a Southern lady in London: last week in london: bluebird cafe // spitalfields and shoreditch // the modern pantry

Last week was another busy one here in Londontown.

I started Sunday with a relaxing morning, then went to Hampstead to Heartcore studios for my weekly pilates session. Afterwards, I came back to my flat, freshened up and hopped on the train to go to St Albans. Andrea picked me up at the station and we went to The Pea Hen Pub in St A. This is such a gorgeous little town and it's only a 15 minute train ride from West Hampstead. We had a couple Blue Moons and then I came back home to get ready for the week.

On Monday, I did my work out, cooked dinner and relaxed on the couch. Tuesday was a bit of a different day for me. Instead of going to work, I went to a course at a school in Fulham on strategies for teaching children with special needs. It was really interesting and nice to have a day with other teachers and professionals. It was over by 3 so afterwards I went to Angel to meet Alex and enjoy the sunny afternoon. We walked the dog she walks a few times a week and went to the Alwyne Castle pub in Highbury & Islington before going to Ali's for the Bachelor. We watched two episodes this past week so I'm pretty sure I'm caught up with all you Americans now! Per usual, we had our Firezze pizza and wine.

strawberry beer

pizza, wine, and the bachelor

Wednesday was another gorgeous day so after work, Courtney and I went for a long walk down the Embankment and through Battersea Park.

I tried out a new pilates studio in Parson's Green on Thursday after work called Bootcamp Pilates. It was good and they are doing an awesome introductory deal right now (2 classes for £12!). After class I came back to West Hampstead and relaxed for the rest of the evening. The last couple of months I've been re-watching Game of Thrones from the start as I missed a few episodes here and there throughout the last couple years. Anyways, my obsession has reached a whole new level as I'm reading the first book and watching a couple episodes a week! It's nice to just lay on the couch and do nothing some nights throughout the week though.

Friday was the last day for one of the ladies I work with at the school. After work, a group of girls took her to the Bluebird Cafe on Kings Road for a little wine and food. We stayed there for a couple hours and just enjoyed chatting and wished her good luck in the future. We will definitely all miss her - she was a second mommy to all of us girls!

After our early dinner at the Bluebird, me, Mel, Kirsten and Steph popped into the Trafalgar for a couple drinks. Then Mel and I made our way to Soho to meet up with Val and some of the American girls. We had big plans of going out on Friday night to a club called No. 5 Cavendish. I won't go into the details of what happened but after waiting outside in the cold for 45 minutes, I decided to make my way back home! I love a good girl's night - especially one with dancing - but my days of waiting outside to get into a club for longer than 5 minutes are over. I'm 29, not 19.

birthday girl

at trafalgar

the view at val's flat in soho

On Saturday morning I woke up early to get my hair cut and colored. This has always been one of my favorite things in the world…I love being pampered for a couple hours! I especially love a good blow out that prevents me from washing my hair for at least 3 days.

After my trip to the salon, I hopped on the train to Spitalfield's Market near Liverpool Street. Allison and I love a good market and I hadn't been to Spitalfield's on the weekend yet so I had to experience it. We walked around, ate crepes for lunch, and then we decided to walk to Shoreditch to check out the markets over there. There's a place (I don't even know what to call it) called BoxPark off of Shoreditch High Street. Basically it looks like a bunch of storage units put together to make a small shopping centre. There's stores and restaurants and bars. It was very cool! We also stumbled upon a couple of designer pop up stores and looked around Urban Outfitters. After a couple of hours of shopping with no luck, we decided it was time to throw the towel in and have a cocktail instead. We made our way through Shoreditch and saw the street art. Allison took me to the Crown and Shuttle which has a lovely back garden. The weather was gorgeous so we were happy to sit outside with our mimosas!

spitalfields

boxpark

street art

crown and shuttle

After my very busy morning and afternoon, I was ready to head back to my flat and rest up for Saturday night. So I came home and had every intention of falling asleep…I got into my bed and my phone started ringing. WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?! I can't remember the last time I had a nap. Oh well. I lounged around a bit and then started getting ready for the night!

Alex's birthday dinner was at a restaurant in Clerkenwell called The Modern Pantry. Before dinner, Ads and I grabbed a drink at The Zetter Townhouse which is right next door to the restaurant. Drinks and dinner were both excellent and afterwards we decided to continue the party at the Giant Robot. It was such a fun night so when 1 am rolled around and they did last call, we weren't ready to stop! So we all went back to Ali and Paul's for games, drinks, and music. I was in bed by 3:30 am and needless to say, I was completely exhausted on Sunday (but I'll save all that for my next post).