Back from Florence and Tuscany

Buon giorno! Jon and I are back in London after a trip to Florence and Tuscany with our friends Kate and Ray, with whom we traveled in Portugal a few months ago. Tuscany in the fall is beautiful – New England leaf peepers, eat your heart out – but sadly we had a few days [...]

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Canteen, Spitalfields

Canteen restaurant is this year’s Observer Food Monthly “Best Restaurant of the Year”, so Jon and I have been meaning for a while to see what all the hype’s about. Unfortunately, Canteen doesn’t take reservations until 6 pm on the day you want to visit, and I’d heard it’s always a wait to get a [...]

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Fancy Bowling at All Star Lanes

I’m always amused when I flip through a London dining guide that’s organized by cuisine and the restos listed in the “American” section are a who’s who of mega-chains: Chili’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest Cafe . . .Well, my snobbish ways had a (small) comeuppance when I found myself at All Star Lanes this week [...]

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Moro Tapas, Clerkenwell

Every time I travel to Spain, I get psyched for tapas. But then I inevitably overdo it and learn the meaning of having too much of a good thing. I usually return to London totally uninterested in having tapas ever again. Luckily, there are long enough gaps between trips to Spain which must be filled [...]

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Cardiff and Raglan: Castles Castles Everywhere

In addition to all the scenic hikes you can do in Wales (last weekend, we did a 9-mile loop called the “Waterfalls and Ridges” hike that I’d highly recommend), there are lots of castles to visit, too. “Real” castles. The kind you’d draw as a kid, with crenellated turrets, keeps, moats, flagpoles and everything. I’m [...]

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Eating in South Wales: The Foxhunter and Fairy Hill Restaurant

Last weekend, Jon and I returned to Wales, and this time, we drove up and dragged along three friends. Of course, none of us are UK natives, so you have to picture five otherwise capable adults trying to figure out how to drive on the left without swiping cars in neighboring lanes. Oh, and it [...]

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Henry Moore exhibit at Kew Gardens

Taking advantage of some non-rainy, partly-sunny weather this past weekend, Jon and I, together with our friends Liz and Ben, journeyed down to Kew Gardens. Kew is the Royal (what does that mean, exactly?) botanic garden located way at the end of the District Line. I hadn’t been there since last winter, when I tried [...]

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