I want candy

{Pile of British candy}

I can't help it, it's all this Halloween talk! And if, like me, you've a thing for British candy, but find yourself Stateside of the pond, all is not lost! Where to find candyliciousness in 3 major East Coast towns...

Cardullo's in winter, Cambridge

Boston & Cambridge: Cardullo's not only has piles o' British candy, but the most expensive sandwich - over $100 for a caviar sandwich!

Rodman's, Washington, DC

DC: Rodman's, the "Weirdest Little Drugstore in Washington," is a savior for Brit-candy hunters in the wilds of DC.





Tea & Sympathy in the Village

Manhattan, NYC:  Tea & Sympathy has carried British candy since the last monarch (it seems!)

Humble London Tube candy machine

Confession: My candy sources in London aren't as fancy as the above. We just buy from the nearby petrol (gas) station or the candy machines in the Tube (subway). :)



(Images via Muffin Top, Eric Rolph at panoramio, DC Beer, Chris J Russell and just some photos.)

London love

Thank you everyone for being so sweet about our job news - though I'm feeling guilty for calling London winters "un-fun"! There's so much to love in London...let us count thy ways...

{Berkeley Square}
The sweet pockets of green

"I've got nasty habits. I take tea at 3." -- Mick Jagger

Afternoon tea!

Karen Millen dresses

View from Waterloo Bridge

Seeing this when you step out the front door

Those street styles

{Chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall}
These guys

{Recent Grace Kelly fashion exhibit}

The amazing V&A, always

(Images via 1; 2; 3; Millen - 4a/4b/4c/4d; 5; 6; street styles - 7a/7b/7c, 8a/8b/8c; chefs - 9a/9b; 10.)

Transatlantic yum

{Hot chocolate souffle}

{Chocolate + fresh cream}

{Can't wait to try! Chocolate pot with raspberries & kick of *chili*}

Why do small luxuries matter so much on flights? Gu Pud English sweets might be the richest mini-treat I've had on a transatlantic trip. The decadent chocolate ganache just melts in your mouth!

{Oh Gu Pud, expand across the pond? Non-UK chocoholics can't always fly over for such delectableness!}

(All images via Gu Pud.)

Yauatcha in London

{Yauatcha's excellent dumplings, cheung fun and lotus rice packets}

Oh dim sum! You delicious little things, you're so hard to find in truly tasty (not bland, over-greasy, over-salty) form. (This is sadly true even in Hong Kong!) Thankfully, Yauatcha gets it right.

This is not your typical dim sum house, no loud din or foodcarts.

And it might be hard, but save room for beautiful tea & bonbons!

P.S. Yauatcha is Michelin starred. :)
P.P.S. On a totally different note, it's late musician Peter Tosh's birthday. I've listened to Downpressor Man since childhood & it got me through challenging times...music can have such power.

(Collage 1 images via Le Petit Patissier, Town & Country Travel and London Chow. Remaining images via Yauatcha; last image via London Evening Standard.)

Hampstead Heath, London

{The Heath inspired C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe}

A dreamy place to stroll...

To run...

Fly a kite or take-in vistas of London...

{Kenwood House Museum, Hampstead Heath}

View art in a beautiful setting...

Even bathe in open-air ponds!

Or get lost (happens to me a lot) and daydream away.

P.S. While in Hampstead, don't forget the Hampstead crepe stand...

Or, if you fancy a pint, The Flask pub...

(Images from Little London Observationist, The Guardian, nielsfrenzen, embleton, LondonTown, English Heritage--Kenwood House, London Evening Standard, Katherine MacDaid, Matt Maran via Studio House Cards, La Creperie de Hampstead, Gourmet Traveller 88 and TimeOut London.)

Sanctuary | 7000 miles from home

{The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Centre, London}

Can you believe this lovely wildlife sanctuary is in busy London?

{Nene in Hawaii (left) and in London's WWT sanctuary (right)}

It was at the sanctuary, one previous grey London winter, that I spotted Nene birds -- Hawaii's native, endangered state bird. As a Hawaii expat, I was initially confused (Wait, what? Where am I?)

