Ta Ta For Now

Yesterday was a bittersweet day. I woke up to a crisp breeze and the sun shining through my window onto my face. A picture perfect day by any British standards. So where's the bittersweet part come in? 

At this point, I'm writing this from my friend's place back in Syracuse, NY. With your amazing powers of deduction, that means yesterday was my last day in London. Who knew four months would disappear so quickly? I can honestly say, it hasn't even fully registered that I am, in fact, back in the states. Culture shock is certainly not a thing yet, but let me tell you, jet lag showed no mercy. 

Let's just say this pure exhaustion is part of the reason I haven't freaked out about not being in Europe anymore. In my head, I realize I may not be back for a long time, but my brain really hasn't wrapped itself around that fact yet. I know once it does, though, the tears'll certainly be a flowin'. 

There are so many things I accomplished in my relatively short time in London, but still so many things I would have liked to experience. This semester was all about stepping out of my comfort zone, and I certainly took some steps. I did it all, from something as small as giving a toast in a room full of strangers, to just living in a gigantic city on my own. I mastered the streets of Central London, and explored the side streets of Paris, Florence, Amsterdam, and Dublin. I made invaluable friendships, tried quite the array of new foods, and braved the nightmare that is public transportation. Most importantly, I learned to start saying yes to things (insert witty "Yes Man" reference here), and stop making excuses. London taught me to never be bored. Yes, there were a million and a half things to do in London at any given time, but even in homey Syracuse, NY, I'm excited to experience it all. 

Being away, in such an amazing place, gave me a whole new set of eyes back home. Everything's the same, yes, and nothing's really changed much, and I couldn't be happier. 

Anyway, as a parting note, here's what I ended up getting to on my London Bucket List. Shhhh...I know there are quite a few "big" things I didn't see. But hey, it's just reason to go back right?


1. The London Eye
2. The Tate 
3. Natural History Museum
4. Camden Market
5. The British Museum
6. Hyde Park
7. Victoria & Albert Museum
8. Go to Harrod's
9. Somerset House
10. Explore Southbank
11. See a musical/play
12. Sketch restaurant
13. Explore London Coffee Shops Map
14. Ministry of Sound
15. Visit historic London pubs
16. Gingerline
17. Afternoon tea 
18. Take a photo at Abbey Road
19. David Bowie exhibit at the V&A
20. Visit Kew Gardens
21. Portobello Road Market
22. Buckingham Palace
23. See Westminster Abbey
24. Tower of London
25. Go to platform 9 3/4
26. Shakespeare's Globe theater
27. Windsor Castle
28. Explore the English countryside
29. Fortnum & Mason
30. Explore Regents Park
31. Brick Lane Markets
32. Hampstead Heath
33. See St. Paul's
34. Borough Market
35. Trafalgar Square
36. Visit Harry Potter Studios
37. Walk across Millenium Bridge
38. Selfridges & Co.
39. See Stonehenge
40. White cliffs of Dover

&& Some last looks into my journey abroad:

Cheers London,

Thanks for being my wonderful home for four short months. Until we meet again <3 font="">

A Weekend According to my iPhone

Ceiling feature in the bathroom of Sketch London •

Enjoying an espresso martini at the London Coffee Fest • A well-deserved night out with friends • The Harrods Bears •

Chocolate on chocolate at the London Coffee Festival •Caffeine & finals work •

Great performances at the London Coffee Festival at the old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch

So, I'm a bit late in sharing a snapshot of my weekend with you all. Well, let's be honest, I'm a bit late in getting everything to you. But hey, it's finals week as well as my final week in London. I do what I can.

A Weekend According to my iPhone

A play on a British icon •

Hilarious Lady Liberty of London T-Rex • Clever "missing" street art • Praying hands off of Brick Lane •

Lovebirds...one of my favorites in Shoreditch • A super colorful piece covering the entire wall •

Chihuahua and Crossbones

As you may have noticed, this weekend was all about the street art. I was relieved to have a weekend off from traveling and to just explore parts of London I hadn't been to in a while. My friend Ian and I went on our own little street art tour of Shoreditch and found lots of hidden gems.

