April Favourites: London and back again
Coughs, Cold Plunges & Cherry Lane
I spent most of April with a hacking cough and bookended it with a dose of food poisoning. I didn’t let this ruin my trip to London though!
L-R: Wild Cherry, Leo’s Cafe, Dover St. Counter
In a move very unlike myself I went to Wild Cherry, Frenchette’s new restaurant in Cherry Lane Theatre the night before my flight to London. I was there seeing You Got Older starring Alia Shawkat (all those TV shows I like) and Peter Friedman (Succession!) which was fantastic.
When I landed in London I had a fry up at Leo’s Cafe in Dalston because… you gotta. I moved rooms in my hotel because the TV was broken and I simply had to watch Channel 4 or I’d die. They were very accommodating.
I met my friend at Aire, a bathhouse located in a townhouse where J.M. Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) used to live ~insert joke about Peter Pan being the first avoidant twink with mommy issues I had a crush on~.
When I am in London I usually go to the spa at The Corinthia but it has become prohibitively expensive. I’m glad this pushed me to finally try Aire. They give you little slippers that you also wear in the water so you don’t have to listen to the sound of people’s wet flip flopping sandals. There was a cold plunge inside the steam room, which I found to be chic and dramatic.
After Aire we had chicken sambos (that’s sandwiches for the un-Irish of you) at Dover St. Counter and were alarmed that the bill was so low - dear reader, it was low because we didn’t get wine or a cocktail and we always get wine or a cocktail when we are together.
Alfies Antique Market was on my list of places to go on my last London visit but since Chiltern Firehouse caught on fire (on Valentine’s Day last year) and has been closed for renovation, I just haven’t had a reason to go to Marylebone. On this particular visit the algorithm served me this Architectural Digest video and I decided maybe there are, in fact, other things in Marylebone that are worth my time.
L-R: A silver egg and soldiers set, a painting of a “beautiful girl” that my friends keep telling me looks like me, vintage Soviet Christmas ornaments that came home in my suitcase
I went to see Amélie on 35mm print at the Prince Charles Cinema. I’ve seen this film dozens of times but on this rewatch I became fixated on her red rubber gloves. She wears them when she breaks into Monsieur (mean vegetable man) Collignon’s apartment. My friend and I were convinced they’d made them custom for the film because of its red and green palette - “When have you ever seen red rubber gloves? they’re always yellow or pink!” we kept saying on the walk to the Lizzy line.
Anyway turns out red rubber gloves aren’t as special as I thought. I ordered some online. I was initially delighted by them and the flower pattern embossed on the cuffs, but I can’t say I recommend them because they smell too much like… rubber.
Unfortunately for my kitchen aesthetic I remain devoted to Clorox Ultra Comfort Premium Gloves because they are cotton lined and don’t smell like anything.
By the way, I didn’t use to have so many opinions on rubber gloves until I moved to a city (NYC) where the luxury of both living alone and having a dishwasher + washing machine means paying over $3000 a month in rent. I’ve actually started going into the office more often so I don’t have to do as many dishes because I can’t take it anymore!
L-R: Frame Denim The Hang Jeans, ace & tate Selma Sunglasses, If Only If Pandora Nightgown
I enjoyed Lena Dunham’s show Too Much last year. I had to know where all of Jessica’s (Megan Stalter) nightgowns came from. The answer is If Only If. Their branding and ecomm photography doesn’t do it for me but after seeing her dress in a matching one with her tiny dog whose tongue is always hanging out (my favourite type of dog) I was sold.
When I got back from London I framed and hung my John Kacere print (eBay) in my bedroom. At the Salon 94 show last year this was my favourite painting - so I was thrilled to find a print of it. His paintings inspired the opening shot in Lost in Translation.
While London has loving homages to American dive bars (Rasputins), in NYC Irish (Banshee) and English (Dean’s) spots are having a moment. I haven’t tried Dean’s yet but tell me why I’ve never wanted to eat a scotch egg in my life but now that I’ve been stateside a few years I romanticise the hell out of the idea of eating a scotch egg with an ice cold martini (“but Jade you don’t even LIKE martinis” my sister will be saying under her breath while rolling her eyes if she is reading - which sister you ask? The one who is addicted to rolling her eyes at me of course!).
My personal florist Some Occasions, aka the aforementioned sister who loves to roll her eyes at me, put me on to lily of the valley flowers. I’ll admit I only knew about this flower from playing Animal Crossing for 5 hours a day during COVID lockdown - and I’ll admit - I thought they were bigger! I’m obsessed with how cute and small they are. I brought them to the cinema to see Mile End Kicks.
L-R: How to keep your farmers market flowers fresh if you simply have to catch a matinée at the AMC, “My” Princess Tree, Diptyque Ortie Candle (smells like nettles)
My apartment overlooks a patch between two buildings that has this tree. It has only flowered twice in the four years I’ve lived here and I only thought to look it up this year. Imagine my delight when I found out it is called a PRINCESS TREE - and it’s normal for it to skip flowering if the conditions aren’t quite right. I’m glad to know there’s another little princess living on my block.
Lastly, I picked up the new Diptyque Ortie Candle in Heathrow duty free on the way home and it smells divine - clean and herby!
Things to look forward to
🖼️ I need to go to the Domenico Gnoli exhibit - it ends May 23rd so I’d better get on that.
🎥 Frederick Wiseman’s film Crazy Horse is playing at L’Alliance New York on June 18th - tickets
✈️ I am going to Las Vegas for a little R&R and to see No Doubt perform at The Sphere. Drop your Vegas recommendations in the comments. Before you ask, yes I have seen Criss Angel Mindfreak’s Las Vegas show. Yes it was fabulous. Yes I would consider going a second time.
👼🏻