"We're getting so much smarter!"

That's been one of our catch phrases here. (We've also come to love the word "rubbish," but I digress.) 

Whenever we realize we've gone the long way or chosen a crap restaurant or otherwise screwed up, we tell each other, "We're getting so much smarter!" 

It's a silly thing, but it keeps us from letting our mistakes feel worse than they are. I mean, if it's just a life lesson, then no harm done, right?

I know this sounds corny, but it really works. My mom even says she teaches this kind of "re-framing" (that's the official name) to her leadership students. So there must be research that backs me up. 

But back to my point, which is that over the course of the trip we've made so many mistakes that we're almost too smart for our own good now. 

So on this eve of our departure, it's time to share some of those smarts for anyone else planning a working vacation. 

There will be work. 

Some days, I couldn't believe how much. Chris had day trips and business dinners. I had deadlines and meetings. At first, I let the busy days frustrate me. "But I'm in London," I'd whine to myself. (And let me tell you, whining makes everything better.) 

Eventually, I got smart enough suck it up and be glad that 

a) We were in London, 

b) People were paying us to be here, and 

c) We actually have a jobs we love.

I also figured out the root of the problem...

Working in your hotel room sucks. 

You think you're saving time by not schlepping your stuff somewhere. But you'll go stir crazy after awhile, and that's not a productive state. Trust me. 

Lobbies and lounges are slightly better, but still pretty crappy. 

Thank Yelp for Timberyard. This place is the best non-office I've ever had. Lots of plugs, password-free wifi, yummy food, caffeine, good tunes and a celebrity siting (hey there, Calista Flockhart). Plus, they bill themselves as a place to work, so no one cares if you sit for hours (and hours). I am really sad to leave this place behind. 

I also found free wifi at a nearby pub (The Harp), a tea shop (yumchaa) and a couple of restaurants (Dishoom, for one). Yay! 

Working at The Harp.

Making the most of your time isn't about running yourself ragged.

When we first got here, I felt like a failure if we weren't out late every night. ("But we're in London.") And poor Chris needs a little more downtime than I do (and way more than I'll admit to needing). So I drove him crazy for awhile pushing us to be out all the time. Let's just say that things got a lot more fun when I calmed myself down and let us enjoy the time however we spent it. 

Likewise, I thought I'd blog a lot more. But I realized that it took up time I'd rather spend doing things and I didn't want it to feel like a chore. So I ditched my guilt over not keeping y'all informed of my every move. (Never fear—I'm still hoping to write an epilogue about gin.) 

But don't just sit around either. 

Walk around. Make the effort to find a new lunch spot instead of going to your standby (unless it's Koshari, which I condone once a week). Step out of your comfort zone. 

If on your last day in London, you realize you haven't had proper fish & chips,
you find the best closest place and go—even if it's by yourself.
Golden Union near Oxford Circus was solid. 

I had Fridays, plenty of lunches, and a couple of nights on my own. So I got pretty good at going solo. Some of my favorite things were the ones that we a pain in the ass to get to (hi there, Thai massage), awkward to do alone (hello, gin tours) or otherwise tricky. 

For one of my solo nights, I waited an hour in line at the theatre for a £15 day ticket for Skylight. It sold out four people ahead of me. So I splurged on the last full-price ticket available only to find out 10 minutes later that Chris would be home that night after all. Returning the ticket would have been easy, but I went ahead with my plan (which gave Chris some extra downtime). 

Totally worth it. 

Waiting for Skylight to start.

Make peace with your phone.

Data is expensive. But you will need it. There will be work emails to check and restaurants to find when your first choice has a 90-minute wait. And you will definitely need directions.

But you won't need your phone as much as you think you do. Facebook can wait until you have wifi, and you don't have to be available every minute of every day. Find the balance that works for you, but err on the side of putting your phone away. There's plenty to look around at besides your screen.

And, lastly, some logistical advice:

Packing 

• I didn't need most of my rain things or very many of my cold weather things. Granted, we were ridiculously lucky with the weather. But a cardigan and my leather jacket would have gotten me through everything, even if the only other things I'd packed were the tanks and t-shirts I wore most. 
• That leather jacket and a zippered totebag were the most two useful things I brought. 
• If a place says they have laundry, ask for details. Our "laundry facility" was one washer and one dryer for the entire hotel. We had to use them at really awkward times.

