked, and many, many delicious looking quaint cafes and restaurants.  Certainly no shortage of coffee shops and pubs in London. I stopped over to take a look at the apartment I looked at and visualized living there.  I could definitely do it.  Would need a good cleaning and a ton of flowers hanging off the windows, but I kind of like it.  Will need to balance location with commute time in my final decision, as this is a more lengthy commute.

Shannon decided to meet up with me for dinner, so we headed over to this cute Mediterranean place just off the main drag.  The lanterns in this place were amazing, I wanted one so bad to fulfill my small light fetish (oh, and as luck would have it I actually found a place that sells them the following day.  I'll be back for those once I land a pad!).  Had some great humus, delicious beet and pumpkin salad, and then some lamb sausage with yogurt sauce.  Mmmm mm.

From there we decided to take the long walk back towards my place, and then veared off to go see Covent Garden.  Everything closes pretty early here, so it was just more of a pleasant walk after dinner.  Covent Garden looks to be an interesting spot to explore as well ... in the near future.

First weekend Part I: Saturday AM

Wow, wow, wow.  Uh-mazing.  It was a spectacular weekend, full of little surprises and joy.

As luck has it, while still in Chicago I ran into a former colleague of mine who coincidentally was looking to possibly move to London.  She just happened to be here this weekend, so we were able to meet up on Saturday.  So, the plan was to meet at the Borough Market tube stop at 11:30AM (the market I had been waiting for).  I overslept a bit since I had been up for over 30 hours the previous day (lets be honest, nuclear warfare couldn't have woke me up), then had to do some business at the bank to get my card working (it is, small victory!), figure out my first journey on the tube (another success!), and ended up meeting her a little late (sorry Shannon!).  However, the market certainly lived up to expectations.

The freshness of the fruit and veg was amazing, even seeing varieties that are more rare in the states.  The cheese and breads felt artisan, and they were literally shaving cured pigs legs to provide prosciutto and jamon serrano.  You may know, the English are famous for their meat pies, and there were plenty of those.  Also, a lesson learned - saw a REAL English muffin.  Looked pretty tasty - I bet the nooks and crannies in that baby are big enough to hold a quarter stick of butter.

Oh wait, I had to buy an unmarked bottle of truffle oil made by the owner of the booth (first time I had ever seen a whole truffle before - have to say if encountered in nature don't think I would have been the first to take a bite of that little sucker)!  I had to hold myself back - it is a great feeling (unlike being on vacation) that you know you don't have to take it all in at once because you can come back as often as you wish.  The pastries have been flat out amazing, but I'll have to write an entire blog about those.  They had quail eggs (which I love to eat, a lesson learned in Brazil), pates, salamis, fresh fish, REAL bacon, passion fruit juice, figs, fresh oysters ... I was a happy lady.

The also have a ton of booths with people preparing food as well.  There is great diversity - middle eastern, Turkish candies, chorizo sandwiches, ostrich burgers (Jo - we're going to try one of those when you're here) - you could tell those that were legendary because they had lines wrapping around everywhere.  I opted for a foot long bratwurst with mustard and crout from a genuine German booth.  I had been craving a brat since the 4th and this baby did the trick.  Yummy!  They also had what has to be one of the best creations of all time - it is called the Raclette (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette).  They have these concoctions that support and fire the top of a wheel of cheese, upon after which it is nice and bubbly, they scrape it off onto a mountain of potatoes and gherkin pickles.  I resisted this time, but Raclette - you are in my future.

In the end, I bought enough fruit and fresh yogurt for breakfast this week, steak and greens for a dinner at home, tomatoes and bacon for a stellar BLT, and some prosciutto and goat cheese for a baguette snack.  And, I have to say I think it was cheaper than what I normally spend at Whole Foods.  Yes!

75 or one-two-five he asks ...

... confused I am ... what could this possibly mean? What is this Brit-speak? Then I see, glasses of wine actually come in various sizes here in London - at least at this great little wine bar "28-50" http://www.2850.co.uk/  it does. Yes, for my first evening I had already scoped out this trendy wine and food pairing establishment close to the temp housing. Signing up for Timeout London is certainly going to proove useful I beleive.

So, of course I went with the 125 (twice). Once for a Sauvignon from Italy - spectacular, but it was outshined by the second - a perfumy French something or other I never heard of, but will be back to find out in the near future.

Had a gazpacho that was out of this world with the first and a Icelandic cod with chorizo and cous cous with the second. Nice way to edge out those tears and end the first night on a good note.

Tomorrow ... saw a great bakery "Paul" next to the bank I need to visit and then the first venture into the tube to get to that Borough market to get some groceries for the big week ahead (whose web page may have single handed contributed most to this decision in the first place - http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/).

