Today was amazing! To start with the sun has shown its face again and it is a beautiful day. The birds are chirping outside my window and both the boys slept to a decent hour. The most exciting thing is I am headed to Savile Row. I had no idea what to expect because I have heard mixed things about it. Many say it's not what it used to be and others say it's great. I will just have to judge for myself. I arrive off the tube at crazy Picadilly Circus.....It really feels like you are at a circus especially on this gorgeous day after all the rain every man, woman and child is out in full force soaking up as much vitamin D as possible. I start heading down the winding cobble side streets on my want to Savile row. Along the way there are stores with beautiful suit and shirting fabrics. Too expensive and no room in my suitcase so unfortunately I didn't buy any but really just touching a cashmere blend suit fabric is enough for now. Trust me all you men wish you had some pants made out of this stuff.
But moving on....
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| Savile Row...A little block of heaven! |
A small ally opens up onto the most amazing sight ever...a whole street of beautifully tailored suits and shirts. I think I am in heaven. Unfortunately I can't go in to any of the shops because they are by appointment only but I still can stare lustfully through the windows. The thing I loved most was the way the shops were set up. The street level had displays of gorgeous suits and shirts then below the street was the work studio where everything was being made. It was fun to see pattern pieces laid out with chalk marks and stitching lines on them and suits in progress draped on dress forms. I would so love to be on the other side of that window someday....or at least have some of theses skills. I could have wandered that street all day long just watching the hustle and bustle of of suits being made and delivered and people coming in for fittings and leaving with custom tailored suits. Such a highlight of this trip! I wish you all could have been with me to see it. As I walked away it was really interesting hows the street went from the old school tailored clothing on Savile Row to new high fashion and jewelry (Prada, Tiffany, Cartier) on Bond Street just on block apart.
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| Burlington House |
I hadn't really spent much time in this area yet so I did a bit of street wandering. I came across a great building called the Burlington house. You can't see this massive building from the street I just happened to turn my head left at just the right time and spied it through an opening.
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| Princess Arcade |
Another great random find as I walked back towards the tube was the Arcades. I kept passing all these little storefront type openings that looked quite similar and all called Arcades but with a different title like Princess arcade or Burlington Arcade. I thought the area seemed a bit posh for children's arcades but who am I to judge. My curiosity got the best of me and I popped into one. It was not an arcade at all. It was a small hall way that had very tiny shops on either side. These shops were really only able to hold about 1-2 people at a time. They were selling everything from beautiful vintage jewelry to suitcases. By the way vintage reproduction hard cases like the ones I used to have all over my apartment are totally in right now!
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| Tom Cribb Pub |
At the end of walking the arcade I stopped into a Pub to rest my weary feet...so much walking! This pub was probably the most manly one I have been in. It was named after a bare knuckled boxer from 1805. There were photos of him all over the pub and stories of his fights. The bartender had such a thick irish accent I could hardly understand him and by the way he was talking to all the regulars in the bar I am pretty sure he has been a boxing coach at some point. Once my feet had rested up I headed back to the house to help put the boys to bed. Once they were snoozing Lauren and I headed out to meet Helly (she helps out at the house in the mornings with George) at The Pigs Ear for my first Pub Quiz. Explanation....a pub quiz is like a trivia game dealing with random knowledge and sometimes you are required to do tasks. You get into teams to answer them and winners get a prize. All pubs have one each week and they are kind of a big deal. Super fun night...The Pigs Ear is a great hidden away cellar pub with the best selection of beer I have seen over here. I had a cherry bear that was to die for.
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| Helly...is that a tinfoil Giraffe on your shoulder? |
The Quiz was great fun too....Our knowledge of cartoons ( Go Thunder cats) and some great tinfoil crafting won us 3rd place. Not too bad for my first quiz.
All in all I don't think I could have asked for a better day!
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