March Madness

Hello my friends!

Can you believe it's April already? I know I can't. With barely a month left in London I've been scrambling about in an attempt to see/do/experience everything I can before the days run out. Between loads of projects, class trips, and weekend getaways, it's been hard to find time to catch my breath. But hey, who said that was necessarily a bad thing?

Anyway, every once in a while I come across something super-duper awesome (that's a technical term) that I just have to share with you. Last week, my multi-disciplinary design studio professor took us to the Design Museum in London. Although it was a haul to get to, the museum had the perfect mixture of Modern and contemporary designs.

Currently the museum has two exhibitions - Extraordinary Stories and Designs of the Year 2013. Both featured iconic designs in architecture, industrial, interior, fashion, and graphic design. There definitely were not any shoddy designs here. That being said, the Designs of the Year 2013 was by far my favorite - see the complete list of nominations here.

Check out a few of the designs that stood out:

Flyknit Trainers

Designed by Nike

Created with a fine polyester thread and manufacturing process that minimizes waste

and uses 2/3 less material than previous production methods. Left over waste from production 

weighs less than a piece of paper!

Louis Vuitton Collection

Designed by Yayoi Kusama

A Summer '12 collaboration between the designer and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama

featuring Kusama's art installations. These installations were a part of a collection based on the artist's

poem "Love Forever" and were displayed in London's Selfridges department store windows.

Child ViSion Glasses

Designed by The Centre for Vision in the Developing World & Goodwin Hartshorn

These glasses provide vision correction for children aged 12 to 18 in the developing world. 

The lenses are made with a special liquid that can be added or removed to adjust the prescription.

Digital Postcard & Player

Designed by Uniform

This prototype music player uses paper electronics to play music. 

A special conductive ink is used on the postcards which acts as a switch when touched. 

Well Proven Chair

Designed by James Shaw & Marjan van Aubel

These moulded chairs are made from a lightweight composite material made of wood shavings and bio-resin.

The mixture creates a foam-like substance that uses the wood waste created from other furniture factories.

Now how cool was that?

I'll admit it, I'm a design geek. But honestly, being able to create something beautiful and useful is such a thrilling opportunity, especially when it has such a profound impact like some of the aforementioned designs. Speaking of beauty, though, I spent the past weekend in gorgeous Amsterdam. Unfortunately for me, many of the museums were going through renovations and weren't open the entire weekend (womm womm). Still, I was able to see most of the permanent collection of Vincent Van Gogh at the Hermitage Museum as well as experiencing the Heineken Experience. And while the weather was largely bone-chilling, the city offered no shortage of beautiful canal side views, quirky architecture, and amazing street art as well.

One of the many canals in Amsterdam.

The brewery at the Heineken Experience.

Twas' a bit chilly.

I've never seen more bikes in one place in my life.

A canal by Museum Square.

Some amazing street art. Shout out to Van Gogh.

The iconic I amsterdam letters in Museum Square.

Until next time,

*All descriptions provided by labels at the exhibit. Photos taken by me.

U.K. English Word of the Week: "shoddy" meaning badly made or badly organized

A Weekend According to my iPhone

Howdy dear readers!

I was perusing the blogosphere and stumbled upon a wonderful little blogging idea. Kimberly Moore over at Third Floor Design Studio had the idea to put together a little photoset showcasing her weekend through the lens of an iPhone. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the idea with you too. Thanks to Kimberly for the inspiration!

Ceiling installation @ Selfridges & Co • 

Fabulous United Nude Hybrid pumps • Freestate Coffee what's new? • Cotton candy: part of Selfridges Shoe Carnival • Obsessed with retail installations • Jersey knit window display • Loving the playful & colorful spools of thread

My friends Tori and Hillary (check out her blog here) spent the weekend here in London and, naturally, we spent a lot of that time sightseeing and shopping. Despite the fact that I live right around the corner from Oxford Street, I've never actually made it to the mecca of shopping destinations. Anyway, I finally made it to Selfridges & Co. While my bank account certainly can't support any sort of decision to make a purchase there, I still had a field day window-shopping and ogling over the visual merchandising and retail design. 

