Paris Tramps

How could I forget these? Despite being surrounded by the most beautiful architecture, people and art in the world, one of the girls' favorite things to do in Paris is jump on on the public trampolines. Sigh. I sure hope this culture is sinking in...

Ledbury Road

Every morning - for a while, until I realized we were breaking the bank - Coco and I would go to Ottolenghi for a coffee, croissants, pan chocolat and fruit salad to bring home for breakfast. Ottolenghi is one of our favorite things about Ledbury Road.

Right around the corner from us, at Chapstow Mews, Alice Temperly has her studio, showroom and store. It's absolutely gorgeous inside and out. 

Pictures

Things are so busy with work that I have not been able to keep the blog up at all. When I'm not working we're exploring London and heading out of town on weekend getaways. Here are some pictures from recent adventures.

PARIS!

at the Tuleries Gardens on the way to the Louvre

Coco has regressed significantly and rarely lets her feet touch ground when on an outing.

Once we got to the Louvre, Coco kept saying "I want to see Lisa!" "Where's Lisa?!"

My favorite painting in the Louvre.

Sofitel Le Faubourg was home for the weekend. Right near the American Embassy, Hermes and Lanvin...

We took a boat ride down the Seine

enjoyed Notre Dame from the river

Even saw a beautiful bride and groom on the bridge

And lots of weird performers under the Tower Eiffel

on Sunday Haley and I stayed on and spent the day at Les Puces, the famous Parisian flea market. It was amazing.

Mini on a Mission

It's not as easy to get used to crossing the street with cars coming and going from the other direction as it should be. Most people would probably have it down by now, but me, I am taking longer. Today I was walking Idaly and the girls to catch the bus to go to Holland Park and this guy in a opalescent Mini Cooper nearly ran me down. He yelled "genius!" at me because I was completely confused about not only where I was going but which way I should be looking to avoid being run over. Here's his car in front of his house which I found by accident (and will definitely avoid).

On our way to the bus, even though I should be working, we stopped by a fab kids store right down the street from our house. It's called Ilovegorgeous. Very small, very cute, very expensive. Sort of like Oilily but tinier and thankfully, on sale. Lucy had fun.

It took us a while to find the right bus for Holland Park. We literally went to 4 incorrect bus stops before finding the one that would land the kids and Idaly at Holland Park for some playground time. I am sitting here crossing my fingers they make it there and don't end in like Liverpool or something by mistake. 

I walked back home down Portobello Road. So much calmer and quieter than on the weekends. It's this kind of thing you see on the street that just makes you know you are in a special place:

Days 2 and 3

It's Sunday night. The city is going crazy since Spain won the World Cup. More Spaniards around here than Dutch I guess. The girls were hanging out the bedroom window yelling "GO SPAIN!" None of them have ever even been there, but what do they care. People were actually honking back.

Yesterday we had a peak out day. We slept in till about noon since none of us was willing to fight the jet lag. We woke up to a bright sunny hot afternoon with people walking along the street outside our flat. The neighborhood is really busy and alive and fun. Good people watching without even leaving the house. But leave the house we did once we got the sleep out of our eyes.

Saturday is market day on Portobello Road. Although I'm sure locals avoid it like the plague, we're not local so we dove right in. We had lunch at Gail's which was yummy and healthy and awesome, but absolutely the wrong place on the wrong day - it's on Portobello Road and you could barely squeeze an elbow on the counter to order, let alone find a table. We brought our salmon orzo salad and hummus outside and ate on a stoop. After a minute in the sun I didn't even want my coffee any more. Definitely an ice cream day.

The market is everything it's cracked up to be. It's so fun being a novice and not jaded about these touristy things. We wandered around looking at old maps and prints and silver spoons and military gear and the occasional cheaply made sundress. The shops all along where the market sets up are sort of like permanent market places so I plan to check those out when it's less crowded. I'm telling you it was a mob scene. Again, amazing people watching. By the way Alisa - you are right on about the sandal flats. Everyone was wearing very strappy very flat sandals with a lot going on at the ankle. I felt so out of it in my flip flops that I later dragged the crew into Office and bought these. Felt much better after.

We walked around for about an hour and worked up a pretty significant sweat. Right across from Gourmet Burger Kitchen on Westbourne Grove, where we ate the night before (and loved it) is DriDri, the absolute best gelato spot I have ever wandered into in my life.

Despite the heatwave, it was cool and calm in there. A very friendly Italian man in a bow tie - whose name I'm determined to learn tomorrow served Haley rasberry gelato that seriously tasted like frozen pureed rasberries - but somehow better. So good she went back for more today.

Next door to Dri Dri is the Electric Theater. Little did we know, the best movie theater in London is only minutes away from our house. I would have paid extra rent for this. The Electric makes going to the movies a civilized night out again. Only one movie plays at a time.They have a bar where you can get real drinks, nice wine, and also somewhere there was a kitchen so they were serving dinner. The audience sits in big leather chairs with arm rests big enough to rest not only your drink but you dinner too and maybe an ice cream from next door. We hung out for a while taking it all in and enjoying the AC before they kicked us out because they were about to screen something "extraordinarily graphic." We bought tix for the 9:15p show that night. (We saw Eclipse - disappointing, but worth it). Since we ordered our tix day of we were in the front row. But people who thought ahead and ordered three months ago sprawled out through the whole movie on leather couches in the back. I will be there again. Soon.

