TaylorandDana.com http://tayloranddana.com/blog Taylor and Dana's website Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:31:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 A sunny start to 2010 http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-sunny-start-to-2010 http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-sunny-start-to-2010#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:18:47 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=679 We had a great first day of 2010 here in London! After sleeping a little late, we headed out and got lunch at Leon. We were really excited because we absolutely love our Leon cookbook (which Whitney and Michael gave us last year for Christmas) but we’ve never actually been to the restaurant. It absolutely lived up to our expectations, and we had a fantastic lunch.



leon 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


leon 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


leon 3, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

After our tasty lunch, we went for a walk along the Thames. It was such a beautiful day for walking around and we had a lot of fun seeing all of the touristy, but beautiful, sites along the river. Pictures below!



thames 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


thames 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


thames 3, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


thames 4, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


bus and phone, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Tomorrow we are heading up north for a day in the country! We’re going to walk around Windsor during the day, and then have dinner at a Heston Blumenthal restaurant (very exciting!) We’re going to spend the night in Windsor, and then head back to London early Sunday morning. Will try to post from Windsor if we can!

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-sunny-start-to-2010/feed 0 Happy New Year from London! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/happy-new-year-from-london http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/happy-new-year-from-london#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:23:12 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=662 We had a fun New Year’s Eve in London today!

We started out our day at Borough Market, where we got some tasty lunch (roast meat sandwiches and grilled cheese, onions and pickles) and picked up some provisions for dinner tonight. Borough Market is one of our favorite places in London, and it was a ton of fun to stock up for New Year’s Eve there.

Buying some bread.



borough 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Me and my favorite “salt beef and horseradish sauce” sandwich – yumm!



borough 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Cheese lady.



borough 3, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Grilled cheese with onions and pickles.



borough 4, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

After we got back to Whitney and Michael’s, we began cooking for dinner! We made a tasty rib roast, yorkshire pudding, brussels sprouts, and Michael’s famous roast potatoes and root vegetables. Yum!!!

Tasty Borough Market meat before we cooked it.



dinner 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

It’s dinner time!



dinner 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

After dinner, we enjoyed some post-dinner drinks – champagne, London Pride Lager, and lovely Winter Pimms (a British tradition?)!



champagne, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


pimms, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


london pride, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

We also managed to observe a bunch of our respective traditions.

Singing Auld Lange Syne.



trad 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Eating herring at midnight (my family’s tradition).



herring, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

The Scottish Hogmanay tradition of “first footing” — allowing in a dark haired person, a tall person, and a person bearing a gift (that’s me with coal).



scot trad 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


scot trad 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


scot trad 3, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

And the Mauritian tradition of opening the doors to allow out with the bad, and in with the good for the New Year.



open door, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


open windows, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Happy 2010 from London!!!!!

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/happy-new-year-from-london/feed 0 A grey and rainy day in London http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-grey-and-rainy-day-in-london http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-grey-and-rainy-day-in-london#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:31:41 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=638 Despite the fact that it was a bit grey and rainy today here in London, we managed to have a lot of fun, eat some more tasty food, and do some more wandering about. We slept a little late this morning, and then headed out to meet friends from summer camp for lunch. We went to a great place called S&M (sausage & mash) in Notting Hill. They had excellent sausages, mashed potatoes, and, my new favorite, mushy peas! The perfect meal for a damp day.

Tasty Sausage and Mash



sausage and mash, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Me and my former co-counselor



dana and kate 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Group shot



group shot, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

After lunch, we walked up Portobello Road, which has a bunch of cute little shops, and antique stores. Then we walked through Notting Hill, and then to Kensington and South Kensington (home of fancy houses).

Portobello Road



portabello road 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

We also randomly walked past George Orwell’s house!



orwell house, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

A pretty blue house on Portobello Road



blue house, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

The coolest looking pub ever – it had all kinds of crazy things hanging from the ceiling!



churchill arms, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

A little wet, we made our way back to Whitney and Michael’s flat (we navigated the buses and Tube all by ourselves!) We decided to take it easy tonight to recover from Vinopolis and prepare for some New Year’s Eve festivities tomorrow night. We got a fantastic “curry” close to Whitney and Michael’s place, and then had a relaxing night of watching tv.

All in all, it was a wet but fun day in London!

We also discovered that we unwittingly documented a graffiti rivalry in progress on our first day here! Check out the photo below, and then read this article: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6970440.ece (Make sure you click on the arrows under the picture in the article so you can see the evolution of this painting.)



banksy, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.
]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/a-grey-and-rainy-day-in-london/feed 0 Day 3 in London http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/day-3-in-london http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/day-3-in-london#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:55:33 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=619 Third day in London is over! We slept a little late and then headed to lunch and then to Vinopolis, the wine museum. It was a lot of fun – and I am happy to report that we survived 5 wine tastings, a champagne tasting, two whiskey tastings, two rum tastings, two absinthe tastings, martinis, and two beer tastings (phew). Needless to say, afterward, we went out for a few pints and crisps! Pictures below.



vino 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


vino 2, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


vino 3 tay, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


vino 4 wm, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


vino 5 all, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


pub 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

And afterward we got some tasty, fancy pizza to cap off the night (and may, or may not, have had a pasti on the way home!) That’s it from here!



pizza 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.
]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/london/day-3-in-london/feed 0 Day 2 in London! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/day-2-in-london http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/day-2-in-london#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:04:23 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=597 Another great day in London!

