Pearl of London: Notting Hill Living

Today was the first day it felt like London, mostly because it was raining! I have been very fortunate to have many sunny days since arriving in London...not typical for this time of year or of this city. I started classes this past week and am very excited about what I am going to be doing. I will walk out of this program with a lot of great pieces of work to show potential employers when job interview time arrives, and they will cover just about every area of marketing (i.e public relations, market research, consumer behavior, advertising, etc.).

Today I walked to Notting Hill, which is about a mile from my flat and explored the famous Portobello Road and Westbourne Grove. I love the pastel colored townhouses and the small boutiques, which easily took up the majority of my day.

Portobello Road, Notting Hill

Westbourne Grove

Westbourne Grove is a favorite of the lovely Duchess of Cambridge! Many of the designers she often wears are located here, including Reiss and L.K Bennett. Some of my favorite, like Nanette Lepore and Helmut Lang are also located on this adorable street. There is a restaurant right near here called Beach Blanket Babylon that I cannot wait to try, but I am saving it until my parents come to visit in April.

Beach Blanket Babylon, Ledbury Road

I also ventured to a great bakery on Portobello Road called Hummingbird Bakery. I stopped for a wonderful Sticky Toffee Cupcake ( I know, it's not a chocolate cupcake, which is a huge surprise coming from me) and sparkling water. Hummingbird Bakery has a couple other locations around London, including SoHo, South Kensington, and Spitalfields. I also found a great top at Appletree Boutique, which was right next to Hummingbird Bakery...a perfect combination, cupcakes and clothes!