Directions

• The little blue dot in Google maps will follow you even if your data is turned off. So if you pull up directions when you have wifi, you can follow them without pulling data.

Communications

• Skype has been a godsend on this trip. And it would have been even easier if I'd made sure more people had it installed (and accounts set up) at the home office before I left. 
• Facetime should have been easy, but it mysteriously wouldn't work on my computer. I wish I'd tested these things before I left.
• Double-check that a place has wifi before you order food/drink. Yelp isn't always accurate.  

Dining/Drinking

• Make reservations. Make reservations. Make reservations. In London, it's a must, especially on the weekends. Even a lot of the cocktail bars require you to book ahead. And if a popular restaurant doesn't take reservations, expect to wait in an orderly cue to be seated. Try to be zen about it.  

Okay, that's all for now. On to Barcelona.

Eating our way through London: Part 4

And we just keep eating and eating. This week's recommendations.

Belgo

We met some friends at this Belgian restaurant for beer, frites and so many mussels. Great spot for a hanging out with a group. 

Polpo

A couple of locations around town for these Italian small plates, and the one in Soho was solid. 

Pieminister

Saturday we ventured back to Borough Market on last time and tried a Brittish classic—meat pie. These were light and fresh and definitely recommended. Tender beer braised meat in a flakey crust. Perfect. 

Gujarati Rasol

A few stalls down at Borough, this place served up some fantastic veggie curries. Skip the pre-made apps though — not nearly as good.  

Story Deli

Thank god a friend recommended this. We'd have never found it otherwise. Through an unmarked door off Bethnel Green road, we found an airy space and delicious French-feeling pizzas. Ours had goat cheese, fig jam and arugula (called "rocket" here). Yum. 

Wishbone at Brixton Village

I wish we'd visited Brixton earlier, as I'm sure it would have been a regular destination. The area surrounding the tube station was bursting with Afro-Cuban and hipster stalls, shops and eats. We'd had Wishbone on our list (and their Thai-style fried chicken was awesome!). But looking around, we could have eaten for weeks without leaving or repeating.

Boca di Lupo

One of our tastiest dinners was Italian small (and not-so-small) plates here. The orecchiette with nduja was so incredible that next time I'd be tempted to stick with pastas. The zucchini (courgettes here) was also amazing. 

Pro tip: The well marketed chef's counter is a good view, but those grills are hot-cha. I'd get a regular table next time. 

Dishoom

We tried to eat dinner here twice, but the cue was always too long. Now I can see why. I popped in for lunch and free wifi. Not only did I eat incredibly well, but the also let me sit and work for almost 3 hours. Black daal is their specialty, and it was delicious. And the bowl of greens—grilled broccoli, spinach, and snow peas mixed with spices was a nice alternative to normally heavy Indian dishes. 

Bone Daddies

With quick and delicious ramen, communal tables and an old school heavy metal soundtrack, Bone Daddies felt like it'd be right at home in Austin. Tomato salad was also a winner. 

Eating Our Way Through London: Part 3

We keep eating and enjoying... Our latest recommendations:

Shoryu Ramen

Chris got jealous that I went to ramen without him. So we went back, which gave me a chance to try some new things—dumplings, fantastic mushrooms and some Meantime beer. The London Pale Ale was particularly delicious.

Covent Garden Farmer's Market

Lots of good eats here. We've also been amused to notice that London is definitely having an America moment. We've seen lots of soul, Tex-Mex, and southern food restaurants around town. Yep, that's Stubbs sauce at the Dixie Union stand.

Kerb

I met a friend for lunch and got to check out some food trailers — Rainbo for potstickers and MotoYogo frozen yogurt. Both yummy.

Pizza Pilgrims

Damn good pizza and Italian sides.

The London Gin Club at The Star at Night

One of my favorite things so far — gin tasting. This totally low-key place has a ridiculous variety of gin. For the tasting, I got four types of gin (none of which I'd ever heard of), Fever Tree tonic and four types garnish so I could taste as I built each G&T. It was really cool to see how each piece changed the flavor of the drink. Hoping to hit this again before we leave.

Random Ramblings: Part 1

In which I babble about our differences... 