After a good night’s sleep, Michael cooked a delicious breakfast, and then Taylor and I headed off for a walk. We left Whitney and Michael’s “flat” and then headed to Spittalfield’s Market and Brick Lane Road. Most of the stores at Spittalfield’s were closed, but a bunch of the Indian restaurants and supermarkets on Brick Lane were open (and so were the vintage shops). It was a lot of fun to do some more walking and exploring! See pictures below.



this market, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


church, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


duke of wellington, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

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brick lane 1, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.



truman, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


taylor yard, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Afterward, we went to meet Whit and Michael at The Lanesborough for a wonderful tea. The tea was excellent, and we really liked the goat cheese quiches and the cucumber sandwiches. Good times!



underground, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


tea, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


tea tree, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Afterward, we walked down to the Thames and looked at all of the pretty sights which were lit up at night. Not surprisingly, we grabbed a couple(+) pints at a cute pub right off of Saint Katharine’s Dock on the Thames.



boat and eye, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


dickens w m, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


tower bridge, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


dickens outside, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


dickens d t, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Before heading home, we grabbed some scharma / falafel along the way(as if we hadn’t eaten enough already!). All in all, another wonderful London day!



falafel, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.
]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/day-2-in-london/feed 1 London – Day 1! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/london-day-1 http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/london-day-1#comments Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:29:46 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=580 We had a fantastic first day in London! We managed to cross four important things off our list of things to do here: walk around and explore, eat roast meat, spend some time in pubs, and eat some more pastis.

After waking up around 9:30 (a brutal 4:30 NY time…) we headed out to have lunch (a Sunday roast) at The Albion very cute little Georgian-era pub about a 20 minute walk from Whitney and Michael’s flat. The place was absolutely perfect – it had a great brick exterior, a wonderful fire going on the inside, and excellent mulled wine. Whit and I had the roast beef, and Taylor and Michael had roast pork belly. We finished off with sticky toffee pudding, and a chocolate plate.

In front of the Albion:



DSC_6789, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


DSC_6795, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Roast Beef, Carrot Mash and potatoes!



roast meat, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Slow Roast Pork Belly!



DSC_6793, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

Sticky Toffee Pudding for Dessert (diet starts when we get back…)



DSC_6802, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

After lunch, we took a nearly 4 mile walk around the Regent’s Canal from Caledonian Road to Camden Lock and finally to Little Venice. There are these really narrow and super cute canal boats that go up and down the canal, and navigate their way through several locks. It’s a really beautiful walk, and there are great things to look at along the way, including Banksy graffiti, the Blow Up Bridge (which blew up after a boat carrying gun powder hit against the top of it) and the beautiful homes in Regent Park. It was great to walk around and do some exploring (see pictures below).



DSC_6814, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


DSC_6845, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


boat and chinese resto, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.


canal boats, originally uploaded by TaylorDane.

And then we made it back to Whitney and Michael’s flat to eat some pastis and play some Wii! More tomorrow!

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/london-day-1/feed 0 Izakaya treat! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/izakaya-treat http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/izakaya-treat#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:40:07 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/izakaya-treat It has been a long week already, and it’s only Tuesday (that’s right, I’m lookin at you, Legal Writing midterm…). We decided to get an early start tonight on celebrating Taylor’s birthday this weekend with a mid week treat dinner at Saka Gura (www.sakagura.com) an izakaya (see, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya) in Midtown. I was intrigued by the review i read, which noted that you have to walk through a “weird lobby” to find the restaurant. After making our way through an 80s retro office building and down three flights of stairs, we were in a total hidden gem. Although intimidated by the sake menu, we followed our waiter’s recommendation and got an amazing (although somewhat spenny) bottle of nigori sake. We also enjoyed some fantastic chicken meatballs, sashimi over rice, and the most fantastic (and non chocolate) truffles. Another Japanese hidden wonder in Midtown, infiltrated by T&D.

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/good-eats/izakaya-treat/feed 0 I heart JC! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/i-heart-jc http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/i-heart-jc#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:51:05 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/i-heart-jc Live French music outside our favorite bistro! Perfect dessert after escargot, boulliabaise, and confit de canard!

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/i-heart-jc/feed 0 The three C’s! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/the-three-cs http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/the-three-cs#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:50:02 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/the-three-cs I was excited to read about Cafe Pedlar in yesterday’s edition of Tasting Table -although the article was about a new second location of Cafe Pedlar (in the east village) I was happy to learn that the first location is just a few blocks from my school! I decided to check it out today and I am actively consuming the three C’s: coffee, crim law, and carbs! Perfect on a grey afternoon.

]]> http://tayloranddana.com/blog/uncategorized/the-three-cs/feed 1 Three weeks till the big day! http://tayloranddana.com/blog/wallpapers/three-weeks-till-the-big-day http://tayloranddana.com/blog/wallpapers/three-weeks-till-the-big-day#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 13:38:21 +0000 dana http://tayloranddana.com/blog/?p=568 trin

It’s hard to believe that in just three weeks we’ll be tying the knot! Here’s a pretty shot of campus from this past weekend. Hopefully there will still be some flowers in bloom for our wedding. And we’d like to apologize in advance for what will be some infrequent blog posts over the next month. We are planning to actively blog our post-wedding trip to the Caribbean! So please stay tuned.

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