A Little Piece of London
A piece of me still wishes things with London had worked out better. I still long for the city that leaves that damp, muskiness on your clothes after a day of walking by the Thames - as if the history of the city has been sprinkled over your head when you didn’t expect it. I would love to be there, so close to so much that I want to explore…but alas, this lovely daydream isn’t a reality for the near future.Despite the pining, today I found myself walking the streets of New York and for a split second was transported back to the heart of Kensington…
After an afternoon meeting, I decided to slowly jaunt back to my office and stopped into Starbucks for an afternoon pick me up. Usually I’d order a grande black coffee, but today I opted for the Americano. Something about watered down espresso was more appealing than the usual drip…I added my skim milk and went on my merry way.
I almost stopped in my tracks when I took my first sip, as it tasted exactly like the Americano I had ordered from the Pret-a-Manger around the corner from where my gal-pal and I had stayed in London. With that first sip, I was walking down Maiden Lane towards Trafalgar Square all over again. I stepped up to the corner of Park Avenue and nearly expected to see the Big Ben instead of the Met Life Building…
I kept walking West savoring the remains of my Euro-moment, then looked across the street only to be delighted to see a Fauchon store…the only store in Manhattan to sell perfectly round, bright and tasty French macaroons. I fell in love with these little morsels of goodness at the Laduree cafe inside of Harrod's, so naturally in my moment of nostalgia, I couldn't resist the temptation to taste one again. I bolted into the store and bought two: one raspberry, one pistachio. Perfect.
I continued West down 57th Street - munching on my macaroons, drinking my Americano - pretending I was walking past Harvey Nichols instead of Bergdorfs, seeing the Wolseley Hotel instead of the Plaza. I sighed and transported myself back to New York where, despite my moment of transatlantic sadness, decided with pleasure that the macaroons in New York are just as good as they are in London.
posted by Lisa @ 4:19 PM
5 Comments:
I'm moving to London in 3 weeks... so I'm glad to hear that someone who lives in NYC loves London :-)
I miss London so much that sometimes the nostalgia is palpable. I lived in South Kensington for close to a year and even with the rain and the crappy dollar-to-pound ratio, it was one of the best years of my life. My boyfriend recently brought up going back to visit and I told him, "only if we can stay for good."
I can't wait to visit London. I have not been either place, but I heard they are both fabulous!
My goodness, they separated you from London? Now, that's just cruel.
Great post! I too always find a little bit of London in NYC. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home