Check back weekly for more weekend adventures!

The Halfway Point

Ladies and gentlemen, I've come to a sad realization. This past Monday, March 4th, marked the official halfway point of my stay in London. Cue the world's tiniest violin.

It honestly feels like I've just gotten used to living in London rather than visiting. Here comes the cliche, but time really does fly. Regardless, I'm thankful spring break is finally here - we've been working hard, believe it or not. Anyway, I'll be spending most of the break in London, with an extended weekend trip to Paris next Thursday (...I know right?). Needless to say I'm thrilled.

That being said, having a solid week to meander through the parts of London I've yet to explore is equally exciting. Somehow in the seven weeks I've been here, I still haven't made it to most of the museums and parks, Buckingham Palace, or an official afternoon tea. Let's be honest though, I'm more of a coffee girl, and London's been revealing quite the hidden gems lately.

Most recently I discovered a wonderful little coffee shop just across the street from the building my classes are in. Actually, the shop, called Freestate Espresso, just opened last week and is quickly becoming my favorite spot to hideaway and get work done. With a beautiful glass facade, reclaimed wood floors and coffee bars, and the beauty that is the La Marzocco Strada espresso machine, how could you not just fall in love? Plus, they have mint green coffee cups. What did I say? Love.

Poor little cappuccino didn't even last long enough to get a shot of the latte art.

Interior of Freestate Espresso with wood reclaimed from 1920s railway car boards.

Me and Megan getting our caffeine fix.

Aside from discovering new avenues to fuel my coffee addiction, I've been exploring British pub culture. Somehow, I managed to make it the topic for a project in one of my classes which means I have to have plenty of first-hand experience. Convenient how that worked out if you ask me. So far I've been to a few of London's most historic and eclectic pubs. From The Princess Louise in Holborn to the Black Friar in St. Paul's, each pub has had a distinct atmosphere. 

The Princess Louise in Holborn is definitely one of my favorites so far. Built in 1872, The Princess Louise is an absolutely gorgeous example of a Victorian public house. Although there wasn't room to sit downstairs, there are these fantastic little booths around the bar on the first floor. Regardless, two of my good friends and I enjoyed a pint of cider and good conversation in the upstairs part of the pub. 

Fantastically restored Victorian interior at the Princess Louise.

One of the small stalls surrounding the downstairs bar.

There's something so wonderfully charming about pubs in London - especially the ones labelled as "historic." Layers upon layers of textures, furnishings, photographs and decorations reflect the type of thing you'd expect to see in a well-loved home. Considering pubs (aka public houses) were originally extensions of the owners homes, that makes a whole lotta sense. What I love more than the beautiful ornamentation of the pub itself is the intangible atmosphere you experience. Spending a few hours here creates stories, good times, and a sort of nostalgia - layers of memories and experiences. Plus, I'm finally learning to appreciate beer - Guinness is surprisingly one of my favorites so far.

Speaking of favorites, one of my favorite "local" spots is the Victoria in Westminster. It's only about a seven minute walk from my flat, and it definitely has the neighborhood vibe going for it. It's quite a bit smaller than the Princess Louise, but what it lacks in size it certainly makes up for in charm. The few times I've been, there's been a perfectly balanced mix of tourists, the casual pub-hopper, and a handful of regulars who are definitely starting to remember my face. Plus, the bartenders are fantastic (and not half-bad looking either ladies!) Anyway, I've had quite a few "you had to be there" moments here so far and am sure to have more in the next two months. Don't worry though, I'm not turning into a lush getting pissed* all the time! ;)

Until next time,

Cheers!

View of the bar at The Victoria.

Having a designgasm over the wallpaper.

Enjoying the classic pint.

*U.K. English Word of the Week: "Pissed" meaning drunk