WHERE ARE ALL THE PUMPKINS?!

The Breakfast Club, Spitfields
The Wheatsheaf, Borough Market
The Rake, Borough Market
The Hydrant, Monument Street

It's been a while since my last post and there are a few reasons for that.
1. I have been crazy busy planning my husband's 30th birthday (that was last night). It was 80s themed and turned out to be a great night.
2. I've been job hunting
3. Funds are low because of... well life.

Here's a picture of Sam and I from the party last night. :)

 


On Thursday night Sam and I went out for a little date night because I had been cooped up in the house for 2 days with all the planning and prepping for the party going on. But I was on a mission that night, and that mission was to find something very rare in London, possibly in all of the UK. It's finally autumn, my favourite season of them all. I was in search of the ultimate fall beverage, PUMPKIN BEER! I had done some research online and I knew my work would be cut out for me as most bloggers who were in the UK had similar missions set out and had a rough time finding it. So I read this one site who chatted about the few places in London that actually carried pumpkin flavoured beer. What was disappointing was that most of the places only carried them for a VERY limited amount of time and it was usually around Halloween. BUT HOW?!?! I mean if you walked into just about any bar in Astoria or New York City you are more than likely to find the bar serving multiple brands of pumpkin beer. It is fall after all! I mean come on even Starbucks understands how much love there is for pumpkin spiced lattes that they released it at the beginning of September, the companies earliest release of the classic drink. I even had to chat up my girls back in New York and LA to see if maybe I was the only one who thought it was weird that I couldn't find Pumpkin flavoured anything really. It was a quick response in agreeance that it was bizarre that I couldn't find what I was looking for. They were almost baffled by the thought of not being able to have such a popular seasonal drink a week into being in the fall season. One of my girls even noted that it was reason enough to move back to New York! Yes that's actually how much we love pumpkin. Dare I say I even had to import pumpkin flavoured candles because NONE were available online. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE PEOPLE?! Could it be that my new home country just didn't appreciate pumpkin flavor as much as my old home did? I mean I shrieked with excitement when I went into The Body Shop and saw they carried pumpkin vanilla flavoured hand lotion, body butter cream, and body soap. (Yes I bought ALL THREE!)

Anywho back to my mission on Thursday. So after reading up online, there was a bar in London that was said to have pumpkin beers this time of year. EXCELLENT!  So Sam and I planned out the night with the intention of dinner first and then drinks. We went to one of our favourite places in London, The Breakfast Club right by Liverpool street station. We had never actually eaten there before as every time we had went in we went straight into their speak easy bar downstairs for their yummy cocktails. I can't recommend going there enough. Just to side track a bit when you walk into The Breakfast Club and the hostess walks up to you, you ask them to see the mayor of scaredy cat town. You're then lead through a old fashioned 50s looking refrigerator and down the stairs is a small bar with tables. Have a look on their website for some pictures it is really cool. It's pretty dark down there so it's hard to get a decent picture without setting off a flash and being that person at the bar. So going there for dinner was a treat because we had heard that the food was good and it was always packed upstairs whenever we went. Sam and I both opted for the chicken and waffles meal with mac and cheese side (drooling face). It was needless to say that it was as delicious as it looked and they did not disappoint with what we thought the food would be like. At dinner I decided not to have anything to drink there as I knew I would be soon throwing back the much anticipated pumpkin beers I had set out for that night.  https://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/locations/spitalfields/

