HARRODS

I woke up bright and early on a sun-filled and chilly Thursday morning. Cold weather compression pants on and I was out the door for a run. After looking at google maps for a fun route to take while running I realized I was literally 2 blocks (if that) from the River Thames!!! So I crossed two streets and then over a bridge over the River Thames I went. I ran along the river and it was absolutely beautiful with flowers and bright green grass parks filling its sides along with countless runners, walkers, chatters, newspaper readers, and plenty of dog walkers. It was the most scenic run I've ever taken - I enjoyed it much much more than central park in NY.
Shower and then a group of girls and myself headed to Harrods...need I say more? Having never heard of the store before coming to the UK, it was quite the buzz around these parts. Well now I know why! It was incredible and nothing like it in the US exist. I knew it was a luxury store, so I immediately thought of Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Bloomingdales, etc. Well no comparison - it is the 5 floors of the utmost luxury. When you walk in there's a highly priced and exquisite fresh market (butcher, dairy, bakery, fruits, veggies) but not only is the quality and utmost care of notice but the employees are traditionally and professionally dressed and doing everything by hand. There is a gourmet, traditional pub, pizzeria, sushi bar, and other amenities randomly and luxuriously located throughout all of this. If you head to the next few floors there are clothes, shoes, baby dept, mens dept, handbags, furniture, and everything of the sort you can imagine - the nicest in the world.
During the month of January their annual month-long sale takes place, so before we got there we were pretty excited about hopefully making a purchase from such an exclusive British institution. Well, sale racks began in the accessories dept and I picked up a scarf that was 50% off - $189...half off and $189 hhahahah heck no! And that was the best of the prices we found. When we got to the clothing department the sales racks didn't have anything under $400 - it was insane! For me, I really really appreciate the beauty and art of the fashion industry and the many beautiful products and pieces it produces, BUT that was absolutely ridiculous...for a piece of cloth! Needless to say the group and I walked around in awe and made sure not to touch anything.
Afterwards we decided to walk around and find a place for lunch. We went to the Tottenham pub of the Nicholson Pubs in an alley off the main roa

d and it was beautiful! check it out: http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thetottenhamoxfordstreetlondon/
They are known for their famous British sausages and beers, so that is exactly what I ordered. It was delicious and the beer was really good but not carbonated, which I'm beginning to notice. Out of the 3 locally brewed or on-site brewed beers I've had, none of the 3 have been carbonated. They've been delicious, but as far as texture it's completely a different feel. It's supposed to enhance the flavor even further and help you digest the contents easier - basically in British terms, a better quality beer. After some bubble-free local beer and a homemade sausage and gravy we went in and out of a couple more shops and then headed home.
Hung out for a bit with the wonderful girls here (who are all yankees and i love!), chatted with friends and mom, and now it's time for Breakfast at Tiffany's in bed and then another fabulous day of exploring London lies ahead!!!