A London Thanksgiving: Damn Crazy Americans

I made a turkey. Then people ate it. We were all surprised that everyone lived to tell the tale.

Last week was one of my favourite holidays to spend in London. Thanksgiving. It'll be my second year spending it here and it brings me no greater joy than to celebrate this very American holiday with my UK friends.

Daytime adventures. First party helping with turkey prep for second party.

Last year was very reserved, respectful and lovely. (Raise your hand if this makes you giggle to think of me hosting something so civilised. Yeah...thanks Mom.) I had my closest London friends round my flat for a sit down meal and quiet reflection on what we were thankful about.

This year was a good reflection of how I live my life now: occasionally tipsy, chatty, a complete disregard for any kind of diet, hey there cute dudes--let me feed you, tomorrow will someone reassure me that I did not indeed embarrass myself like I feel like I did, and Cards Against Humanity is always appropriate no matter the political climate.

This year, my Thanksgiving day plans were created on a drunk night out with another American expat. I had to be told the next day what these plans were. I'm like, Obama girls classy. Ammiriiiiight? (BOOM American Cultural Reference FOR THE WIN.)

Obama classy.

Boy, are the best plans made over drinks or what?

Planning on having fun. Thanksgiving involves mucho wine. Also comfy socks. 

I did a two pronged Thanksgiving assault onto my UK brothers and sisters. What resulted in basically me having an all day party for me and two separate parties for my friends. For the day party I invited all my classmates, co-workers, and actor-y friends, then I had a separate evening meal with my  longtime friends I've known ten years...and had so many people that it was more of a buffet party that involved Cards Against Humanity, several toasts, a slightly drunken giving thanks circle, and a lot of conversations I vaguely remember. It's safe to say that I was a pretty decent host at the first party and a fairly shit one at the second one. 

But I was surrounded by friends that are comfortable with this. I am thankful for these people. Also, I wasn't the only American there to represent. My old DC flatmate was in town on business and helped me bring the American cheer to our UK brethren. Just showing everyone what they're missing by not having crossed the pond so many years ago. 'MERICA.

Forcing all the Europeans to watch Charlie Brown at party 1. You're gonna watch it AND YOU'RE GONNA LIKE IT...even though everyone always feels slightly depressed after a Charlie Brown viewing. And that right there is a goddamn TRADITION.

I will think fondly upon those hazy memories. And the leftovers are just giving me great new memories. Like how one shouldn't really keep leftovers as long as I have, but damnit, I'm a rebel. And I'm kind of poor. And I spent a shit ton on that turkey and by God, I WILL CONSUME ALL LEFTOVERS.

Expensive turkey getting stuffed. There's a dirty joke here somewhere. Give me some time....

Friends. They're not American. But I'm sure they want to be after all that superfunadventuretime.

Google hangout with my family. While hosting a party. Also a little drunk. In my defence, so was my family though. My friends awkwardly watched this display while quietly stuffing their face with American themed dishes: Green bean casserole and Ranch's veggie dip.  I'm like Martha Stewart for my UK friends. So put together. 

I think the rest of the pictures are only from my day party. I started with Bloody Mary's and worked my way to the wine and champagne. Me handling my very expensive fancy camera for the evening party would not have been a wise choice. I'll just have to use the rest of my day time photos for a post on creating your very own Expat Thanksgiving.

Keep it classy London,

Lindsay xx

For the Love of Beer: Meantime Brewfest

The very first time I got drunk was my first time living away from home, freshmen year at uni. I went to a football players house with my future best friend, Jomi, and I ended up drinking a six pack of Natty Light (AKA 'Natural Light'). I got so sick later that I vomited all over my dorm room (CLASS, right there folks) and had quite the bonding experience with my floormates as they helped shower me off and wash my things. Honest to God, I went to the best University ever, ace people there. Then I did the incredibly awesome (AKA uncouth) thing wherein I called my mother while hungover and cried. Apparently...this is not what you do when completely drunk or hungover, when underage...or at any age, as my mother keeps telling me when I call her drunk or hungover even now. Whatever, Mom, I just want a little sympathy for my poor decisions!

