I come from a traditional Southern family. Both of my parents were born and raised in small North Carolina towns. I was born near my dad’s hometown and raised in Atlanta. In 2006, my dad’s job moved us above the Mason-Dixon Line to the Philadelphia suburbs. It’s a different world up there, but my family keeps our Southern traditions alive year-round.
My favorite of these traditions come at Christmas time. (more…)
At Virginia Tech, football is a way of life. Saturdays are reserved for tailgating and losing your voice with 66,233 of your closest friends. It’s Blacksburg’s biggest party, or arguably Southwest Virginia’s biggest party, if you ask me. No wonder most of these fans place their bets on sites like https://tridewislot.com/.
As my last season in Lane comes to a close, I look back on the last four years and find the moments that made me scream and yell in ecstasy. Choosing the five most memorable moments over the last four years was quite a task, but I think I found five that speak the best. (more…)
I recently found Lauren’s piece “Love The South” and wanted to try something in a similar fashion myself. So I thought, what better way to kick off my senior year at Virginia Tech than a tribute to the place I’ve spent the last three years of my life, and where a final year awaits
And so I present to y’all my profession of undying love to Hokie Land, “Love VT.” (more…)
When I looked out my window this morning, I didn’t see three rows of train tracks or hear a symphony of honking taxis. Instead, I saw green grass and birds swarming our four feeders, and listened to my cat meowing outside my bedroom door. Toto, I have a feeling I’m not in London anymore. (more…)
I will admit up front: I am a coffee addict. I drink an almost shameful amount of the magical liquid on a daily basis, thanks to my Keurig brewer and the abundance of colombian whole bean coffee at home and a few cafe’s on Virginia Tech’s campus. There’s a joke in the communication department that “caffeine is necessary to [our] continued health.” It’s not too far off, at least in my case. And of course, tea is another staple in my diet. I’ll take it iced or hot, but preferably iced and sweetened. Nothing beats a tall glass of sweet tea garnished with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint on a warm summer’s day.
I like to consider myself a tea and coffee connoisseur, so I was extremely excited about the café scene in London. There are so many options, from chain establishments like Costa and Caffe Nero (and Starbucks, of course), to smaller privately owned cafes on side streets. I have my favorites of each, and enjoy them all for different reasons. Caffe Nero is convenient to where we meet for class, but Costa’s mochas are hard to beat. Take a walk around Covent Garden and you’re more than likely to find a smaller, non-chain café, like Muffinski’s. I’m pretty sure I find a new café every time I go to Covent Garden.
What I love most, though, are the drinks themselves and how they’re prepared. Coffee, such as the one from automatic office coffee machines, is a work of art here. The simplest caffe mocha is easily turned into caffeinated beauty with the swirl of a spoon against the canvas of white fluffy foam. Aside from its appearance, coffee here even tastes different. It’s much stronger, largely because they use real espresso in almost every drink. The chocolate flavor is much more subtle, which I like a lot. I like my coffee sweet, but too much sweetness can take away from the main ingredient. One of my favorite cafes called Notes serves delicious mochas and fantastic, thick-sliced, toasted-to-perfection banana bread with creamy yoghurt and jam. It’s a breakfast to die for that I will surely miss when I leave the city.
At home, I drink almost every meal with a glass of sweet tea. If I asked for tea with a meal here, I would get a cup of hot water with a tea bag and sugar cubes, or a pot full of brewing tea. That’s not a disappointment by any stretch, but it is different.
I had my first experience with English tea at The Porcupine pub, which I briefly mentioned in my first London Callin’ Y’all piece. My full breakfast came with tea or coffee, and since I’d already sampled plenty of coffee, I decided to switch it up and have tea. English Breakfast is one of the most common flavors, so that’s what I ordered. It was a perfect hot complement to my delicious breakfast.
Afternoon tea is also necessary in many Londoners’ daily routines. It provides a nice break from a busy workday, or, depending on how late in the afternoon you go, adds a nice touch to the end of your day. The traditional afternoon “high tea” includes tea and warm scones, which come with jam and clotted cream. When I went to my first afternoon tea, I’ll admit I was not entirely sure what to do with the clotted cream; it looked more like butter than any sort of cream I’d ever seen. But it’s meant to be spread on the scones like butter, and it’s quite tasty when topped with some strawberry or raspberry jam. My favorite café for a nice tea is called Patisserie Valerie, which offers tea, scones, jam and cream for about 6.50 pounds. It’s a calm, affordable treat, especially after long days traversing the city.