{Turns out the sanctuary's founder, Sir Peter Scott, led efforts in 1950s England to save the Nene from extinction.}

 The WWT Centre in London is a vast sanctuary by the River Thames - a lush outdoor world right in urban London.

~ Enjoy your weekend, whether you're indoors or out! ~

P.S. Thanks for all the wonderful comments yesterday - I loved hearing about your childhood comfort food & stories! :)

(Images via findtarget, National Parks of the Pacific Islands, WWT Support page, WWT, The Guardian and WWT Visitors page.)

Nostalgia post: Childhood comfort food

Did you have any? That you still crave? Lately, I've been really craving mashed potatoes, a childhood staple (it was fun to shape them into "volcanoes" with melted butter for "lava").

I also loved peanut butter jelly sandwiches, while my (British) significant other enjoyed crisp sandwiches (eh?)

CRISP SANDWICH
A British childhood classic
Take a small pile of slightly-crushed crisps (potato chips) and squish them, with raw sliced onions, between two generously buttered slices of (I quote) "the most unhealthy white bread you can find." Voila!

Note:

For non-Brits, I *totally* understand if this sounds crazy! :)

P.S. Classic crisp sandwich (key to a (British) man's heart?)...

(Images via yumsugar, myrecipes and Crisp sandwiches.)

Karen Millen's minimalist luxe

Thanks for all your fun(ny) comments yesterday! Here's a positive London post (to atone :)). Ever since British Boy wanted to get me a dress from Karen Millen in Covent Garden (3-month anniversary gift), I've had a Millen soft spot.:) Everything's so minimalist-luxe this season.

P.S. The dress ploy must've worked, it'll be 5 years for us. ;)
P.P.S. Millen's suede over-the-knee boots get all the press attention, but I also like the below shoe (and dress)...

{Flower peep toe}

{Jewel hand-sewn bead dress}

(All images via Karen Millen.)

Photo du jour: A beach by any other name

Small beach near Ko Olina, Hawaii...

As a fun contrast, this is also a beach...but in London (where my significant other is from). I like to wind him up (tease him) about it. ;)

{An August Break Continued post: Top photo taken on island of Oahu. Bottom photo of Bankside Beach taken in London, UK.}

Vintage fashion as art

{House of Lanvin, silk & chenille, 1957, London V&A, via}

Hope you had a nice, long (US) holiday weekend! To ease the post-holiday transition, here's some lovely art for you, from 2 favorite museums: London's V&A (Victoria & Albert) and NYC's Met. :)

{Click images to open, click open image to enlarge}

{Givenchy evening gown, silk, 1955, London's V&A, via}

{The gown's sumptuous silk-thread embroidery, via}

Givenchy called this gown Les Muguets (Lilies of the Valley) and it came with long evening gloves. Very Audrey Hepburn, of course.

{Givenchy, ostrich feathers, 1967, London V&A, via}

I sometimes wish people still wore great hats regularly (not just at British weddings, big horse races and such).

{Quant mini-dress, wool & jersey, 1967, London V&A, via}

Without Mary Quant, London in the '60s might not've been so Swingin'. This went with dense tights & a big-brimmed beret or hat (think Twiggy :)).

{McQueen, mille-feuille-like silk organza, 2003, NYC's Met, via}

Couldn't resist non-vintage Alexander McQueen's "Oyster Dress."

{Lanvin evening dress, silk, 1931, NYC's Met, via}

This sweet, soft dress could easily be worn today.

{Lanvin "Roseraie" dress, silk, 1923, NYC's Met, via}

Lanvin painstakingly manipulated ribbon to create every rosette.

{Dior, silk organza & embroidery, 1953, NYC's Met, via}

Dior gone to a garden party -- the pattern is of teeny hand-stitched French knots.

~ Wishing you a great week ahead! ~

P.S. Yes, I have a weakness for Lanvin -- seeing vintage Lanvin up-close is an experience I'd highly recommend to any lover of design, fashion, art or just beautiful craftsmanship!