After dinner we opted to do the 25 minute walk over to The Rake in Borough Market. Being sensible as we had just stuffed our face with food and we were getting some much needed exercise (if you can call a casual stroll exercise).  So we finally get to The Rake and it's this little bar on the back side (lol backside) of Borough Market with a few picnic tables outside and stools inside. There's a lot on tap and they have screens up to show how much is left of everything. That reminded me a lot of a bar in Forest Hills, Queens The Station House. I walk up to the counter and I'm greeted by the female bartender there who asks for my order. Staring at all the beer cans in the fridge behind her I was looking for that little orange label of Brooklyn Brewery Pumpkin Ale that the website I had read promised to be there. "I'll have a Brooklyn pumpkin beer please!" I think she could tell how eager I was to get one. She replied back with a confused face and said "Yeah... we don't carry that." My heart actually shattered. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE PUMPKIN BEER HERE!!!!! All the research, all the build up, all the satisfaction I thought I would have walking into that bar all gone down the drain. I asked if they carried any other brand of pumpkin beer, perhaps it was only the Brooklyn that wasn't in stock. She stared at me as if I was asking her to pour me a glass of milk! So I managed to order some other beer, as I literally can't remember what it was other than the number 7 on the board because what did it matter at that point it wasn't pumpkin beer! I have to say although I was massively disappointed with the absence of pumpkin flavor in my beverage I still very much enjoyed the The Rake. It's a good place to get craft beers and it is in a great area. It wasn't until Sam asked me where I had read that they carried pumpkin beer did I realise that my research had failed me. When I looked back on the site I had overlooked the fact that the post was written 42 months ago. So lesson learned there, always check the date of articles!

Although the mission was a fail Sam was still sweetly enough trying everything in his power to help me complete my mission of the night. He called another local bar that supplied craft beers that wasn't too far away. When he asked the staff member on the phone if they carried pumpkin beer they quickly replied with a no followed by a bit of silence, then said "wait yeah we do" I lit up like a Christmas tree! There was some more silence on the phone and the staff member came back with "wait it's not pumpkin flavored, it's yam" SERIOUSLY?!? how do you confuse one with the other besides the fact that they are the same colour. At this point I realised I had two options. Sulk about the defeat or enjoy the much needed night out with my husband. Luckily I decided to do both! http://craftbeerlondon.com/pubs/the-rake

The night quickly turned around though as Sam and I went to two other bars that night that we really enjoyed. After The Rake we decided to do a little pub crawl on the way back towards Liverpool street station. Our next stop was at The Wheatsheaf, a traditional English pub in Borough Market, just two blocks away from The Rake. If you're not from London what you need to know is Thursday is their Friday as most people who work in the city stay for the week and then head back North on Fridays. Everyone was out and every bar was heaving. What I liked about The Weatsheaf is that you can drink in the outside street that is right across from Borough Market. All the neighbouring bars also do this so it's basically like one big street party. And if you're thinking it yes I did ask the barman if they carried pumpkin beer, because i was still determined to have one. But sadly I was met with that same confused expression.  http://www.wheatsheafborough.co.uk

Our last stop of the night was The Hydrant on Monument street. As the name suggests it was a firefighter themed bar, complete with hydrant light fixtures and taps that looked like they were part of a fire engine. Of course Sam was keen on going in and the atmosphere was still hyped even for being past midnight. It was there that I experienced something that most Americans have never done legally in the States. Because the bar was closing and we had only just gotten our drinks, we were handed 2 plastic cups. I was confused what this meant but after asking Sam he said that bars regularly do this so you can take your drink with you so that they can close up. SWEET! I don't really know why this excited me so much but to be able to drink while walking down the city streets seemed wild. https://www.thehydrant.co.uk

We ended the night with an Uber eats order of McDonald's and my mood quickly lifted. Side note: Uber eats might be the best thing to have ever been thought of since the internet! Although I came up short with finding pumpkin beer, I'm hoping that as October quickly approaches I will be able to somehow get my hands on one before the season is over. There is also a craft beer stand in Borough Market that carries beers from around the world so definitely planning on taking a trip there soon. Well it's that or I'll have to stock up my suitcase with them when I go back to New York in November for Thanksgiving.

Throw Back Thursday...

