Shop London – where to go, what to get

by Annie Scott on


One of the best things to do in London is shop. While prices may be steep, as £10 currently equals $14.92 (as of writing, via Google), there are a number of unique districts and stores you simply won’t want to miss — and a number of bargains at any price. In this article, I’ll talk about a few of my personal favorites — feel free to add more of yours below!

Carnaby Street and Newburgh Quarter

Carnaby Street is a legendary Soho street which showcases cutting-edge fashion artists from all over London and around the world. The address itself basically means “one of the next big things.” Naturally, a street grows into an area, and I’d include the Newburgh Quarter as part of the experience — it’s right there, so you’re a fool to do one and not the other. There’s also amazing food on nearby Ganton Street and several big open-air courtyards in the vicinity for hanging out and watching the trendy people go by.

The best way to do Carnaby Street and the Newburgh Quarter is to window shop and go inside when you like what you see. I’d recommend a visit to The Great Frog, the jeweler who has designed bespoke pieces for everyone from Aerosmith to Metallica as well as the Harry Potter movies, the quirky and delightful (and very stylish) Beatrix Ong, who hand-draws Alice in Wonderland characters on the walls of her eclectic shop, the promising generation of designers at Beyond the Valley (above) where neck ruffles rule and the mind-bending photography shop Lomography. If you’re thinking about buying at Lomography, keep in mind that they have a New York store, and it might be best to wait until you’re home to order, currency-wise.
%Gallery-86752%Shoreditch

Shoreditch is a hot area in London for many reasons, but to me, there are two things you must see:
1. Robots. ‘Nuff said.

2. Laden. Laden is a carefully curated showroom for young designers. The Brick Lane store, founded by Barry and Adele Laden, makes a point of not just selling clothes, but nurturing the up-and-coming designers. It’s a trendy place to have your clothing sold; even celebrities come and dig through the racks like the rest of us. Anna Friel was recently spotted in one of the designer’s vintage-style dresses. My verdict was that some designers were better than others, but the store definitely held surprises at every turn. You’re certain to find new, unique pieces at Laden.

Camden Market

Camden is London’s own little Amsterdam, where everything goes. Known especially for its goth scene, the Camden Market is full of strange little themed shops with all tights, all leopard print, all this, all that. If you’ve watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer more than twice, get thee to Camden Market, where ye shall find thy broheim. There’s a burgeoning steam-punk influence, as well, and a dash of Harajuku — all for rock-bottom prices.

Fortnum & Mason

Everybody talks about Harrods, but if you want to be a little cooler than that, consider Fortnum & Mason as your luxury food and gift shopping destination. Located right in the heart of Piccadilly Circus, Fortnum & Mason is a relatively small department store, but what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality. For example, it’s the only English-speaking store in the world (except for one other in Australia, which is far away) where you can purchase tights by Les Queues Des Sardines. If the style doesn’t get you, the history will; they’ve been there since 1707. Video here!

Portobello Market

Even if you’ve never been to the UK, you’ve probably head of Portobello Market. Well, there’s a reason for that. The reason is: it’s awesome. I spent a whole day just meandering down through the stalls, each one offering unusual things — a lot of it junk, much of it treasure. I ended up walking away with these two Antiques Roadshow candidates for £5 for the pair.

Even if they’re worth nothing, I couldn’t say no to the reproach on those faces. I also had a decidedly lovely lunch, including the most elegant-yet-true-to-its-roots serving of fish and ships I’ve ever had at Ground Floor, part of First Floor Bar & Restaurant, a cozy hideaway in the middle of the market madness.

Where in London do you like to shop?

This trip was paid for by VisitBritain, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Daily Pampering: Find the foam at Rhodes W1

by Annie Scott on


Rhodes W1 is a restaurant you’d never notice just off London’s bustling Oxford Street. As those in-the-know are already aware, it’s a hidden gem worth discovering.

The glam, Kelly Hoppen designed space is chic and elegant in black and taupe, accented with elaborate string curtains and dazzling crystal chandeliers by Spina which hang like icicles over the black leather-upholstered chairs. Crisp white tablecloths and attentive service are all part of the dining experience, but the food genuinely tops all that. For anyone who still thinks Britain can’t cook, let this be your arousal from an ignorant sleep: Chef Gary Rhodes is a genius. And he’s good-looking, too, but that’s neither here nor there.

The menu draws inspiration from all over Europe; French, Italian, and British cuisine are favored. The extensive wine list is carefully cultivated to complement Rhodes’ unique style — I highly recommend choosing the cheese and wine flight for your dessert. They roll out a little cart covered in delicious cheeses from France and England and tell you what each one is. You select whichever ones you like, and shortly thereafter they are served along with three generous tastings of wine, chosen just for you by the sommelier. Nice.

A three-course dinner, before the cost of wine, is a reasonable £49.90 per person if you choose from the a’la carte menu. The food is divine, with an unexpected emphasis on foam. Seriously. Click through the gallery and spot the use of foam in every single dish. My personal favorite was the lemongrass foam, served with the Seared Scottish Scallops.

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Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

This trip was paid for by VisitBritain, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Visiting the new Liverpool

by Annie Scott on


Liverpool has changed.

I attended the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (the Paul McCartney “fame” school) for three full years and thought I knew the place, but in the six years since my last visit, a series of events — particularly its run as European Capital of Culture in 2008 — has led to impressive developments of the “and New York still hasn’t finished Ground Zero?” variety.

