LA photo diary

I've been lucky enough recently to be doing plenty of trips to LA, a place I've grown to truly love. LA isn't so much a city, as a collection of towns and it takes some getting used to before you can really make the most of all it has to offer.
Despite the fact that I've been over there no less than three times in the last month, I've far from run out of things to do and am busily trying to plan my next trip as we speak!
It's hard not to fall in love with the sunny climate (even when it's springtime and the temperature rarely climbs above 15 c), the beaches, the food and the friendly locals.
One day, I'm going to get really organised and plan a month long trip to the USA starting in Chicago and taking in the whole of route 66 finishing up in Santa Monica where it ends, but this time I only made it to the very end of the trail.
I honestly think however many trips I do to LA, it will never be enough- there's always something new to catch your eye!

 The iconic LAX sign at the international airport, driving to Hollywood!

 Almost as good as meeting the men themselves? Not really but good enough for now!

 Stars on the Hollywood walk of fame- my heroes, The Muppets!

 More star-spotting!

 Santa Monica- the end of the route 66 trail and home to a picturesque pier

 Some signs just have to be seen (and photographed!)

 Watching the sun set over Hermosa beach

Cocktails and surf 'n' turf burger at The Yardhouse, Longbeach

 Banana pancakes with Maple syrup for breakfast overlooking beautiful Redondo beach

Valentine's in Camden- Shaka Zulu Restaurant

Not everyone is into Valentine's, but personally I think it's healthy to set aside time for each other and have regular "date nights", whatever time of the year it is. 

This month's date night just so happened to be around Valentine's day, so we made more of a "thing" of it than usual.

One of my favourite spots in London has to be Camden. It's really unique and has its own special vibe unlike anywhere else in the city. It's always bustling, busy and full of interesting nick nacks and people. If I could live anywhere at all in London, I'd definitely choose here- it would be impossible to get bored of the place!

So last weekend we headed there to spend the day mooching around before going for dinner. After navigating our way through all the narrow streets and stalls, stopping to buy little bits and bobs that took our fancy, we went on to the restaurant.

 We'd booked in to Shaka Zulu, an African restaurant right in the heart of Camden Market.

 The decor in here is seriously impressive- every inch of the cavernous space is given over to African wood carvings.

During the meal we were entertained by a contortionist in a zebra leotard(!) and an Albino Python, which I kept my distance from!

The menu is very typically South African, and given that Matt's from Africa, a lot of dishes familiar to me from family meals were available.

So what did we have?  For starters we shared a plate of Biltong (dried cured meats- think beef jerky), then I opted for Bobotie, which is a curried casserole impossible to describe without making it sound weird, which it isn't, I promise! 

For dessert we shared Melktert and cinnamon ice cream.

I won't go into full- on review mode but suffice to say this is a restaurant relying heavily on it's impressive decor, the food certainly doesn't match up and is at London prices.

Apparently when it was built, £5.5 million was spent on the interior design- and it is a truly fantastic place with a brilliant atmosphere, but they really need to put some of the effort back into the menu in my opinion. Matt ordered pork spit roast, which when it came turned out to be two rather dry pork loin steaks- not great!

We had a great time though, and the food wasn't bad, it just didn't match up to the place itself!

The wine was great though!

I'm always interested to hear people's restaurant recommendations- have you been anywhere amazing recently?

Write it on your heart: Every day is the best day of the year.

 Burgundy Lace dress: Next

Nighthawk boots: Office

Frankie 2013 diary: Notemaker

Jar of happiness: see Gemma's youtube vlog

I never usually make New Year's resolutions, as I know only too well that life sort of gets in the way and they inevitably fall by the wayside sometime around January 10th (If you're me!)

However instead of calling them resolutions, I'm going to go with aims for the year. little things that make life a bit happier, a bit better.