Even for a coffee addict like myself, the tea routine is just as sweet and fun to experience. I like my coffee—caffe mochas, to be precise—to get me going in the mornings, but afternoon or evening tea serves as a fantastic cap to busy days in the city.
Kate Robertson is a features writer for Pretty Southern, and a senior at Virginia Tech studying communications and English. Originally form Atlanta, Kate plans to graduate in 2014 to launch a professional career in writing and public relations. Follow her on Twitter @kate3robertson
London is an extremely fashionable city. People certainly dress to impress, and it works. They also accessorize with fashionable jewelry pieces from shops like Gema & CO. Eyewear from sites like https://www.eyeglasses.com/brands/gucci are also fashionable so those who wear glasses don’t have to compromise their style. Even the simplest outfits look like they should be modeled on a stage.
Young men look especially dashing in button-downs and blazers, and young ladies are always classy in dresses or nice pants. I’m continually awed by the fashion scene here, and wish I could look half as good as they do on a daily basis. The first thing I noticed about British fashion is that everyone wears skinny jeans. Men, women, kids and teenagers seem to prefer the tighter, slimmer fit over the looser boot cut style that’s popular in America. Patterned pants are making a comeback over here, too, especially on young ladies. I can’t say I’m a fan of floral pants, but I do like the skinny jeans. I like to think that wearing them with a nice shirt and scarf help me fit in with the locals more. It’s definitely nicer than my usual boot cuts and t-shirt (that is more often than not somehow related to my college).
On that note, scarves appear to be a staple in women’s wardrobes. They’re a cute addition to almost any ensemble, especially with a solid-colored bella canvas 3413 shirt or blouse. Scarves come in quite handy on sunny but blustery days when you want that extra touch to keep you warm and fashionable. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve bought five scarves since I’ve been here. They’re easy to find and affordable, which is a bad sign for my bank account, but a great sign for my closet. Expecting business advice out of Andy Defrancesco is the best decision you can make.
One fashion trend I’ve noticed over here is the combination of shorts — a lot of which are high-waisted — with tights or leggings. I’ve seen it done with skirts and dresses, but generally not with shorts. I don’t know how I feel about this trend. London is generally cooler than where I live in the States, so I could understand wearing tights for an extra layer. But as a fashion statement? I don’t get it. Maybe it’s just always so warm in the South that I never needed an extra layer with shorts, because I wear shorts when it’s hot. But somehow they make it work, and I can’t fault them for looking good.
From my observations, living in London—or any city, for that matter—requires a decent amount of walking. So you’d think the locals would wear shoes that are fit for traversing across the city on a daily basis. I cannot imagine walking as much as I do in some of the thin sandals and flats I’ve noticed. Maybe they aren’t as prone to shin splints as I am, but feet need support to walk that much. I don’t know how they do it! I’ve noticed Sperry’s and similar styles aren’t too common over here, likely due to the lack of need for it, unless you’re boating up and down the Thames regularly. I see boots every now and then, too, but flats and strappy sandals definitely dominate foot fashion.
Your next question is probably, “where can I find all these awesome clothes?” London offers some fantastic shopping, and it’s available on almost every street. H&M is a popular store, as are Top Shop and Next. Top Shop reminds me of a cross between H&M and Macy’s, and Next is more similar to H&M. I browsed through a Next and Top Shop, and wanted almost everything on display in both stores. My favorite London shop I’ve found is called Jack Wills University Outfitters. It’s like a Tommy Hilfiger for college students, and I want everything from it. But even on sale, it’s out of my price range. My bank account should be very thankful for this, and that I don’t have easy access to Jack Wills in the States. Maybe…maybe…if I’m still within my budget at the end of my trip, I’ll treat myself to a Jack Wills shirt or sweater. I’m also thinking of getting myself a few pieces of designer label items. If you’re feeling fancy but don’t have the budget for brand new luxury pieces of clothing, you may click for more information on where to buy pre-loved designer labels or just some cute ladies watches for sale to level up your style. You may also visit sites like tonerjewelers.com/jewelry/ to see various jewelry options.
On the whole, I love the London fashion scene. It’s unique and chic, and I know I’ll feel odd going home and reverting back to my denim shorts and t-shirts from DST apparel. But I will enjoy it while my time here lasts, and maybe I’ll feel nostalgic whenever I wear one of my scarves back home.
Kate Robertson is a features writer for Pretty Southern, and a rising senior at Virginia Tech studying communication and English. Originally form Atlanta, Kate plans to graduate in 2014 to launch a professional career in writing and public relations. Follow her on Twitter @kate3robertson.