London Eats > Barrafina

Chicken thigh with romesco sauce

This is a long overdue post, but I'll keep it short since the photos do more justice than words. I went to London last month and went to the lovely Barrafina for dinner in Soho. Teresa and I sat outside and went to town on the tapas menu. Every dish was more delicious than the last, and it was made even better with never-ending glasses of wine, sitting outside and people watching. If you ever find yourself in London, Barrafina is a must!

Razor clams

Pan con tomate

Octopus with capers

Classic tortilla

Brill

Chocolate tart 

Swoon > Live the Language Paris Video

Education First (EF.com) has all these short films out for different cities, and they use the most beautiful typography! I first saw it from @MatchbookMag and just loved the videos so much. Granted, I already had my study abroad experience in London, but this just about convinces me to up and do it again. Why not.

Also, I like that they seem to promise "love" - and I think that's true for everyone in some way. I fell in love with London, and met some of my most treasured friends through the experience that I love to this day. "Le sigh." So... dreamy.. Did you study abroad? Where? If you could be an undergraduate student again, where would you go? 

I like the Paris video better, but I just can't leave out London. So here:

GYM BOX > A crazy nightclub "mega gym"

Check out these photos of Gym Box, a gym where literally "anything goes" in London's Covent Garden:

Highlights and Features at Gym Box:

• Techno spinning DJ's
• Stilletto workouts
• Cage Fighting classes
• Boob Aerobics - yes, boob.
• A class called "The Rave" (crazy music, glow sticks, trampolines, sunglasses, and crazy dancing)
• Lady Gaga dance classes. Did you read that? I said, Lady Gaga dance classes. Which brings me to this video just to prove that this whole post isn't made up:

Something tells me my staple workout "outfit" of a ratty UW Badgers t-shirt and Old Navy yoga pants just wouldn't do at this too cool for school gym.

Via Cool Hunter - Lifestyle

The Little People Project > A tiny scale street art installation

Check out Slinkachu, an artist from London who creates teeny tiny street installation scenes. He remodels and paints train set characters to take the cool shots you see below: up-close shots to show the details in all its glory, and shots from further away to show the full scale of the installation compared to the street. He calls it "The Little People Project: little people left in the city to fend for themselves."

I like that this isn't just random miniatures (please tell me someone else thought the CSI season with the Miniatures Killer), but it's comical. Here's the artist's description of the project in his own words:

The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. 

I wish he was doing this when I was studying and living in London. Imagine the fun surprise of finding such an intricate story and scene just by paying more attention while walking down the street! Now that I think about it, with my horrible vision there'd be no chance in hell I'd ever notice these, but amazing and thought provoking nonetheless.

All photos, credit: Slinkachu and Little People blog.