First of all, I decided I really want to start making more of an effort to comment on blogs that I read. Thanks to Ceri this has become more of a focused thing, as she very handily set up the "Follow for follow" bloggers community via Twitter on New Year's eve. it's nice to know there are like- minded people around who want to make more of an effort to make blogging more of a community, and support and encourage each other. You can see the full list of all the participants and their blogs here.

Second of all, I want to start to appreciate the little things in life rather than letting them pass me by in the rush to catch my next flight, race up the motorway, etc etc etc. I saw Gemma's video and thought the Jar of Happiness was a fantastic idea- basically take a jar (or other vestibule of your choice) and every time something happens that makes you smile, write it down and pop it in. 

Next New Year's eve, the idea is to open the jar and whilst reading through all the lovely things that have happened that year, appreciate your life and be more positive.

As you can see I've taken things a step further by creating a jar of whinge. The idea here being every time I'm upset by something I'll write that down and I'm hoping that when I go over them, I will see how mundane and trivial the things I worry about day to day are. That's the theory anyway!

I bought the Frankie diary on a bit of a whim on Christmas Eve as a pressie to myself (naughty). I really, really wanted one last year too but they had sold out long before Christmas so I was surprised to see this still in stock. They've sold out now but if you want one, keep going back to the Notemaker site as I think they are expecting more stock soon.

I'm going to write in this each night to remember what I've done and where I've been each day (sometimes I need reminding as I travel so much it's hard to remember where  am when I first wake up!)

Has anyone else got any New Year's aims? I'm always curious to hear them!

Trip in photos: Chicago

I'm lucky enough to get to travel far and wide with my job, and to experience some amazing cities and places along the way. As I go to certain places more often than others, I get to find new and exciting venues and shopping haunts along the way.
I thought I'd start up a new blog series on some of the wonderful places I go to, and share with you along the way some of the must see and must do things for each destination!
First up is one of my favourite cities in the whole world: Chicago. It often gets overlooked as a holiday destination in favour of New York, LA or Boston, but Chicago has a charm all of its own, and has really grown on me in the year or so I've been visiting it on a regular basis.

 Even the street signs and fire trucks are photo- ready!

 Cloud Gate aka the Bean

 POPS for Champagne, beautiful Forth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Ave

 Bloomy's at Christmas, amazing cupcake from Crumbs

 Lou Malnati's  "Lou"deep dish. Cannot be beaten.

Christmas crew, amazing decorations at the airport

Chicago Tips:

1. One thing Chicago is certainly famous for, is deep dish pizza. The famous pizza joint that everyone has heard of is Gino's East just off Michigan Ave, but although good, it's always packed with tourists. The locals prefer to head a few blocks away to Lou Malnati's, on North State st next to Barnes and Noble. Just the though of their pizza makes my stomach rumble..

2. It's a cliche, but you HAVE to visit Cloud Gate, more commonly known as the Bean. And yes, you have to take a photo looking up into it. Some touristy things are famous for a reason, and this is one of them!

3. For drinks, head to POPS champagne bar on the corner of E Ohio st and North state street. So many different types of bubbly, so little time! They serve snacks too, so you don't have to leave to line your tummy!

4. The shopping in Chicago is amazing. Everything is within walking distance of downtown and I can't think of a shop they don't have! Also, the shops are open really late so if your flight gets in late at night , you can still stock up in the likes of Victoria's Secret (the flagship store, no less) Bloomingdale's, Abercrombie, People Tree and so, so many more. On a side note, it has always baffled me why shops in the UK shut at 5.30pm, just when people are leaving work. Logical.

5. If you possibly can, you must go in March, for st Patrick's day. Chicagoans celebrate by dying the river green!

6. Even if you don't go in March, in the summer you can head to the man made beach by lake Michigan, stepping distance from the main shopping drag on North Michigan avenue. Sunbathe, hire a boat for a tour of the lake or join in with a beach volleyball game if you're feeling brave!

so there we have it, just a few hints I've picked up over a year's travel. The photos are mainly from one trip in December as you can tell by the Christmassy theme but to be honest whatever time of year, Chicago is amazing.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has any must do tips too?