London, England - A Private Tour of Kensington Palace

Last evening Kensington Palace invited 50 of its neighbors to an after hours cocktail party and private viewing of The King's State Apartments in conjunction with The Kensington Magazine. Over 250 people were turned away for this 'Meet the Neighbors' event, so I was very lucky to have been included (and to live two blocks from the palace). 

We started with wine and nibbles ... 

And learned some fun facts from the Head of Kensington Palace ...

Then we began our private tour of The King's State Apartments ...

We all ascended the King's Grand Staircase ...

These little characters were all illuminated in the lanterns lining the staircase ...

The first series of rooms we visited were covered in massive tapestries and had the most amazing hand-painted ceilings ...

Then we entered the Cupola Room where the King entertained with live music and dancing ...

The ceiling was a magnificent optical illusion, even though it was entirely flat, it was painted to resemble the ceiling in the Pantheon in Rome ...

 From there we went into the Drawing Room, where the King would host card games ...

And on into his private study, which now houses royal period dress ... 

Quite an elaborate window treatment ...

We also saw the King's Coronation robe, lined in ermine fur with a train that took six boys to carry ...

The last room of the King's State Apartments was perhaps the most grand and impressive. The ceiling depicted one of the many scenes from Homer's Odyssey ... 

 We descended the King's Grand Staircase again and returned to the cocktail party. It was such a privilege to be in the Palace after hours and have it all to ourselves.

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London, England - The London Edition Hotel and Berners Tavern

It seems Ian Schrager has done it again. The famous hotelier, who practically invented the boutique hotel genre (think Delano and Shore Club, Miami), has just recently opened The London Edition hotel to much acclaim. I went last evening for cocktails and bar bites to the hotel's restaurant, Berners Tavern, and can confirm that it is the hot spot in London right now. As far as the dining room decor goes, I have one word: decadent. If you are looking to wow someone, bring them here (but good luck getting a table, sorry). I'll be back for dinner in November with full details to follow ... 

I sipped Bollinger Rose by the glass, but the cocktail menu is extensive and imaginative, so if you are looking to try some new concoctions, this would be the place. As you can tell by the photos, the bar is amply stocked. 

Diners can see into the kitchen through glass panels:

Food critic Grace Dent says:

"One was perhaps alerted to Berners’ arrival last week by the audible rattling of the London Fashion Week gang’s bony frames partying post-show. Prince Harry, Alexa Chung, Pixie Lott et al were all there the evening I ate — much to the delight of rubber-neckers and non-discreet iPhone snappers, and some loud Americans at the bar who I thought were going to have a bowel accident at one point. 

Personally, I was more floored by Berners’ vast, balls-out stately home-style opulent décor, which when it comes to dining rooms is London’s new definition of ‘wow’: triple-height ceilings, intricate plasterwork, enormous chandeliers, walls festooned with hundreds of paintings and a long, liver-enlargening cocktail bar down the far side serving the sort of interesting concoctions one expects from Chef Jason Atherton."

Rock shrimp sliders

Beef burger slider

The lobby also has quite a rowdy bar, complete with pool table, fireplace, a giant silver mirrored egg-shaped ceiling ornament, and couches for lounging:

Hotel reception desk:

If you're local, get to Berners Tavern as fast as you can, and prepare to be floored. 

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