London / A Brief Tuesday Evening Stroll

During the week Michelle and I spent most of the days working, so there wasn't too much exploring at the time, but after we were done we would still stroll around for someplace to grab some food. Here's a few shots of our neighborhood. 

It's all about one-upping someone else.

Though you'll always find someone who's untouchable. 

Piccadilly Circus, the mini-Times Square. 

Invasion of the mediocre American chains!

Oh British Chinatown, why can't LA's be like this? Full of cheap restaurants, markets and bakeries. 

The glamorous green hole-in-the-wall on the right has been our go-to spot for cheap Japanese food (and just cheap food in general). 

Pork buns all day everyday!

The most hardcore MINI of them all, the John Cooper Works GP. 

London / The End of the Beginning

Last part of the first day. Such a uplifting coffee chain logo. But hey, the pink makes it cheerful right?

SoHo is one of those areas that's always busy. 

Perhaps it's because of the ChaTime..

Michelle being moody with her milk tea.

Hopped over to Trafalgar Square really quick. 

All aboard the ghost bus!

In South Bank there ended up being a mini-carnival complete with drinks, games and rides!

Ok, so it was more like had just one ride, but what a doozy! Even had windshields for the riders, something that's probably very helpful when the temps drop down.

London / Replaying The Tourist

One of the benefits of revisiting a known town is already knowing what's good and what's not, at least for a lot of general areas. We knew Bill's wouldn't disappoint when it comes to good, simple traditional food, so it was an easy choice when looking for some breakfast South of the Thames. 

After being disappointed to learn Borough Market was closed on Sunday, we were relieved to at least have our first order of proper British tea, English Breakfast of course. Along with some amazing bacon on eggs and toast, it was a good first meal for the trip. 

Gotta love the colorful, modern European architecture that sprinkles the city. 

The Tour of Britain was going on while we were walking around. Pretty cool seeing riders on bikes that are normally used in a velodrome pushing themselves on the streets. 

Soon we started to get better acquainted with our local neighborhood. Despite the months we stayed here before, we never really explored this area since it was on the opposite end of town. Certainly a lot prettier than East London. Love the greenery! 

Some exclusive British metal. Always loved classic Ranger Rovers, but these three-door models are just amazing IMO. Would consider one over a Defender. 

It's neat how every 4 or so blocks has a different look. The occasional Maserati doesn't hurt to improve things either. 

Small wonder why some locals consider Kensington to be the "Beverly Hills" of London. 

Back to SoHo.

Aw yeah! Gotta get some of that Chatime milk tea. 

Easily our favorite ramen place in London, Tonkotsu in SoHo is the spot. My recommended choice is the Tokyo Ramen which has some top notch pork and thick, chewy noodles. Last part of the first day tomorrow! I promise this is the day with the most pics, I won't be doing a bunch of multiple-part posts like the first London adventure. 

London / I'm baaaack!

Welp, I'm back in London again! This time it'll be a brief trip, only a week long.

This time I was prepared for the late summer/early Autumn weather. Typically when Americans think London weather, the main thing that comes to mind is a grey, cold and rainy city. Well, it may still be grey and a little rainy, but it is definitely not cold! It wouldn't hurt to bring a light rain jacket, but otherwise you need to dress like it's mid-summer in SF. As someone who grew up in the bone-dry heat of the high desert, temp gauges stating "70F degrees" can be VERY misleading. One word: HUMIDITY

But enough about the weather, more about the city! This time around Michelle and I are staying in the Kensington area where her work is located (the main reason for the trip). It's a very nice part of London although it is noticeably touristy compared to Shoreditch or Islington, the areas where we stayed before. Many of the buildings have been converted into hotels or hostels so there's an unusual amount lot of late-night activity for such a distanced neighborhood. To make things stranger, if the buildings aren't being used by a collection of students/travelers, then they're owned by a wealthy family, so the area still has an upper-class neighborhood feel to it. 

Ah the Scirocco. The elusive yet sexier European cousin of the GTI. Such a tease...

Our place is located within a 3 min of Hyde Park. Not the worst place in the city to be.

Oh look! Some blue sky!

The Shard is a pretty amazing looking building. It stands out quite a bit compared to all of the older building arourn, especially since it's so difficult to build skyscrapers in London. 

Gotta love how well London combines the new & old architecture styles. 

Or how well they combine contrasting styles in general. That new vs old juxtaposition is present everywhere you look in this city. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!

Them Curvy Hips

Gorgeous Green Curves