For the following four years of uni, I could not force myself to drink beer. I hated it with a passion. My gag reflex started to flex it's muscle every time I got any whiff of beer.

But lo and behold, thank the Lord, that dark period has passed. Since I graduated I have discovered my love of beer and developed it into a true passion. It's even become quite the family bonding thing for my siblings and I. Almost every time we're all at home, we bound off to another local brewery in Rochester, NY and have an afternoon of tastings. 

My absolute favourite birthday of all time, even surpassing my 21st birthday, would have to be last summer when I turned 29. My little sister planned it all, with my only stipulation that I wanted to tour the local gin and brewery places around the finger lakes. We took a party bus around, my whole family and my best friends Danielle and Brandon, and had a blast tasting local gins and delicious brews.

Since being in London, I haven't gotten to get out there and try what local beers there are to offer here. Which has been quite a disappointment, honestly. The majority of my friends here are not beer drinkers. Even a lot of the guys prefer cider or wine and I often just stick to wine myself in the face of following the crowd when out at the pub.

Luckily, I have found a fellow beer drinker in my classmate, Tonje! Hallelujah! (Also, shout out to my American-DC expat friend, Molly, who also will grab a beer with me anytime.) Tonje and I recently checked out the Meantime Brewing Company Brewfest right over in local Greenwich. If you have a chance when you're in London, I would HIGHLY recommend coming and trying out their craft brews over at their Brewery. Beers from the UK, Europe and even America were on tap at the Brewfest. And a lot of which you can get around London pubs as well.

I think they'll be doing this again later this summer, and I will definitely be attending. We managed to get out to the Brewfest on the last day. A bit rainy, but a really good turnout. And just as a tip to my single lady friends, you should drink beer in London. Out of all the people that turned up for the Brewfest, 90% of them were men. We were quite outnumbered. There were many attractive guys, right alongside some very delicious brews. A lot of the European beers would even be palatable to even the most beer-adverse person. Quite on the fruity side. Some of Tonje's favourite beers tasted like sparkling fruit juice to me. I didn't even know you could do that with a beer. WHERE WAS THIS BEER IN COLLEGE??!

Free glass upon arrival. As well as 6 beer tasting tickets...though mine came with 7 accidentally. We were pretty pumped about that.

My favourite beer out of all of them was a beer from the UK. It's from Harviestoun Brewery, and it's called Ola Dubh "18". A Scottish beer that tastes of whiskey and is dark like coffee. I am such a big fan of the dark beers. The thicker and darker it is, the happier I am. Give me something I might mistake as espresso, please. Additionally, there was a few amazing coffee porters as well!

Another good one was from our very own Meantime Brewery, the London Porter. I will always look for this one whenever I'm at a London pub from now on. This, and the Chocolate Porter, are my go-to beers. And the Londoner Porter is a bit lighter, almost like a Guinness. So don't be frightened by this dark beer.

Inside of Greenwich's Meantime Brewery

You could use your beer tickets inside the Brewery, which made us pretty happy when the rain started to pick up.

  

The beers were all on tap outside the Meantime Brewery and there were tables for ping pong (my American brain immediately thought they could be used for beer pong instead, obvi).

All the guys working behind the bars were really great at answering any nerdy questions we had, and also gave great suggestions when I'd come up with the explicit demand, 'dark. Give me dark. Beer dark as my soul.' They did not think this was weird at all. Bless.

In our welcome gift bag we also got a really fantastic guide book on all the beers with little sections to take notes. For the next Brewfest, I'll get ultra nerdy and go for the whole weekend and try all of them. I have still kept this guide for future reference....also because I have a crap memory and have more than once just brought the guide with me to Greenwich Union Pub and just shoved it at the bartenders, pointed and grunted 'I want this one.' Class.

