Ah, summer! It always comes and goes in a flash. It’s my favorite season for the warm weather, sunshine and fun travels. In celebration of a great summer, here are some wonderful memories for me to remember and recommendations to inspire your next travels, meals, and more!
LONDON
New On My London Guide: Clipstone, E&O, Coya, Pret A Porter Tea at The Berkley, The Wallace Collection Museum
As an American expat living in London, one of the most-asked questions that I get is…what should I do when I’m in London? As a result, My London Guide was born. My London Guide is a never-ending list of all of the places I have been to in London and would recommend. On a regular basis, I audit the list for places that have gone out of business and add new places in. In my latest round-up, I am adding:
- Clipstone – A charming bistro in Fitzrovia with excellent food
- E&O Notting Hill – A delightful pan-Asian restaurant
- Coya – A splurge-y Mayfair Peruvian restaurant, but well worth it
- The Berkley Pret A Porter Afternoon Tea – A fashion-themed afternoon tea that makes for the perfect girls afternoon out in London
- The Wallace Collection Museum – A somewhat hidden gem of a museum in London’s Marylebone that often gets overshadowed by the city’s more famous ones
Even with all of the upheaval this year, I am still enjoying many lovely meals out in London. The restaurant industry has been hit hard by COVID-19, and I believe it is important to support local restaurants, as the government guidelines allow.
If you’re new to The SavvyBostonian Blog, I keep a massive London Guide which links to all of my recommended places in London. From restaurants to excellent cocktails, things to do, and more, I’ve got you covered. For my latest additions to my London Guide, I’m adding:
- The Elgin – A lovely local pub in Maida Vale
- BananaTree – A Pan-Asian chain with delicious food
- Il Trillo – A chic Italian restaurant with outstanding food
- Azteca – A Mexican restaurant with dangerously good cocktails
- Bluebird – A trendy Chelsea spot made famous by reality TV
Read on – but be warned, the food photos will make you hungry!
Like many of you around the world, my life has changed during COVID-19. I’m grateful to be healthy and at home self-isolating. As the guidance in the UK is that we can leave the house once daily to shop for essentials and for a walk or run, I have occasionally been leaving the house. During this time, I have captured photos to showcase what my life has been like here and wanted to share them with you.
I am a big believer in reflecting on your year. Why? At the end of the year, it’s easy to forget what truly happened over the past 365 days. As a result, I started looking back on my year. My process involves looking back month by month to reflect on what was happening – both good and bad – across my personal and professional life. I go through my calendar, my camera roll, this blog and my business site, JessicaGioglio.com, to help jog my memory.
Why do I do this? I want to fully process and reflect on all of the things I did across work, my travels, times with friends and family. I find that I have a tendency to forget things that happened or to summarize my year if I do not thoroughly reflect. I also believe that in order to be mindful about goal setting for the following year, you need to have an honest assessment of how the previous year went.
Instead of doing this privately for 2019, I wanted to use this blog post to share my process with you. In this post, I’ll share my 2019 highlights and key learning’s with you. I’ll also summarize how my reflections are shaping my 2020 goal-setting process. Are you ready? Let’s jump in!