june so far // bubble dogs, burger & lobster, and a sunday on regents canal

June is absolutely flying by. I can't believe it's already half way through and it's been two weeks since I was in Sicily. The weather in London has been gorgeous - lots of sun and really warm which any expat in London will tell you, is a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, you're happy to have sun (after months of vitamin D deficiency) but then on the other hand, there's no AC in England. You lay in bed at night praying for a cool breeze. I think I'm going to invest in a fan today.



Anyways, June has been really busy so far. It's been crazy at work, I've been trying to work out everyday, and have a social life on top of that. Adam's birthday was last Tuesday and he left Wednesday for our friend's wedding in DC. Sadly, I couldn't go because I can't take extra time (on top of the holidays I already get) off of work. While he was gone I spent loads of time with friends and exploring Islington/Angel. And the best news of all is I found a new flat on a gorgeous street within walking distance to all my friends who already reside in the neighborhood! So yea, it's been a crazy couple weeks.

Two weeks ago exactly, my friend Jennifer and I tried out the very popular Bubbledogs restaurant on Charlotte Street. They only serve hotdogs and every kind of champagne and bubbly you can imagine. They serve about 15 different kinds of hotdog and you can choose your meat - pork, beef, or veg. I went with a pork buffalo hot dog - blue cheese crumbles, celery and buffalo sauce. It was good but truly not worth £8. The champagne, on the other hand, made it all worth it! When they give you your bill, they put it in a little journal and you can leave a note. We stopped off at YooMoo on the way home for some froyo. And while I was sitting outside with JV, Zach Galifianakis walked past me! I love a good celebrity sighting, but I would never be ballsy enough to ask for a picture. So we just smiled at one another and then I thought about all the things I could've said to him! oh well.

                  

On Sunday, I went with Adam and our friend Phil to Bone Daddies. I've been here once before, but I was happy to go back and have another big bowl of delicious ramen. We all ate our fill, and walked around Argyll Street. I wanted to pop into a juice bar called The Juice Well in Soho and grab a couple juices for the week. After a week in Sicily and gorging all weekend, I needed some juice in my life.             

Nothing overly exciting happened last week, with the exception of Adam and his brother Jonathan's birthday. I was a major slacker and didn't get any pictures. I guess I was too busy enjoying the company! But all of us (Adam, his brothers, the girlfriends, and their mom) ate at Benihana. If you don't know what it is (but I'm pretty sure most people in the UK and US do) it's a teppanyaki style restaurant where the chef cooks on a big grill at your table. We got our chef to do all the tricks - onion volcano, throwing the shrimp in our mouths. I even got him to throw in egg in his chef's hat. It was a lot of fun, and maybe now that we went Ads will stop talking about it all the time! ;)

Like I said before, Adam left last Wednesday for 10 days in the US so it was a weekend filled with girlfriend time. On Friday, Allison came and met me at Big Easy on King's Road for drinks and dinner. Afterwards, we walked over to the Zetland Arms pub in South Kensington for a drink outside in the sunshine.

On Saturday, I went out to look (and find) a flat with an agent! I was so elated to have found something I absolutely love and can't wait to move in mid-July. I ran a few errands, got my nails done (I'm now officially addicted to shellac manicures) and came back home to relax. The evening plan was to go to 69 Colebrook Row for a cocktail with friends to celebrate Alex and James' 1 year anniversary….but Alex came home that afternoon and was really not feeling well. They were still able to manage a nice date night though.

So it was on to plan B. My friend Mel invited me to come out with a group of her friends to Burger & Lobster, followed by an Irish pub called The Porterhouse to watch the rugby (they're all Irish ya see) and then off to wherever the night took us. It was gorgeous outside, so I knew I had to get out of the house. We had a really fun night!

On Sunday morning, I rolled out of bed and over to The Coffee Works Project at Camden Passage to meet my friend Ashleigh for a coffee and a chat. Afterwards, I met up with Ali and Paul for lunch at Gallipoli and a couple glasses of wine. Then we decided to 'get weird' (Ali's favorite phrase) and make a little Sunday Funday for ourselves! We strolled down Regent's Canal and made our way to Shoreditch Park. Emily came to meet us and on our way back we stopped for drinks at The Commissary. This place is the bomb…perfect for sunny day drinks. It actually made me feel like I was back at Wrightsville Beach drinking at Bluewater Grill. Ah…the good life! We eventually made our way off the canal and back to Upper Street. We landed at The Old Queen's Head for some good food and fun with friends. But I was a good girl and was back home by 10:30. 

I know I say this all the time, but damn I am so lucky to have an incredible group of girlfriends in this big city. When I look back on this blog in 10, 20, 30 years, I will have so many wonderful experiences to remember. So cheers to my girlfriends for being awesome! xx