CULTURE

Sidewalk Happy Hours

Everyone at every pub takes their drinks (pint glass and all) out to the open sidewalk. US cops would flip.

Pop-Up Urinals

Walking home one night, my eyes just about jump out of my head when I see a bunch of guys just whipping it out on the sidewalk. Apparently these outdoor urinals are a better alternative to guys just pissing on the street (and not down an alley either). Gross.

Restaurant Service 

First off, most places add 12.5 to the bill and don't leave you room to add more. So our math skills will be shot by the time we get home.

And at the end of a meal, you can't just say you're done or all good or whatever. You have to ask for the check, or you might sit there forever.

Pin-and-Chip Credit Cards 

The US is switching soon enough, but Europe is way ahead of us on credit card safety. No one signs anything anymore. All cards have a chip instead of a magnetic strip, and you enter a pin instead of signing. Chris and I are mostly trying to use a regular ol' swipe card because we get better points on it. But, we've realized that this is like paying with a check in the US. We are most likely annoying the crap out of people. Oh well, we have free flights to earn.

WORDS

I'm remembering all sorts of British words (like rubbish and lift and lorry) and learning some new ones. A few observations...

Luxury

We've seen things like Luxury Gelato and Luxury Granola. In the states, we'd only use that word for something really expensive, like a car or a vacation or a housing development.

St. John 

It's pronounced Sin-Gin. 

Cocktails in Translation

A bartender presented Chris with a "Martin-ez" Cocktail (pronounced like the first name Martin with an "ez" at the end, not "Mart-een-ez," like the city in California.)

When the bartender asked Chris if he'd ever had one before, Chris shook his head, "No."

I couldn't resist correcting: "Yes, we have—just in an American accent." 

FOOD

Dairy

There's no half-and-half. And milk and cream spoil three days after opening.

Bacon

British bacon is almost like Canadian bacon — more pork loin, less belly. The more American-style belly bacon is called "streaky bacon." Apparently, it's still less fatty than ours. An expat friend of ours says that it requires cooking oil not to stick to the pan.

Eating Our Way Through London: Part 2

Last week was crazy with my work and Chris' work. I feel like all I had time to do was work and eat. Good thing we eat pretty well here. We had tapas, Asian of all sorts and finally some actual British grub. 

This week's recommendations:

Five Points Pale

The food at this place wasn't awesome, but this beer was pretty solid.

Barrafina

The first time we tried to come here, the wait was over an hour and a half.  So we came back on a Sunday night—there was still half an hour wait. But it was completely worth it. Tons of amazing tapas. We ate octopus with capers; chickpeas, spinach and bacon; Morcilla Iberica with Quail Eggs; red peppers, and Santiago tart. Delicious. 

Drakes Tabanco 

So we really, really like tapas. We tried another place in the area—also delicious. We ate Arbequina olives, cherry salad, homemade bread, charred leeks with Romesco sauce, Apple & Oat Crumble with Hazelnut Ice Cream and (not in the picture) Garlic & Chili Prawns, Omelette, Grilled Octopus with Chickpea & Chorizo and Grilled Acorn-Fed Presa Iberica with Paprika and Lemon. 

Tokyo Diner

I knew this would be solid when I visited the website and 75% of it was in Japanese. Now this isn't newfangled Uchi-style sushi. It's old school traditional done well. (So old school they don't even let you tip—leave money on the table, and it gets donated to charity.) This is definitely a good spot for a super quick, low-key meal, right on the edge of Chinatown and Leicester Square. 

Sichuan Folk

I love mápó tòfu—tofu in spicy chili sauce, with fermented black beans and minced pork. The Sichuan pepper gives it that "ma la" (numbing and spicy) flavor. And this place did it well. 

Shoryu Ramen

People may accuse the Brits of having a bland palette. But this Piri Piri Tonkotsu made me sweat.

New Row Coffee

Great latte. That's all. 

Experimental Cocktail Club

We've been twice now (and to the one in NYC). The bartender not only made a mean cocktail, but he actually remembered us.

Punch Room at The London Edition

All punch. All fantastic.

Lobster and Burger

Down the street from the Victoria and Albert museum, on the top floor of fancy-schmancy department store Harvey Nichols (who did one of my favorite holiday campaigns last year), is Lobster and Burger. There are three things on the menu—lobster, lobster rolls and burgers. It's simple, but tasty. I also got a gin fizz—I swear there's a drink under all that froth.

