Being May 2nd, and Princess Charlotte's 2nd Birthday, I spent some time today having fun reminiscing about last May when three of my besties and I traveled to London! We went to see the Chelsea Flower show and you can read all about it in my blog post, A Must See-The Chelsea Flower Show. We also rented a van with the coolest Bond-girl driver to venture to the Cotswalds and Highclere Castle - more about that in a future post. But of course, we couldn't pass up doing our best Princess Di impression of trying to be a proper and posh group of gals tooling around Londontown (some of us are just a bit more posh than others, and I'm not one of them) - ha ha!
After checking into The Sloane Club in Chelsea, (I HIGHLY recommend this elegant and fun little club, and if you have friends who belong to a University club or another club with reciprocal privileges, chances are you'll be able to stay here), we were greeted by this beautiful portrait of the Lady in Black.
And on the side table in the entryway, next to the club stationery, was a reminder of the Grande Dame herself, Queen Elizabeth!
Once settled in our lovely rooms, we headed off for a drink at the Dukes Hotel.
Even their car entry was elegant with the black lattice and a small pergola.
I apologize for the blurry picture - guess I was too excited to enter this fabulous place!
Even the bikes reeked of POSHNESS!
Somehow, my friend Libby persuaded the Dukes Bar manager to let us in because we didn't have any kind of reservation and it was a distinctly pre-game location for the black-tie set. The Dukes Bar is FAMOUS for their martini cart and they wheel it to every table who orders a martini. The theatrics in creating the drink, watching them peel the lemon twist, crush the ice and pour it just so were impressive.
And since I'm not a martini kind of gal, I opted for their yummy prosecco drink. It was so good and the cheese wafers, nuts and olives were the perfect accompaniment. Even the tux-clad gentleman whose regular table we were apparently seated at, didn't mind!
Then it was on to dinner where we were each responsible for a night. So many bars, so little time! Libby's pick was the fabulous The Wolseley that was once a car dealership for Wolseley Motors. The building was commissioned by architect William Curtis Green in 1921 and elegance abounds. Just look at the tile in the bar! The other nights we ate at The Delaunay in London's theater district, and Colbert in Sloane Square. All three restaurants are owned by the same company, which was purely by accident since we made our picks based on recommendations from home. Great minds think alike! We went to one more restaurant which I'll get to later. But first, we had to do some shopping!
And who doesn't see a Swarovski-crystal encrusted Mercedes on the street everyday?
But I understand. Anything associated with Laduree and Harrods is glam and sophistication. Look at all those colors!! You can hear the angels singing once you enter!
And on the ground floor of the FAMOUS Harrods food hall, which is a total must-see if visiting London. It's kind of like the British pre-cursor to Eataly if any of you live in Boston or NYC. Food vendors are everywhere ready to elegantly wrap your wares. Don't you love the girls' straw boaters?
And IF ONLY we had bouquets-to-go here in the USA like these! WOW!
I just loved the artfulness of the beer caps and it looks like really good beer! After Harrods, we meandered up the street to Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge on the fabulous suggestion of my friend, Traci, where I bought my tea-loving daughter special heart and bow-shaped sugar cubes. So sweet!
We hopped in a cab to get to many destinations during or fast-paced jaunt and flags and banners were everywhere in celebration of the Queen's 90th birthday.
And around the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the displays were even more impressive as they were practicing the Trooping the Colour, which is an annual display and parade of the Queen's troops and horsemen in honor of her birthday.
We had just missed the practice but caught these glimpses of the pageantry and beautiful horses...
...and I think these two gentlemen were the stand-ins for Prince William and Prince Harry!
Hello boys!!!
Such pretty fencing and gates around the palace grounds before we headed to the Buckingham Palace Shop!
More cabs and we were in the West End of the city where there are a lot of shops and specifically on Regent Street, where there is my absolute favorite store...
LIBERTY OF LONDON! It is my favorite London store because of the building's architecture, their love of flowers and their crazy use of color throughout all their products.
Built in 1924, the store was constructed from the timbers of two ships, the HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. The words on the clock at the Kingly Street entrance reads, "No minute gone comes back again, take heed and see ye do nothing in vain." What a perfect motto for a dash across the pond!
Libby was ready for business heading into the store. What delights await!
Because almost all, if not all, of their prints revolve around flowers, of course Liberty has a flower shop to greet customers at the entrance!
Clever, CLEVER artisans create the most amazing displays using fabric, paper and flowers. So incredible!
A view from the top shows more elements from the ships decks and the open galleries.
Look at the detail of the ceiling lightshow!
And even the men's department gets the fancy treatment! That tie display reminds me of my friends' tie company Trumbull Rhodes that features Liberty fabrics. Check them out! :)
We also visited the COOLEST open air market, the Borough Market which has been in its spot at the end of London Bridge since 1014! Check out the website and try some of the purveyors' recipe. You've got to go there!
They have shops of all sizes and selling all kinds of things, including this one with the most gorgeous display!!
And there was this huge wall painted with blackboard paint and these inspirational ideas for a bucket list!
Cheese, glorious cheese!
I'd probably eat a heck of a lot more salad if it came in box kits! What a neat idea!
White wine sangria? YES, please!! And it was goooood!
Quite the pan of confit!
I loved the logo of this liquor company with the four letter monogram.
This is killing me looking at these yummy cookies...
...and meringues, knowing that I just committed to a BORING diet!
After we left the market, we headed to our next destination. But first we saw these party boys peddling and drinking while listening to fun tunes.
Looked like a blast!
And here was our next stop, The Shard, and the bar Oblix.
Fair warning though, that your dress will be scrutinized by the doorman because they only want the coolest people inside and he will try to shift you to a different bar. Stand firm that you want to go to Oblix because the views of the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge are spectacular! Don't you love the bespoke cabinets for the liquor bottles?
And each cocktail gets its own thematic container. I love the lady staring back at me. This was a yummy rum concoction...
...and this was a different drink, replete with a sugar crown. Awesome!
Such a fun view!
And because my family is in the plumbing and heating business, I was fascinated by this toilet that took me a while to figure out! There was no flusher or button to press. You had to swipe your hand across the glowing lines above the toilet to make it work. Yikes!
They had this back-lit colorful map of London in lobby.
But the map detail was even cooler. I want to live on "Ha Ha Road" near "Pineapple Place"!
Since it was my night to choose a restaurant, I chose The Swan Restaurant at Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Each floor has a different vibe so check out the website to pick the one that suits you most! The upper floors at night have the best views of St. Paul's Cathedral!
SO pretty!
Even the bill at the end of the night is presented in an old classic.
This little sign greets you at the entrance of the Swan and I think it makes a lot of sense!
The gate at the property was really special full of Shakespearean and theatrical motifs.
Walking along the Millennium Bridge and experiencing the mix of old and new whilst (a bit of British there) walking across the Thames River was a treat.
And looking back at the Shard all lit up wasn't half bad either!
You can just imagine Princess Diana's nerves as she approached the enormous cathedral about to marry Prince Charles.
And we end this chapter with yet another nightcap at the fab-o Sloane Club. I just could never tell if they were truly happy to see us return, or if they were counting the days until we left.
Cheers!
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