I've arrived ...

So, the day finally arrived. So much drama and preparation and fears and fantasies - it was finally here, like it or not. Just like everything the past couple of months, everything executed flawlessly as if this was some sort of larger plan, starting off with the beautiful rainbow the Saturday night my Mom was in to visit.  Hope this cover of the Economist in the airport isn't a sign of bad news!!

The airplane was a little delayed, but ended up not being an issue. I was a bit concerned about the 6 hour time difference, because although I would be landing at 8:30AM in London, that would only be 2:30A Chicago time, and I would have to crash early to be somewhat coherent the next day for my planned tour with my housing agent. Much to my dismay a VERY large man with some VERY loud snoring was sitting just across the aisle from me (he also had several stand up and scratch episodes throughout the flight that resulted in me no longer wanting to open my eyes at every disturbance). However, as luck would have it he calmed down not too far in.

Still, sleeping on a plane is rough and there was a Matt Damon movie on so I really only got a couple of hours in max. I summoned up the energy, made it through Immigration no problem (I'm a foreigner now!), and got into a taxi. Wait, how cool are the taxis in London?? These cute little cars, with some much boxy space and someone at the wheel that knows pretty much everything? Check in the positive column.

The ride in was great, as I got to go through some significant parts of the city (as least I believe they were based on all the beautiful buildings, tourists, and Harrods on Knightbridge). My temp housing was pretty inconspicuous, and I ended up having to wait an hour and a half outdoors for the agent to arrive. It was a bit stressful as my cell was on its last bit of juice (hey, at least it worked), but it ended up ok. Threw the bags upstairs (just what I needed a third floor walk up! But, its nice.) and off to meet Anne, my housing agent.

Anne appears to know just as much about London side streets as those clever taxi drivers (wait, did I just sense a bit of an accent in that statement?), as she was whipping left and right here and there - we spent the entire afternoon going from Islington to Kensington to Knotting Hill to Covent Garden and everywhere in between. Snuck in a cappuccino and quiche from lunch.  So many great places to chose from (going to ponder this weekend) and I got to see some of the "flats" here. Agreed, they are not as nice as Chicago and there are some quirky things (I mean really, furnished and carpeting? Eeewww. One had a full out bason sink in the bedroom - another the fridge was in a closet in the living room). Nonetheless, I now feel confidant I will find something I can turn into home and get enough room for you all to come and visit on the regular (hint, hint.)

Going to give Anne my thoughts and we are going to get serious Thursday and Friday about finding a flat.

Side note, there is AMAZING architecture here, but assume there will be plenty of time for posting the local landscape shots in the future.

Where Everybody Knows your Name ...

I couldn't have asked for a better going away party.  Thanks so much to everyone who made and it, especially to Chepe and Eileen for making it special and creating a place we all call home.  Check out these group shots!!  Priceless. See you at X-mas.

Logan's Beautiful Food

No doubt, one of the many things I was sad to leave was the wonderful food of Chicago, and more specifically Logan Square.  Everyone knows my love with the food of Buona Terra and Lula, but they really are imagery masterpieces as well.  I enjoy the appearance of food as much as the taste - the colors, the balance of the various fresh ingredients - and when cooking at home concentrate on this as well.  Look forward to my "foodie" habits to prevail as I explore London in more detail fo' sho'.


{above:  crepes with whitefish and stinging nettles, Lula; below:  devoured plate of "Clair's Rack of Lamb", BT; Eggs Benedict w/ OMG truffle oil at Toast}

Like my boots?

My friend Mary has graciously agreed to watch after Kitty for the six months he needs to be in the U.S. before he can book his one way ticket as well across the pond at Christmas time.  So, in order to give her a little break on Kitty hairs all over the place (and I guess Kitty should be a little more comfortable as well ... right?) I got him a "lion cut" today at the groomer/saint.

Man he looks ridiculous ... and irresistible.  Let's just say it was a traumatic experience for both of us  (cat + water = tears and growling), but the pictures and seeing his little boots almost makes it worth while.

Aaawwwwww   Kiiiiitttttyyyyyyyy!

Nine Days and Counting ...

Next Thursday I have a one way ticket to London ... I decided, well maybe more so a little bit, life decided that spending some time in the U.K. would do me some good.  Those of you close to me know this change has been long coming, with the original notion showing up in my inbox over six months ago.  I'm glad I had the time to think this through consciously and not feel pressured.  Though there were times when I was frantically looking for reasons not to do this, in the end I just simply realized how blessed I was to have this opportunity and that it was my turn to experience those things that I envy so much in others.  Yeah!!

I will use this space online to share my experiences, laugh at life's nuances, and exhaust my loneliness and longing for my friends and family back in the States.  I hope you tune in ...