July 11

Today is Sunday and we actually had an invite. We went to a beautiful neighborhood on Regent's Park called Primrose Hill. We spent the day in the park with the most generous, fun and easy going friends and totally forgot about the fact we have to work tomorrow. We went through about 6 bottles of rose and then there was champagne when that ran out. The kids had races and cartwheel contests. We just had a lot of laughs. I took Haley on a walk around the "high" - the main street, to check out a cute store my friend told me about called Press. Loved it. We found some really great shampoo - needed, it's been days - in a little pharmacy down the street. Until later the rose hit me, and I left all 60 quid of it in the taxi. Shit, another day with dirty hair.

Our friends have a little long haired Dachshund who Steve and I have always loved named Gus. They used to tell us how he would get into bed with them every night like he was their child and every night they had to get him a glass of water too when they got one for themselves. Well there was Gus looking as cute as ever in their very cool apartment and even though he's seven he's fast and feisty as ever. I asked if we could take him when they go away. I hope it works out - could be out adopted dog while we miss our C - man!

Day One

Leaving wasn't easy - on any front. We signed on our new house on Wednesday and left for London for the whole summer on Friday. All heads were spinning, Steve and mine just as much as the girls'. But, 15 bags and two or three hours of sleep later we arrived at Logan for an 8:50a flight. Steve upgraded us to business class so we headed right for the BA club after check in.

Should have known it would be a long day when Coco declared this club was crap compared to the American Airlines club in Chicago. We let her have Sprite and a candy bar for breakfast. On the plane we arranged the girls in a nice empty row in Coach Extra (whatever that is) and headed up to Business Class to sit in the futuristic pods for the 6 hour flight.

We could recline allllll the way back. I slept like a cat in the sunshine until I woke up to eat each of the many hot meals they delivered to us under our blankets. When we landed I was kind of sad. I really didn't want it to end, I could have stayed in that pod forever.

When we made it to the flat we're renting in Notting Hill we met the owner who was more welcoming and hilariously self deprecating than Hugh Grant in the movie. "Oh I am just so foppy." she sighed, looking down at her wrinkled full length silk dress. She showed us around and how to triple lock the front door. Sadly, she took her two little dogs with her. We miss Cisco a lot, wouldn't mind a foster dog.

Love. Thats' all I can say about this flat. Love love love. It's tall, bright and handsome. Five stories, each one with a different attitude. The very bottom is a nice cool basement with a playroom, flat screen and a doll house for Coco. One bedroom and a washer/dryer. You can see out to the garden in the back. The street level has a black and white tile hallway, tall ceilings and a gorgeous dining room with high backed, red covered chairs and a long table. The kitchen is great and it has these huge windows that open way out to the garden. They just do not do screens here in the UK. There is a little desk on the landing on the way up to the next floor -which is my favorite - the drawing room. This is where I am now. Where I will be working this summer. It is soooo luxe - comfy but elegant. Big, raw paintings just like I like at home. And lots of books and black and white pictures in silver frames. I'm inspired just being in here. Then our bedroom on the next floor and then two bedrooms and a bath for the girls on top.

We're here through August and I thought this blog would be a good way to inspire me to write about the experience and pay attention. I want to soak it all in.

The first day the neighborhood nearly knocked me out. Are you kidding me... For someone as bananas as me about shopping and eating out, forget it. First night I stop and stare at the black truck that bears Alice Temperly's name. And the next day we learn her showroom is right around the corner from our house. Yowza. There are gorgeous, thin, impossibly hip people in throngs all around the neighborhood when we go in search of food at 10pm. Pubs have people spilling out on to the street drinking pints and smoking hand rolled cigarettes. The girls can not believe how many people smoke. I can not believe how young everyone looks. And thin. America feels very far away.

Before we leave the house Coco had put her foot down. "I hate London!" she had announced, to all of us, including our hostess. "It stinks here. I want to go home." I bring her downstairs to the coolest bedroom. The one I soon realize our nanny is very very lucky to have. It's the only room with a shower and it is 10 degrees cooler than everywhere else. I sit with her on the little bed that belongs to the owner's young son.

Coco is flailing, crying her eyes out, whipping her head back and forth like she's auditioning for the Exorcist 2. You really want to go home? I ask? I was so hoping we could be here together. She's five, she's made up her mind. No one asked her what SHE wanted to do this summer! "I want to go HOME!!!" Haley comes down and just stares at her. Could it be that Coco is even more melodramatic than Lucy? Yes. After promising to look into tickets for her, I tell Coco about the ice cream store I'm sure must be right around the corner. I get a small break from the screaming and we all head out.