B Bakery Bus Tour, Covent Garden

    Welcome to the first of many throw back Thursday editions of my blog!  Since starting to visit London in 2016, I have been to some great little spots that I want to share with you all.
When I'm asked by people who are visiting London from New York "what should I do while I'm there?" the number one thing I tell every person is this B Bakery tea time bus tour around London. Not only is it a quick way to see some of London's big tourist attractions but the traditional tea and cakes are out of this world! I can still taste the sweet chocolate cupcakes and macaroons (drooling to self). I went on this cute tour in August of 2016, my first summer spent in the U.K. The bus itself is an old school double decker bus (I highly recommend sitting on the top level for better views and pictures).  This tour is a great idea if you're in London for only a few days, since it does show you what most people want to see when they are here. You get really great shots of Trafalgar Square, Big Ben (when it wasn't all covered in construction), Buckingham Palace (Hi Queenie!), Covent Gardens, and Marble Arch. These are only a few sights of the total list of places you pass on the voyage. It lasts for over an hour and as you are seeing the sights you are served different types of traditional English tea. Because really how could you come to London and not have afternoon tea, it's pretty much a sin.

Try not to lick your screen!

  What I also remember most about this was the staff. They were a very enthusiastic young bunch who were willing to answer questions (even the dumb ones), while also giving interesting facts about the locations we were passing. And what I liked most about them was the fact that they gave our table some of the extra cakes that were on the bus (you win me over by giving me food). I also liked that you got to keep the cute little to go cups you drink out of during the tour. I actually still use mine all the time.

 

   Although my birthday is in June my mother in law Pat, thought it would be fun to say that we were attending for that special occasion. Which turned out to be the best thing ever because we got MORE CAKES and the whole bus sang happy birthday to me. So if you end up taking this tour be sure you add in the reservation that its for a birthday if you're trying to get some extra cakes. Even without the extras, there was plenty of food for the four of us. Dare I say we were even stuffed by the end of it and there were actually left overs! The staff was ready to accommodate with that as they give out to go boxes when the tour is close to an end. That must be more for the slow eaters of the group (not us who just had so many extra cakes at our table).  I could definitely see this tour being a great idea for bachelorette parties (hen dos) or even just for a family or  all girls day out. The company even holds special holiday tours for Mother's Day (give as a gift and enjoy it too!), Halloween, and Christmas! I really need to get on some of these holiday specials because they look like a really good time.

    Ok maybe you're reading this and your like yeah great but I'm really not into tea so no way I would like to do this buttttttt since the time I went on the bus, Brigit's Bakery now holds tours for gin lovers! If you're not into gin, tea, finger food or delicious cakes then there is probably no pleasing you, and now you're just being picky.

    Of all the people I have told about this tour, they all agreed that this was one of the best sight seeing experiences that they have ever been on. I think this is a great excursion to do really at any time of the year, and because the double decker busses all have covering it would be fine for any weather conditions. If you're a London local and don't feel like doing the touristy bit, then I suggest just going to the Brigit's Bakery and having some of their delicious tea and cakes. The bakery caters to all dietary needs including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free! To check our more about this bakery, the tour, and their delicious treats visit the link below!
https://london.b-bakery.com

   

One, two, many...

Urban Food Fest at Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf 
Craft London, Greenwich Peninsula

   Friday night turned out to be an unexpected late one which lead to a sore head all day yesterday, but completely worth it! So Sam and I, and our friend Mark, checked out the final night of the Urban Food Fest in Montgomery Square. This small fest had everything you could need to enjoy a night out; fantastic food, bars, live music, and board games. All the food trucks were made from fancy old Volkswagen campers, or shipping containers. And apparently these food trucks are for hire (wish I knew about this before the wedding).

