Takeaway sandwich shops are everywhere in London...PRET and EAT are the big chains here (we have Pret in NYC too). Anyway, these shops boast row upon row of pre-made sandwiches in a huge variety of combinations -- the common demometer being that they are all loaded with mayo (except one sandwich I was able to find Friday with yogurt dressing...it was the only sandwich with the big "MAYO FREE" sticker on it.)
Today, I stopped into Ultimate Burger on New Oxford Street. Was starving, and the "Portobello Mushroom Burger with spicey BBQ sauce" caught my eye. So I went in and got one. I assumed that becuase it had spicey BBQ sauce on it, it would not have mayo too...wrong! So, the lesson here is that no matter what you are ordering, always ask that it NOT have mayo on it. Doesn't matter if I'm ordering a chocolate chip cookie...I'm still going to request that they hold the mayo, just in case. ;)
Ok, now that THAT is out of the way...
I thought I was going to venture around the city much more than I did this weekend. Friday, I went to the pub after work with my new co-workers, but was tired and called it a night fairly early.
Yesterday, I met my friend Stefanie and her boyfriend Ashley for lunch at a great little Brazilian Cafe in Neal's Yard/7 Dials (that's about a 5 minute walk from my flat). I've included a picture...that was the first time I had met Ashley and he was so fun.
After lunch, I set out to explore Regent and Oxford Streets, which are major shopping streets in London. And that's pretty much what I did all day. Spent about 2.5 hours in Topshop, which is sort of like an H&M (cheap, trendy clothes) only HUGE....like 4 floors, it was endless and I was lost! I must have made 4 trips to the dressing rooms, but still walked away with nothing -- nothing seemed to fit right. (I'm still trying to get a grip on English/European style...) I did make one purchase though....a bag of gummy candies from the candy shop on the way out, so I did not walk away empty-handed. ;)
This is a shot of Regent Street to the right.
After Topshop, I went to Purves Purves (I know, nice name, huh?) on Tottenham Court Road, a very cool design store that my co-worker Rory told me about. Very cool stuff for the home...furniture, accessories, decor, gadgets, cookware...it was fun to browse around -- it put me in mind of the Conran Shop in NYC. I picked up a few odds and ends for my flat.
I then walked around by the British Museum and Bloomsbury Square. I got turned around and wasn't sure where I was (was too tired to make sense of the map), so I jumped in a taxi and got a lift home...I wasn't that far away from home (the taxi driver must have thought I was REALLY lazy), but I was tired from all the walking and didn't feel like figuring it out.
This morning, I found a great gym a couple blocks away from my flat that I joined, so I am very excited to begin working out tomorrow morning. Then, I went into the office to help Rory paint a room we are redecorating into a creative brainstorming space. After that, I ran some errands, got a bite to eat, then came home. It was a nice weekend. But next weekend I promise to be more adventurous....there is so much to see here, honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start! The list of must-dos is daunting, almost paralyzing. I did get a better sense of how the city is laid out this weekend, so that was at least helpful.
The weather definitely turned today though...it has been warm and sunny, in the 80s, every day since I arrived. Today was much cooler and gray...even chilly later in the day. People were wearing sweaters (or jumpers, as they are called here). Quite a change, but it sort of felt good after the heat.
That's all the latest for now....I know, I'll try to do something more exciting next weekend for more compelling reporting!
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