funny bone

Colette Cool

Flew home yesterday on Virgin Atlantic, my new favorite airlines. As I pulled out my copy of Fifty Shades Darker (part 2 of the 3-part rage Fifty Shades of Grey), three Flight Attendants suddenly became my new best friends–

All the ladies are reading it!

I can’t put it down!

I’m fifty shades of red!

It was a fun way to end a fun trip…

Loved London and Paris, even though it was necessary to carry an umbrella at all times. I lucked out on the weather though — it really didn’t rain that much – more like twenty-minute showers. So it was easy to get around and and make lots of new discoveries. For me traveling involves walking-walking-walking. It’s the best way to see everything and get a sense of what’s where. I always lose weight on trips, no matter how good the food is (and in France it IS!).

My favorite time to walk is in the early morning hours when a city is just walking up.

LONDON

Shopping

Wolf & Badger – A hip concept where independent designers pay the rent and reap the benefits. It’s like a co-op of cool clothes that you don’t see in other stores.

Melt: yummy food for thought

Melt – A very modern chocolate shop… enter at your own risk!

Eating

Roka – Contemporary Japanese Robatayaki cuisine, friendly bar, good music, dark relaxed atmosphere.

Zuma – Same owner as Roka, but bigger, lighter, nosier and harder to get into.

Summer House: Sunday brunch in Little Venice

The Summer House – Feels very out-of-city-Newport-Rhode-Islandish… looking onto the canals in a very exclusive neighborhood.

Shopping & Eating

Notting Hill... happy, healthy, hits-the-spot!

Daylesford Organic Farm – Fresh, natural healthy food on several floors filled with great kitchenware, cookbooks and irresistible fare.

PARIS

checking out Le Marais

Shopping

Balenciaga – Flagship store just opened a week ago… amazing and expensive… but free to look.

Sabbia Rosa – Beautiful camisoles and half-slips to wear out. They used to sell Sabbia Rosa at Barney’s and Maxfield’s and that’s how I knew about it.

Serendipity – Off the beaten path, this little shop is filled with charming handmade items for children and the young-at-heart.

Eating

Le Dauphin – Chef Inaki Aizpitarte’s tapas are obviously a big hit with 20-30-somethings in Paris.

Hotel Costes – Scene-y, hot girls with old men, great menu, loud and happening.

Shopping & Eating

Merci – It feels a little like Fred Segal Melrose.  There are different floors with cool affordable clothes, stationery items, furniture and unique modern bedding.

Colette -The hippest place to shop and eat a healthy lunch… my favorite stop in Paris.

Now that I’m home, I wish I’d gotten more cards so I could remember even more of the special places I visited. But sometimes I was so in-the-moment, I forgot.

C’est la vie…

3 responses to “Shop – Eat: LONDON & PARIS”