    For dinner I got the pork classic gyro (kebab) from The 3 Little Pigs London, and used my newly found beer pairing skills and went with a pilsner from Signature Brew. Sam and I were lucky enough to meet the owner of the souvlaki greek truck and he was a really nice guy. He showed us around the VW bus and how he converted it into the perfect on the go business. The food had the just right amount of smokiness and was really filling. There was a lot of space to hang out with all the tents and tables around it was easy to grab a few seats. The live music for the night was a female singer and songwriter S.O.S. She was very talented and got the crowd going with her classic acoustic covers. There were loads of games to play at the festival but Sam, Mark, and I hung out until closing playing classic giant Jenga game. I attempted to teach the guys a classic American bar game "Shoulders" (they weren't into it). Now even though this fest will no longer be in Canary Wharf, it is scheduled to be in London at the Euro Car Parks every Saturday. The great part is also that it is free entry to get into the festival! To check out more about these vendors and the Urban Food Fest visit the links below. 

https://www.the3littlepigsldn.com

https://www.signaturebrew.co.uk

http://www.urbanfoodfest.com

 

    As we were on the tube (conveniently located in the square) I think we got a whole two stops before Mark suggested one more drink at Craft London. Classic last words to what was already a pretty drunken night. The appeal to it was really the 360 view from the bar which overlooked the O2 arena. If you got a glimpse of my Instagram story that night I was really excited about this as every snap from my story had something to do with the O2. As a New Yorker, nothing really comes close to Madison Square Garden but I have to say that the O2 is a beautiful sight. It also gave me and Sam the idea to check out the "Up at the O2" experience where you can actually climb on the top of the arena. Anywhoooo back to what happened that night. The bar was pretty much closing when we walked in as there wasn't a single other customer in sight, but the hostess told us we could go up to the bar since they weren't shutting the doors for another 30 minutes. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! We drank for those whole 30 minutes, and then some! We ended up making friends with the managers of Craft London and one of the bartenders. And as you do in that situation you talk about the classic question that comes up when someone hears my American accent "how did you guys meet?!" this is where I usually hand the conversation over to Sam because he tells the story much better than I do. It wasn't until our new manager friend bleeped in on his walkie to the hostess to lock up downstairs that I realised it was well past 1 A.M. We must have covered every topic of conversation in the 2+ hours since we had arrived there. I even had the guys hounding Sam about getting a dog! That is friendship right there. The bartender was a girl from Italy, and of course in my drunk mind it was the perfect excuse to say the 4 sentences that I know how to say in Italian, after taking 6 years of classes. So after I told her how much I like cheese, soccer, and dogs in Italian, I knew it was probably time to go home. Well that and as I went to go high five her I smacked the top shelf of wine glasses hanging over the bar. Oops! So I will say Craft London by far has the friendliest staff I have ever encountered, and the view really is a beaut too! I can only imagine how packed out that place gets on nights where the O2 is playing concerts. But to get an Uber cab over there is hard work. Lesson learned, know where your nearest parking lot is before getting charged £6 for an impatient driver. Or maybe not drink so late next time so we could have actually gotten the tube home. Another massive difference between London and New York, 24 hour subway system. To get a peak at the bar check out the link below.
https://craft-london.co.uk/bar/

   So all in all Friday night was a massive success! These two places were perfect for our small group but really could be done with a larger group. But with every great night there is a price to pay as I was in fetal position most of the day. Would I have done anything differently you ask? Maybe just skip out on that G&T at the end of the night with the generous pour to it. Other than that I experienced two great venues and got plenty of ideas for the next few places I want to check out.

A little taste of home...

BROOKLYN BREWERY at THE HOXTON, Shoreditch

   I am really excited to write this first post about an event that I went to with Sam on Wednesday night. You know those really random Instagram ads that pop up on your feed? Well that's what led us to finding this event at The Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch, for Brooklyn Brewery. The tickets were £20 each and it included beer and food pairing. This was spot on for us since Brooklyn Brewery is one of the first places that I brought Sam when he visited New York when we were first dating. We've been huge fans of the craft brewery ever since, and it was even more exciting because not that many people in London really know about the brand. This meant more freebies for us! The purpose of this event was because of the new Hoxton Hotel opening up in Williamsburg Brooklyn in New York. If you've ever been to or go to New York, Williamsburg is one of the most liveliest areas apart from New York City itself. I can only assume the reason why Brooklyn Brewery teamed up with The Hoxton was because it is probably the biggest tourist spot in Williamsburg. Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1988 so it's recently celebrating it's 30th anniversary, which was another reason this was a special night. How convenient that Sam is also celebrating his 30th year of life!

