travel – Drew and Jen go to London

A Different Kind of Mallrat

Jen — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 08:10:40 +0000

Being a true blood American, I struggled to function in the London shopping scene upon our arrival. I could write a dissertation on the link between the downfall of society and its relationship to high street shopping, with an emphasis on knowing-what-one-thing-you-want vs the effort it takes to get that thing in an environment that is adverse to either the casual browsing or targeted purchasing experience.

Whew.

I wondered how Londoners functioned without shopping malls. After some time I heard about a mythical place called Westfield, an American style collection of the most popular shops – a mall. That’s lovely, but it is a long way to go when I need a small thing or a particular thing which is not guaranteed to be in that wonderland.

It took me nearly two years to put it together, but the epiphany hit me on Sunday like a hot latte. London does have shopping malls! They are hidden in plain site. Here they call them ‘train stations’. I am going to let you future Huddleston B&B guests on a little secret.

St Pancras is a closet mall.

Sourced carries Monmouth Coffee. They also carry organic and locally sourced frosty beverages, among other things of course.

Borough Market is closed during your visit? Local bakers sell their goods at Sourced, too.

Look at those Mallrats… They look just like travelers.

Made in England. Kiss my big toe Oxford Street.

These are just a few. We’ve got Fossil and Neuhaus, too. This does not solve all of my problems, but it does comfort me to know that there is a late night Marks and Spencer nearby… Dang, Gina – it took me a long time to see what’s been staring me in the face all this time.

Surf and Sun

Jen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:22:50 +0000

Tumbleweeds drift though deserted school streets and echoes can be heard in the underground stations across the city. August is witness to the Exodus. Summer holidays.

Every last family in London with small to medium children remaining in the city last Thursday morning, took an Easyjet flight from Luton to somewhere. It is no wonder why I went on holiday to Portugal and my luggage decided to enjoy a break in Spain; it was either confused to be packed among the mass of cute little Trunki or running away.

Eventually we made it the safety of the pool. (Thanks to Mel for loaning me clothes, bags, sun lotion, hair care, bodywash, toothpaste, bathing costumes, towels, sarongs, etc.)

My theory is that she clothed me because she couldn’t bear to have me sun bathe nude. (I couldn’t stomach it either.)

Thanks very much to the Lyons family for letting us stay in their home.

Thanks to Ade and Mel for taking us to the western most point of Europe.

And thanks to the sun for never giving up on us.

Even Drew soaked up sun and waves.

He’s so handsome in his new pinky brown skin. In fact, I’ll see you all later…

You can only get the word of the day at www.drewandjengotolondon.com

Spring Green

Jen — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:50:50 +0000

This update is long overdue. Sorry ’bout that. When there is a little more time to catch you up, I will. For now I’d like to encourage you to raise a glass to Drew. We have hopped the pond to celebrate his birthday in Dublin, Ireland – home of Guinness (and the leprechauns).

While you are enjoying the frosty beverage of your choice, let our photos set the mood. Even Gina is having a good time.