Firstly, everyone knows the Roman Catholic Cathedral, affectionately known as “Paddy’s Wigwam,” looks like a spaceship (or perhaps a wigwam). Now, it’s as though a newer, more modern spaceship has landed in the town center. The new spaceship is Liverpool One, an epic open-air shopping complex with over 160 shops you didn’t know Liverpudlians wanted or needed, as well as clubs, restaurants, a Novotel and a Hilton (on the left above) on the terrace and an enormous parking structure underneath it. The Grosvenor-backed project has brought a good deal of tourism to Liverpool, helping it to become the UK’s second most popular destination (after London); women come in packs for shopping trips and to go clubbing at the uber-fab bars.

%Gallery-86734%My only major issue with Liverpool One is that it seems to have been designed with style and not simplicity in mind. It’s pretty difficult to navigate. I couldn’t even find Bold Street, a street for which I once had a professional-grade radar, without assistance. When I did find Bold Street, many shops had closed or moved — this was the case with nearby Clayton Square, as well, and was a trend all around the outskirts of Liverpool One. Such is progress, though, and I can’t find much pity in my heart as most of the stores were national or international chains.


Albert Dock (above) is the same. The beautiful home of the Tate Liverpool and several nightclubs, some new, some not, is relatively unchanged and still carries its distinct old-world charm. The parking lot still has Humped Zebra Crossing signs, much to my delight (see gallery). The surrounding area, however, is majorly built up — you may have heard about the Echo Arena or the new Museum of Liverpool (opening in 2011), both of which are impressive achievements. There’s also new an extension of The Beatles Story (which is still in place), featuring a “Fab 4-D” experience; it’s one of those “rides” where you sit in a small movie theater in a chair that moves — you also get sprayed with water, and guess what scent they pump in during “Strawberry Fields Forverer”?

Dining and nightlife, if you ask me, have significantly improved. I had the good fortune of stopping into San Carlo, which is just three months old, on my first night by chance, where I had a truly immaculate appetizer (pictured below, Insalata Adriatica £7.25) in a terrifically classy and friendly ambience. I visited several of the new night clubs to take some photos and try some cocktails, and while none stood out as being the best, they were appropriately varied and well-attended; definitely serving the cosmopolitan locals as well as the tourists.

On the lighter and cheaper side, vegan best-kept-secret The Egg Cafe is still in place, and walking in the door still makes you nervous you’re about to break and enter into somebody’s house. Seriously, you climb like five or six flights of stairs and then there’s just a big purple door. If you didn’t know about it, you’d never find it — but now that you know, please go. The food is incredibly fresh, incredibly cheap, and it serves as a haven for artists and musicians with an array of long tables which encourage conversations with strangers. I’ve always loved it.

Despite the changes, Liverpool still has its charm. It feels a bit more London-like, but that northern, brass-tacks edge is untameable. The hard drinking, crass joking, bottle-blondes-in-tracksuits culture is still there — but it’s not the rule, and there’s something more relaxed about it. It’s like the blue collar city’s cosmopolitan dreams came true, and they’re are flaunting their hard-won identity. It’s a strange one, but that’s why we travel, right?

This trip was paid for by VisitBritain and VisitLiverpool, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Experience Tim Burton’s version of “Alice in Wonderland” in Cornwall, England

by Amy Chen on

Tim Burton’s 3D version of the classic “Alice in Wonderland” tale — starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen — opens March 5.

Since the movie is a mix of live action, animation, and computer graphics, you can’t exactly visit all the film locations and stand where Johnny stood. The live-action sequences, however, were shot in Cornwall, England at the National Trust’s Antony House. To capitalize on the inevitable interest, the National Trust is hosting Alice-themed events at the 18th-century mansion through October 31.

Events: Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties will be held on the Cork Oak Lawn every weekend starting March 6. Explore the house on March 16 and you’ll see Alice’s bedroom and other rooms that appear in the movie. (As part of the installation, the National Trust is decorating the rooms to look as they did during filming.) The White Rabbit Easter Trail, sponsored by Cadbury chocolate April 2 to 9, leads kids through the landscaped gardens, while a week-long schedule of children’s activities from May 29 to June 3 will include a gigantic chessboard with life-size pieces. Kids of all ages can learn how to play croquet at workshops held on July 21, 28, August 5, 19 and 25.

Details: Standard admission is £7.50 for adults and £4.90 for kids. If you’re a member of the Royal Oak Foundation (the U.S. affiliate of the National Trust), you can access the grounds and the house for free. The house, garden, and tea room have different operating hours so double-check before you make the trek. Some of the events, such as the Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties or Easter Trail, will cost a little extra.

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Daily Pampering: British Airways’ Club World service from London City to JFK

by Grant Martin on

Thirty-two seats is all that your business-class-only jet will host on your journey from New York City to the heart of London, England. The aircraft, an Airbus A318, has been outfitted by British Airways specifically for this purpose – as a posh, express service between two of the hippest, strongest, richest activity centers of the world.

From JFK, the experience will begin far before getting on the aircraft at the British Airways Terraces Lounge, where passengers can choose to have a full dinner prior to even boarding the flight over the pond. Once onboard, one can elect to skip dinner and sleep through the flight’s entirety, or eat another dinner and be stirred for a breakfast of choice.

Each business class seat reclines into a fully flat bed, and with a smaller cabin, guests are guaranteed a quieter journey, better attention from the crew and a better night’s sleep on the journey across the Atlantic.

But the best part of the whole operation is the arrival at London City Airport, a terminal normally reserved for smaller “narrow-body” aircraft. This airport’s proximity to the city makes the journey into your meeting a breeze, with a quick connection on the DLR as opposed to the time consuming Gatwick and Heathrow connections. And time saved is money saved.

On the way back from London, a brief stop in Ireland is required to top off fuel and barrel through US Customs. As a result, passengers arriving back n the states are rewarded with a direct deplane and easy access back into the city — all without any customs ruckus.

You can read more about the service and book tickets at British Airways’ site.