Hey big spender

Bob Bob Ricard

Well friends, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend in London - and finally, enjoyed it as an employed woman!

Friday I was still beaming from the fact that I won't have to sell myself on the street to pay my rent (still considering that as a moonlighting gig). So as soon as 6 pm rolled around, I was at Covent Garden Market getting my drink on to celebrate! Met up with Franca and we headed to Dirty Martini which was absolutely packed. I've come to learn that the Brits do not like to be too far from an alcoholic beverage after a work week so every pub/bar/restaurant/etc. is usually packed to the rafters with thirsty weekend warriors - and I was finally one of them!

However the place was WAY too busy so we had a drink and then hit up an outside heated patio for a bottle of wine. We met up with Kate and then headed over to Pasta Cafe for more wine and tons of food (Franca signed up for this thing called TopTable, and you get 50% off your whole meal, minus alcohol). Our entire bill, two starters, three mains and two desserts plus two bottles of wine came to like £60! Pretty amazing.

We were pretty tired and stuffed after our meal so we headed back home around midnight instead of hitting up the town. Needless to say, Covent Garden is a ZOO on a Friday night. Next time I think we'll opt for a liquid dinner and hit up some more pubs in the area.

Saturday morning, Franca and I got up and power shopped in the most literal sense of the term. We hit up Regent Street and Oxford Street and did some serious damage to our credit cards. I have justified all of my purchases because I now I have a job (let's disregard the fact I've been living off my credit card for the last two months and won't see a paycheck for a least one more).

Anyway, it was some well-needed retail therapy.

After that, we headed home and I got ready for my date. I was actually pretty nervous because we met (surprise, surprise) under pretty drunken circumstances and I wasn't 100% sure what James looked like. Anyway we met at Picadilly Circus (absolutely the worst place to meet for a date in London. There are about 200 tube exits and a million different ways you could get lost there). Anyway we finally met up with each other after a somewhat awkward phone call trying to find out where we both were.

So James was actually quite cute (thank god). He was wearing a really smart hat and tweed blazer and plaid shirt. He's blonde and tall and has thick-rimmed black glasses (I love a boy in glasses). Anyway we met and walked to this restaurant/bar he'd made reservations at. Immediately, conversation was super easy and he was very laid back and relaxed. Things were going well and got much better when we got into Bob Bob Ricard.

This place was so cool: super retro decor, aquamarine, 1950s chairs and diner-style booths with dim lighting and waiters and waitresses dressed in hot pink tuxedos. The table even had a 'Press for champagne' button which we didn't use but I thought was pretty cool. Anyway we stayed there and drank £10 drinks and chatted about life and the night we had met (neither of us seemed to remember very much). Anyway I immediately felt at ease around him and after our first three delicious drinks, we left and headed to this jazz and blues bar up the street.

The only thing better than Bob Bob Ricard's was The Charlotte Street Blues Bar. We walk in, pay £10 and enter this loud, dark bar with an awesome live jazz band playing: the place was packed with soused, well-dressed Londoners. I was amazed by the environment and impressed with James' knowledge of London's hidden nightlife gems. Anyway they didn't serve draught upstairs so we headed downstairs and that was even cooler! It was a swing dancing bar that looked like a speak easy. It was super dark with low ceilings, 1940s movies playing on a projector on one side of the room, awesome big band music playing and so many people in the coolest garb dancing their faces off. The coolest part was that they all switched partners for each new song, so they were essentially dancing with strangers in three minute intervals. I was so mesmerized by this place and cannot wait to go back!

James and I ended up getting absolutely annihilated - double fisting beer and whiskey all night, shots of Jager, cocktails. It was messy. I didn't get home until 5 am. At one point in the night while we were outside smoking, he asked me if I had any hobbies. Instead of saying drinking, I stupidly said, yes actually, I have a blog. He became really interested in this, asking if he'd been blogged about and what I said and blah blah blah. I accidentally told him to the name of the blog but I'm banking on the fact that he was far too wasted to remember. Anyway we have plans to hang out on Saturday. My dad informed me the Oxford and Cambridge boat races are this weekend and he lives in Hammersmith - so I think I might suggest we do that!

Sunday, feeling a little worse for wear, I managed to get up with Franca and head to the Farmer's Market to grab some food and flowers for the house. Then we made the epic journey to Camden Market which was absolutely amazing. It's an open air market with so many stalls of clothes, jewelry, art, shoes, drug paraphernalia, you name it, they've got it. It's quite beautiful too because Camden Lock is located on the River Thames and boasts floating restaurants and a great view. The food market was also amazing: giant vats of curries, chinese food, Mexican food, you name it, they have it. I had a plate of nachos which I was hoping would fulfill my cravings. Unfortunately, it was sub par and I think I'll have to resign myself to the fact that the Brits just cannot do Mexican cuisine.

After that Franca and I headed home, made dinner, watched several episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (I'm now obsessed) and I went to bed at 10 pm because I was absolutely shattered. I am back at work now, with a four day work week and then a four day weekend! I'm pretty excited for a break from my grueling two weeks of work (hehe) and excited to continue to explore this huge city some more.

Hope you're all doing well, had a great weekend and are having a happy Monday!

Cheers,

Patsy