   Now when you think of tasting beer you wouldn't really think eating would go hand in hand with it, but it did! There were six different dishes paired with each FULL beer. Right there in itself was worth the £20 paid for the tickets. And by no means were these small samples of food. I was actually stuffed about midway through the tasting, but that was of my own fault for trying to finish each beer before the next dish came out (I didn't win that game). Not to mention the food was DELICIOUS. Check out this menu.

     So the top line shows the beer being served and under it is the meat dish it was paired with, and under that was the vegetarian meal. We were able to try every dish because I don't think any of the vegetarians showed up, THANKS! I'd have to say the my favourite dish was the Reuben sandwich paired with the Brooklyn Scorcher. These people really know what they are doing with this pairing because I have never been a big fan of IPA beers but the Scorcher with the Reuben was the perfect match. Brooklyn Scorcher is a good way for newbies to IPAs to get a taste of it. It's a low percentage IPA which is rare. Definitely a good one to look out for if you're cooking anything with sour taste to it.

    My favourite of all the Brooklyn beers is the Sorachi Ace. But it comes with warning that I say drink these with caution! They are so tasty but dangerously high in alcohol percentage at 7.2%. Also worth checking out is one of the newest Brooklyn Brewery beers, Naranjito (Spanish for Orange). Although it's already been in New York for a year, it's only been available in the UK since this past spring! This beer is really worth picking up if you're lucky enough to come across it in the shops. It has a citrus orange (hence the clever name!) taste to it that was so good with the breaded chicken with chipotle mayo pairing. The beer really made the flavours of the dish pop, and I'm sure it would taste good with any Mexican meal.

    The setting of this tasting was very intimate, I wanna say there was about 20 people there. I love how the place was set up in the Garden Room, which was located in the middle of the ground floor of the hotel. There were a lot of plants around, hence the name of the room, and just felt like you were hanging out in a backyard. The tables were setup in a German beerfest style, which I really liked because it meant that we would have the opportunity to talk to the other people going to the event. The people that sat next to us were all so nice, and funny enough weren't English themselves. No other Americans, but it was nice to not feel like the only foreigner in the room. Strangely enough even the people sitting next to us had never really tried a Brooklyn beer until that night. I really was so shocked when the woman presenting asked how many people had tried Brooklyn beers before and only a few people held up their hands! How was this possible?! The event itself was great because you got to really talk to the people working for Brooklyn Brewery on the UK side, and we got loads of Brooklyn Brewery half pint glasses which now take over my entire kitchen counter. If you're interested in learning more about Brooklyn Brewery you should definitely read about the owner Steve Hindy. He has a really interesting story of how the brewery came to be http://brooklynbrewery.com/about/history#welcome-link 

   Going to the Hoxton Hotel was also a new spot for me to explore in Shoreditch. The area really reminds me of Williamsburg Brooklyn. It's very trendy and for going out on a Wednesday night it was packed out! I figured most of the people in there would be going to the same event I was there for but NOPE! It's got a lot going on and a great happy hour selection. The Hoxton Grill is a good spot for date night, and after sampling a good amount of their food it is worth every penny! (or should I say pence?) I can definitely see myself going back there for some weekday drinks, and giving the new hotel in Williamsburg a look when I'm back in New York. https://thehoxton.com/london/shoreditch/hotels

https://thehoxton.com/new-york/williamsburg/hotels

So the moral of the story is..... although sometimes annoying, always check out the Instagram ads for events going on near you. They may end up being more than you hoped for!

Please feel free to leave a comment about Brooklyn beers you've tried or maybe any upcoming beer events you know of for the company. 