We were double fisting by the end. Thanks to that spare ticket I got in my bag. What a happy surprise.

I definitely plan on attending the next one. Hopefully all the ridiculously cute guys show up for the next ones as well. I mean....I'm going for the beer of course...but the cute guys totally help.

Before all this Brewfest delightfulness, I learned the most amazing, wonderful, joyful, loveliest thing about England. You can go to bars and get a beer, or two, to go! So I marched down to my local after my flatmate informed me, chuffed look on my face, and got some beer to have with dinner one night. I was so excited I took pictures of it. Look! Beer at home! Not bought at a supermarket! SO EXCITED. (And it was CHEAPER too!)

Seriously...it does not take much to make me happy.

xxLindsay

Little Sis in London: Harry Potter Studio Tour

When I was just a wee lass in upstate New York, me and my sister had just one very special wish in life. We wanted to go to Disney World. And my parents, being the poor but ever encouraging individuals that they were fed that hope along. My Dad would tell us that if we collected all the change on the floor of their closet and put it in the change jug, by the time we filled up one or two of them we could head to Disney. My Dad worked in the kind of industry where he always had loads of loose change in his pockets and most of it would get haphazardly thrown onto the floor of their closet. Off we went to the closet to collect all the change and put it in the water jug. We hoped, and we dreamed, and we couldn't wait to head to Disney.

This is when I learned what evil was, kids. DON'T believe your parents. My parents did not bring us to Disney. Instead we moved to Minnesota, which is decidedly un-Disneylike. Disappointed. And I've held on to that grudge for awhile (actually, just about the Disney thing. I ended up loving Minnesota for the few years we lived there. I almost became famous with my girl gang. We called ourselves the Fruit Girls. OH YES WE DID. I was too cool for you to understand.)

Years ago in the height of the Harry Potter mania after the movies were officially done, we caught word of the Harry Potter World down in Florida and that desire to head there again over took us. Even as full grown adults. Well kids, I did make it to Disney. But I ran through it instead and just spent my only free day off at Harry Potter World. You can read about that stuff here.

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Wait....did you see what I did there? I told you I was gonna link to a post about Harry Potter World...and then I didn't. How's that feel Mom and Dad? Huh? Not good, I bet. I'm ready to go to Disney whenever you two are. 

Really I just forgot to blog about that experience. But I did love it.

And now for the actual point of this post (yes. There is one. I swear.)

Harry Potter Studios with my little sis was so much fun. Also, the second time I've been. It's so big and vast that going a second time (or maybe a third, or a fourth...) doesn't lessen the excitement at all. 

If you do go, I'd recommend eating properly before hand and then investing the extra cash for the audio tour. SO much good info. And you get chatted up by Tom Felton. But when doing the audio tour, you'll need to allow yourself at least 2.5-3 hours in the very first building. Once you get to the outside bit and then through the second building, you'll breeze right through. But this is why you need to eat properly prior.

Full English Breakfast and milky tea...yup. That is eating properly right there.

You get picked up in a pretty kick ass bus.

But obviously it's no comparison to the real knight bus. Which is actual buses welded together and enforced with steel on the bottom so that when it was driven, it wouldn't tip over. And they shut down parts of London just to film scenes with it being driven around.

A small scale model of Hogwarts that was being built as the books were being written. So they had to add things and change bits when J.K. Rowling would reveal new information about Hogwarts as the books went on. But they used this model to shoot a lot of the movie footage of Hogwarts, as well as a real life castle here in the UK.

Let's play Spot-the-Super-Nerd....Oh wait...THERE SHE IS.

We freaked out to learn those were the actual clothes that the actors wore. We kind of freaked out over every bit of information actually. We're generally very excitable people.

The great hall. Though I've been in the one that inspired J.K. which is in Oxford and is much, much smaller, but still looks really freaking cool.

