Over Labor Day weekend, I went to London with my husband, Matthew. We went for our friends Greg and Paula's wedding, and it was our first trip without our kids since they were born, over three years ago. The trip was too short, but I am glad that we finally got away together, and London was the perfect place to go.
For the first two nights, we stayed at the Stafford, right off St. James Place. It's a charming little hotel down a sleepy cobblestone street. It's quiet and feels removed, but it's only a five-minute walk to Buckingham Palace, the Cabinet War Rooms (Churchill's headquarters during World War II), Jermyn Street, and St. James Park. And it's a five minute walk to the Wolseley, where in my fantasy life I would dine every morning. Breakfast is always better in a well-appointed room with bespoke tableware and 30 feet of soaring space between your head and the ceiling. And the food is impeccable: The eggs with soldiers, the orange-scented homemade granola, and the pastries are all delicious. It's a very grand room, dating back to the 1920s, but there were lots of kids, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. So if we return to London with our children, we'll be back for high tea.
On Saturday afternoon, we visited friends, their family, and their pets, including a 40-something-year-old tortoise sunbathing in the garden. Having an ancient pet turtle seems very British, doesn't it? In the evening, we went to the wedding. It was held at Julies, a well-known restaurant in Notting Hill that consists of a labyrinth of rooms and nooks and is decorated with a quirky mix of Islamic, medieval, and gothic decor. It's beautiful, and it was the ideal place for the bride and groom to be married because it fit their artistic and creative personalities so well. The wedding was just perfect.Sunday was our last day, and we had no friends to see and nothing planned. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and we decided that we wanted to be outside and walk all day--so no museums or sightseeing. After breakfast at the Wolseley, we wandered through Chelsea and admired the Georgian townhouses (including those of Henry James and George Eliot, on the elegant Cheyne Walk), watched a little bit of a neighborhood cricket match, and walked the Kings Road. In the afternoon, we checked into a new hotel, The Royal Horseguards. The hotel is over 100 years old but just underwent a major renovation, and it is stunning. Our room had a spectacular view of the Thames, the London Eye, Westminister Abbey, and Big Ben. We relaxed for a while in our room and then headed out in the evening to a E&O a pan-Asian place in Notting Hill. The food was delicious and it was a very lively, happening place -- perfect for a last night out before returning home to our kids and usual routine.
Matthew and I woke up at sunrise to catch our flight back to New York. We soaked in our view one last time and rushed off to the airport.
It was thrilling to be in a new place and to be so free and unburdened for three days. I felt totally energized by it. I'm setting my sights on Paris for next fall.
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