Since it's Friday and I won't be posting again until Sunday, where I will talk about somewhere that I will be checking out tonight, I wanted to end with some American to English translation that I've been learning/using since moving. 

Word of the day:

Zucchini ------ English way to say it Courgette 

And another one...

Since I'm just getting this blog going, I'm sure a lot of people reading this are friends and family who already know a lot about me. This will be a short and sweet post just to give background of why I'm creating this blog.

In September of 2015 I met my husband Sam in a bar (like all good love stories begin), and so started the big love story that most already know. We endured the long distance relationship until July 2017 when Sam moved to New York with me. We got married that August in a small ceremony in Central Park with just our families and just recently enjoyed our beautiful wedding this August in England with friends and family.

Now I won't go into full detail but immigration was a massive fun sucker for Sam's big move to New York. There wasn't much that we could do in terms of traveling, since it took him about three and a half months to get his residence card. But anywho, the big question people might have is why leave New York? When we sat down and thought about what we really want out of life England was the easiest option. We want to travel, and we want to actually be able to enjoy our lives rather than live to work and work to live. It was massively hard to leave New York because we loved living in Ditmars, Astoria and I've got an incredible close group of friends that lived a few subway stops away. Not to mention I am the youngest in my family and have a very close relationship with my parents. Fast forward to now, and although I'm going through a similar situation of getting my visa in England the process was a heck of a lot easier and faster than New York. I've got about 8 weeks or less until I get my visa in which case the real fun will begin of booking weekends away, and actually working full time. I actually miss working because I need structure and routine, but that's why I've really started this blog. I want to use my time wisely and actually do something that I enjoy. It was actually Sam's idea that I start this because when we do go out we get to do some pretty incredible things.

Hopefully this will be a good way for me to see more of my new home, meet new people, and give people an idea of what to do when they are here or there.

Enjoy!

Our wedding in Central Park August 2017

Our wedding in England 2018

The start of something...

So here it is my first post to my first ever blog. If you're reading this then I've already done a good job of getting my site onto your screens, which means I'm ecstatic. Since recently moving to London from New York I've had a lot of time on my hands. The best way I seemed fit to use this free time in a creative way is to begin a blog that features different things that I do in London. The purpose of this blog will be to give New Yorkers who are visiting London for the first time, maybe even the second or third, an insight of things they might enjoy doing here. It will also be a way for Londoners to see what their city is like from an outsiders view.


Here's some topics I'd like to feature on this blog:

-Events (I've recently, as in last night recently, gotten into finding special events going on in London)

-BARS (because who doesn't like to throw a few back, including the best ones for date nights!)

-Shopping (All the places I enjoy shopping at, maybe even a few photos of outfits)

-Married life (being super in love and my husband and I's infamous story of how we met)

-Home Decorating (my husband and I recently moved into our new home and we've got free range to do just about anything with our house)


Why should you read my blog?

Well I've ever so generously made a list of that;
1. I like to think that I am a semi witty lady with a lot to say.
2. If you're into travelling to London or New York it will help you plan your trips of things to do while you're in the areas.
3. SO MANY TOPICS! I don't want to limit myself to what I am going to write about. I want to write about topics that I think people will enjoy reading about. So hopefully there will be a little bit of everything people are looking to read about.
4. Entertain of course! Maybe this will be a way for me to give people a laugh or maybe even a cry?
5. Inform! It would be great to just show people what I'm going through since making the big move over the pond.
6. Connect, I'd love to get feedback from people who read my blog. If you know good places in London that you've been to I'd love to check some out.

Hope you enjoy!

This is me (Coles) & my husband (Sam) on a rooftop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

Short bio: I'm 28 years old from Astoria, Queens and my husband is 29 (about to be 30 in a few weeks) from East London. I was a teacher in the Bronx and Queens for four years, and hopefully (once VISA is cleared) will be working as a teacher in London.