It was freezing out but we did not care. Privet Drive was pretty awesome to check out.

And the actual cupboard under the stairs that they used in the films. They have this right in the lobby next to the line to get into the studio space.

Overall it was a ridiculously fun day. The Making of Harry Potter....or HARRY POTTER DISNEY WORLD as we like to call it, definitely fulfilled all my nerd fantasies.

Ummm, Mom and Dad, I still want to go to Disney and have a beer with Mickey. Actually, that's a lie, I am terrified of any person completely covered in animal costumes or cartoon costumes or just any costume where I can't identify the person underneath. Come one, what if it's an alien in there? YOU DON'T KNOW.

xx Lindsay

Little Sis in London: Day 3--Shakespeare Disneyland (Stratford-upon-Avon)

This way to Shakespeare Disneyland.

For my sister's third day in London, on the Saturday she was here, we thought we'd go on an adventure and head to a place neither of us have been before. Even when studying abroad. So I booked us rail tickets to Stratford-upon-Avon.

I know, I know...bad anglophile. No, I've never been. For some reason I missed that day trip when my group went while I was over here the first time. But no matter, going this time with my sister turned out to be the best decision. 

I have to say, I'm a little bit in love with this small, quaint town. Yes, there are lots of tourists, but some of the side streets we checked out were absolutely lovely and charming!

This is like Main Street USA at Disney...except it's Stratford...so Shakespeare Street.

Once you get off the train at Stratford-upon-Avon, you're accosted by construction but just follow the pedestrian footpaths and you'll quite easily find your way to all the good bits in town. Everything was very well marked and we headed straight for the good stuff....

We're kind of into gift shops. They just have the most interesting stuff!

 I swear that so far tourist spots in England have THE BEST gift shops. We just seem to find the craziest things there. I almost bought some Shakespeare head cookies to mail back to my old theatre company in DC, Folger Shakespeare Library, as I have a feeling they would get a kick out of those. But restrained myself since they probably wouldn't have made it....cause cookies in my possession just don't last.

My sister wouldn't let me buy this. But I am not ashamed to admit I really, really want it.

I want this...as I'm clearly not concerned with dating ever again.

 Then we stumbled upon this GEM. A kind of weird Harry Potter knock off shop. Everything was named after almost Harry Potter things, but not quite. It was weird and delightful. Clearly we are nerds and this kind of stuff gets our blood pumping.

At this point I texted my friend Amanda, as she used to live in this area, to inquire what should we do. Because like true adventurers, we made absolutely no plans and looked nothing up prior to getting there. And because I'm only friends with the awesomest kinds of people, she sent me a list of food suggestions. MY FAVOURITE KIND OF SUGGESTIONS. So we went and had one of the most amazing meals over at The One Elm. The sun was out and our skins were the scary kind of white, so out on the patio we sat. My sister is still talking about the food we had there. I was entirely focused on my own, so I didn't bother taking a picture of hers but it had something to do with whipped goats cheese and bruschetta, and a side of curried veggie soup with fried onions on top. Mine was roasted chicken, butternut squash, and bacon risotto. With a side of Aspall's Cyder, another passion in my life.

I will figure out this recipe and then make it. Every day. Till then it features heavily in my dreams.

After that delightfulness, we pressed on. And I got distracted by really dorky things. Not unusual.

This is an old house. Yup. Just thought it looked cool.

Oh wait... no it's owned by somebody named Hall's Croft. (KIDDING...Shakespeare's Daughter's house...my friend Caitlin was probably twitching when I wrote that last bit haha)

Shakespeare's bust is quite cartoonish, don't ya think?

Shakespeare's Grave.

 Like the bad tourists we were, we had about 20 minutes to check out something Shakespeare related by the end of our day so we hauled ass over to the grave. I will definitely try and be a better tourist next time and properly check out all the sites. AND go see something by the RSC.

Next time Stratford.

Before we left, this happened.

I don't know this man. But he was excited to be there.

