Notting Hill - My London Hood

When you spend a large amount of time away from home, particularly in another country, the location you stay is extremely important. From public transportation, to quaint eateries, cafes, shopping and bars, Notting Hill is the best place to stay in London for an extended amount of time. I had a flat right in the heart of the area which made everything I needed right at my finger tips. It is also a healthier area of London, in that, there is an organic super market and also (my fave!) a Le Pain Quotidien, which makes accommodating my gluten and dairy free needs much easier. Notting Hill is so cozy that after 2 weeks it really started to feel like home. I have a few friends that live in the area and meeting them at the cafe in the afternoons and pubs in the evening became common place.

The necessity of walking everywhere, definitely made me re-evaluate my shoe game. Most days you would find me in flat boots but once in awhile when heading out in the evening I would throw on this wedge pair. This outfit basically sums up my London wardrobe – comfy, casual with a bit of edge. These jeans were worn so much, I was thankful I had a washing machine in my flat! I also did some shopping and picked up this top that I thought was unique. I got it at Topshop, but they have a special floor at their Oxford Circus location that is made up of higher end brands. This one is by a London brand that isn’t in the US so it was easy to convince myself it needed to relocate! This bag was on loan, but it was definitely love at first site. I would’ve kicked and screamed to take it home but I literally could not fit one more thread in my suitcase. The faux leather moto also got plenty of wear. I opted to bring faux because when you walk everywhere, you want things to be as light as possible. Carrying too many leather items can really weigh you down after awhile. The weather was fluctuating so the coat was on and off constantly.

Thanks to Samsung mobile I got to document a lot of my adventures on the Galaxy s5, which really made my life so much easier. Having a good phone that works overseas is everything!

Stay tuned for more photo diaries and outfits coming up soon!