The Clove Club

Finally, this weekend, we had British food. First at The Clove Club in hipster Shoreditch. 

As soon as we sat at the bar, the bartender offered up cocktails. We just named a base spirit and he went to work. If got something with gin and blackberries and then a wine spritzer with chocolate peppermint. Summer in two glasses. 

You've got to love a place that cures their own meat and slices it to order in front of you. 

Super fresh, local, seasonal ingredients (including fish from father-and-son fishermen) made the meal. The Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Pine Salt came nestled in pine branches (Merry Christmas to all!). And the Amalfi Lemonade & Black Pepper Ice Cream was the perfect, light finish. 

Callooh Callay

After dinner we stopped by a nearby bar, appropriately hidden behind a giant wardrobe in another bar. The lighting was terrible, but my drink was great. It was called Pea-ter Rabbit — Tanqueray gin, green pea and anise-infused Noily Prat (a French vermouth that's popular here), carrot shrub and a dash of Pernod absinthe. Savory goodness served in a plastic gardening pail with paper grass and real herbs. 

The Princess of Shoreditch

Our British eating continued with Sunday Roast. Chris and I started with a traditional Scotch Egg—egg wrapped in sausage and batter and fried. It came with apple slaw and was fantastic. Apparently you can buy these pre-made at the supermarket, but our British companion did not recommend it. 

Then Chris when for traditional roast with beef and potatoes and carrots and Yorkshire pudding. I'm not sure how to describe Yorkshire pudding. It's that' bread-looking thing in the top left corner below. It's apparently fried batter made of eggs, flour, and milk. Sound delicious, right? It felt a little plain to me. 

I branched our for more local fish — chargrilled mackerel, wild garlic, asparagus, new potatoes & green sauce. So good. And I also tried Cornish Orchards Heritage Cider, which is made with a mix of unusual apples, like Cornish Longstem and Grenadier, which I've never actually heard of. Really nice, crisp, non-syrupy cider. 

So let's just say that after this weekend, I'm more impressed with British food than I was expecting to be. It's been over a decade since I last ate a lot of British food, and it's gone the way American food has since then too — better ingredients and lighter preparations (even of heavy food) that really let those fresh ingredients shine through. 

First Weekend Randomness

My feet are tired. But getting stronger. 

Probably because we spent our entire first weekend in London doing this:

I accidentally took this picture, but it's quite appropriate.

I can't even get into everything we saw, but here are some highlights. (And I promise more thought out posts in the future!) 

Spotted on out way into town:

A shout out to Melissa Croft:

Our hotel is a block off Trafalgar square. It's crazy busy, but we're so close to so much.

Trafalgar Square at sunset.

Our hotel.

We made a trip to Whole Foods. No half-and-half to be had, but there is actual cream. It spoils super quickly.  

On Saturday we took the tube to Borough Market (see my food post) and walked to Shoreditch, stopping at the Old Spitalfields Market along the way. There's a dress I might go back for, but I'm trying to keep my shopping options open. 

We didn't stop in, but I do appreciate a good flow chart.

Oh, don't mind me, ad agency of everyone's hipster dreams. I'll just slip my book under the door. 

Speaking of hip, we stopped at the Ace Hotel for a restroom and wifi break. (OFFICIAL TIP: Hotels are the best place if you need a bathroom. Just walk in like you belong. Also, if you are in another country and trying not to use data on your phone, you can usually steal some wifi in the lobby.)

Even the hand dryers are hipper at the Ace hotel.

This is my kind of bar. Look at all that gin.

Random street spottings:

I'm seeing way more Mexican food than the last time I was here—
even some claiming to be Tex Mex. But I don't trust it.
I'll hold out for breakfast tacos when we get back.

I am 12. 

Random art show stop.

We stopped in the park—like everyone else. But, just like this time of year in Austin,
our walk eventually got interrupted by a race, in this case by the PruHealth World Triathlon . 

So we stopped by Buckingham Palace...

And walked home through the mall. 

Crowns topping the flagpole reminded me of Pamm Muzslay!

Sunny days!

There's always something to look at...

...including this guy, who reminded me of my old office mate:

Can't say I miss this guy.