Clearly you need to check out Stratford-upon-Avon. Absolutely loved the day trip we had there and I am determined to head back again. It will be even more wonderful when the weather stays sunny and gorgeous. Anyone else have any suggestions for things I should do next time I go? Of course, I'm open to other food options too...Amanda may have mentioned something about gelato and waffles.....

xx Lindsay

Little Sis in London: Day 2..FOOD

Now, just to warn you...day 2 of little sis in London was a whole lot of eating. It's just what we do best. But we did walk a ton checking out Lauren's old study abroad haunts, walked a lot around Harrods...on a Friday....and didn't murder anyone despite being tourist hell, before making it to afternoon tea. And we also hung out with a few more of my amazing friends and saw a show...but the friends bit was more fun.

I made breakfast for us before heading out of the house and over to Holborn, which is where Lauren used to live during her study abroad time. Sadly the place she used go for, in her opinion, the best flapjacks around, no longer sells them. So instead we decided we needed to find a sugar replacement and went for Bea's of Bloomsbury, which has a location right near Holborn. But I won't even include a link and didn't bother to take a photo because I was sorely disappointed. For a place that I've seen a lot of chatter about over the internets, it wasn't what it lived up to be. Maybe it's because I chose one of their special treats of the day and not a cupcake. But I don't mess around with dessert items and hate wasting the calories on something that I can't even fully remember just what it was that I had. I just remember it tasted like flour and sugar and that's it.

Checking out the British Museum

We meant to go see the reading room at the British Museum. Even though Lauren lived within a few blocks of the museum she never made it in to check out the library. Sadly, we failed at this as well and found it to be closed. But we did get a nice wander around the museum before heading out for tea.

We knew Harrods wouldn't disappoint. Though this seemed to be the day were we failed at everything. Couldn't get her flapjacks, couldn't get a good sweet treat, wasn't able to see the British Museum's reading room, and then we couldn't get a table at our favourite afternoon tea spot in Harrods. If you wanna shell out the money and eat so much that you need to waddle for days afterwards...always go for the Terrace Bar. I did not think to make a reservation for a Friday...silly, Lindsay...and apparently Friday's are just as crowded and packed with tourists as a weekend. If you must go to Harrods, and you must, go on a Monday or Tuesday morning.

We were able to get a table at The Tea Room at Harrods instead and it ended up being just as delicious, but much cheaper, as this place will actually allow you to split a tea. In other words, we didn't have to have individual trays of sandwiches, scones and cakes. We got one and split it between us, which decreased the waddle effect that you'll get from having tea at the Terrace Bar, where you can't split it. We ordered the Mayfair, which is everything but the champagne. And just had to order a second pot of tea in addition since the Mayfair is just intended for one.

The Mayfair

 We tend to work from the bottom up on such a feast as this and that means beginning with scones, which are my absolute FAVOURITE thing ever...mainly because of the clotted cream factor.

If you wanna check out a really fancy and lovely afternoon tea, head over to my blogger friend Amanda at Rhymes and Ribbons and check out the tea she went to at Flemings here. I drooled a little reading it. I wouldn't have done well at that tea cause that would have meant drool in public and I hear that's just not fancy.

The dessert was divine.

I'd go back just to get these to-go...which YOU CAN DO. Thanks, Harrods.

This is where the photos end. The rest of the evening consisted of having entirely too much fun. We went to dinner at The Gypsy Moth in Greenwich, one of my favourite pubs in the area actually and had dinner with my friends Lucy and Gibson, before heading off to see a show at the Greenwich Theatre. The show was about on par with Bea's of Bloomsbury I think...I don't remember a whole lot other than being asleep during the second act and my sister passing gas near the end and trying to pretend it wasn't her...

DIDN'T think I'd include that huh, sister? Muwahahahaha...

(there's goes my chance at any future birthday gifts...)

I must say, I was delighted by Greenwich Theatre as a space and found it really lovely. It helped that they had the bar open post show and delicious wine on the menu (I've grown attached to Rioja wine and will get it anytime it's offered on the menu). I will definitely try to find more productions to go to there in the future...though maybe not any Shakespeare plays that are three hours long.

Cheers,

Lindsay xx

Little Sister Comes to London: Day 1-Jet Lagged And EXCITED

...And hates on the way I ask questions.

No seriously. You don't want to mess with Little Sister when she's jet lagged and you damned well better ask questions like an American or she. will. not. respond. ... Ya know, except to tell me that each and every time.

Such a delight, she is.

No but really, I love this chick. My sister is the best person in the world in my opinion (pretty much all my family are the best people in the world. We kind of rock.) And I was so super psyched she came, even if she has a vendetta against my fluid accent. I must say, by the end of her four days here, she was asking questions in the English way too.  It just can't be helped. Someday maybe I'll do a quick voice recording of the different way Americans ask questions versus the way British do...but that day is not today. Someday when I don't sound quite so much like a man (thanks for the cold, sister).

My little sister also did the study abroad thing here in London, but her experience was greatly different than mine. Soon I'll also get around to writing a post about how to go about guaranteeing that you have the best study abroad experience in London and the main point of it will be to get INTEGRATED. My sister had a blast while she was here for a semester, but she was at an American school, taught by American professors, with American students. She never really got to know the English because she wasn't a part of that world. And as a result, she's a teeny-tiny less addicted to the UK than I am.

Well make that a lot less addicted. She, like my family, can't really understand why I love it here so much. But one thing she does understand is that there is some really good food here in London (ummm, hello...we are family, so...duh). Essentially she was the best foodie buddy for the four days she was here.

Clearly we're related.

Her first choice of places to eat at immediately once off the plane was, of course, Wagamama's. She is most definitely related to me. I don't know what it is about this place, but we love it.

Promising she won't pass out in her food.

I did, no surprise here, take pictures of our food that we ate that day...but I have a feeling that I've plastered photos of Wagamama's dishes throughout this blog and it's getting a little redundant.

But I will post this fun side-by-side comparison of my sister food stealing from me and, coincidentally, a lovely photo provided to my by my future sister-in-law of my brother food stealing from her. FAMILY. Whaddaya gonna do? DEFEND YOUR FOOD like it's your honour, that's what.

And now for the rest of Day 1 of my sister's trip...it's all about London skyline photos and pictures of Ben's Cookies.

London is just Instragram ready. Check out my Instagram account here if you feel like perusing London and food photos galore!

If you ever come visit me, friends, or ya know...wanna stalk me cause we don't know each other that well, I'll meet ya at BEN'S! Best cookies in London.

BEN'S COOKIES!! You must share with me. It's the rules.

Lauren is a fan. And also 100% more stylish than me...even when eating food.

This is how I always look when consuming deliciousness.

Sister Selfie.

I was the cruel older sister and made her stay up the whole day. Jetlag is a bitch my friends, and the best way to enjoy your vacation quickly is to force yourself to keep 'normal' hours when you arrive, hydrate excessively on the plane, and keep moving.

My sister and I met up with my English twin, Laura, here in London (Lauren got to meet all my people while here, an unusual occurance) and we had a drink before heading off to what turned out to be the BEST fish and chips dinner we've ever had. We went to Bonnie Gull on the recommendation of another one of my friends, Olivia, who I've also known for 9 years (!!). Her older brother is one of the owners of the restaurant and she's always bragging about how good it is, so I decided it was perfect for us to try out on my sister's first night here.

I'm not going to lie to you...I have considered printing this picture and putting on my bedside table. And have found out that recently that one cannot be 'in a relationship' with a seafood dish on Facebook. Cupcakes, however, are fair game. I don't make the rules.

You know, I always tell myself that'll be the last post I do that's 90% food pictures....

LIES, why would I ever say that??

Cheers,
Lindsay xx