Why you need to stay at this Harry Potter hotel in London
Chances are, if you’re a Harry Potter fan, London is on your travel bucket list. The city has so much to offer for Potterheads – from the original Cursed Child play, to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, to Platform 9 3/4, etc. It is, after all, the home of Diagon Alley and the place to catch the Hogwarts Express! But what if you could immerse yourself even further in the wizarding world on your trip to London? Hidden in plain sight on a Muggle street in Victoria, the Georgian House Hotel offers a doorway into the Hogwarts castle stay of your dreams. read more…
Why I’m participating in the Great Cycle Challenge 2018
I’ve said it before – I don’t need a reason to get on my bike and explore the trails. Just the feeling of gliding through the valley and powering up hills is enough to entice me to get out of bed in the morning (okay… not all the time. I have a comfy bed!).
But when I think about the Great Cycle Challenge and what it’s supporting, it hits close to home for me. Family and family friends alike of all ages have been affected by cancer, let alone millions more – and that’s just children!
But what IS the Great Cycle Challenge? read more…
10 coffee shops you absolutely must visit in Los Angeles
If there’s one thing that Sohrab and I focus on when we’re visiting a new place, it’s coffee. No matter where we go, we explore one cup at a time. What can I say? We’re big fans of a proper coffee shop, and a cappuccino is our bellwether. It’s always the first thing we order when checking out a new shop!
If the cappuccino is good, chances are that the rest of the menu is too, which means we’ll definitely be back. But if the cappuccino, a stable drink for a barista to make, is questionable, chances are everything else will be as well. So rest assured when I say the following 10 coffee shops have great cappuccinos.
Needless to say, coffee is an important part of our life together, and Los Angeles is a treasure trove of unique spots, despite the overwhelming number of Starbucks littering your peripheral. So why not highlight some of our favorite coffee shops around our hometown? read more…
9 3/4 Harry Potter things you absolutely must do in London
This one’s for my fellow nerds. If you’re anything like me, Harry Potter has played a significant role in making London the ideal place to visit. Ever since I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone all those years ago, I knew I wanted to wander these English streets.
After all this time?
Always.
I didn’t realize just how much of a bucket list item this was for me until we were actually there, embraced in the magic of the city. While there’s plenty to do in Muggle London (which we set aside time for, too!), you’ll find plenty of wizarding ways to spend your days.
Welcome to the magical version of our London to-do list. read more…
10 things you absolutely must do in London
We just got back on California time a couple days ago, and my mind is still reeling from our 10 day trip to London. The trip itself was a check off my bucket list, filled with so many others like visiting Buckingham Palace and having a proper afternoon tea. I’d been wanting to visit England for as long as I could remember, so getting the opportunity to go was a mind-blowing experience. Not to mention combining it with my Harry Potter fandom! More on that soon. Now, I just can’t wait to go back.
Although we had planned out most of our trip based on tireless research, we didn’t truly get a feel for everything the city had to offer until we were there, traversing its streets and cobbled alleyways. Here’s what we came away with as 10 things you absolutely must do on your first trip to London (Or next trip. No judgement here!). read more…
Packing for 10 days in London
I’m still over the moon. Or, rather, somewhere over the Atlantic. In my mind. Sohrab’s Christmas gift to me in 2017 was a complete surprise – something I could only dream of! – tickets to see Cursed Child in London in April! That, of course, meant that we needed to plan a trip to get there. Now that we’re so close to takeoff, it’s finally time to get down and dirty and start packing for my very first visit to the United Kingdom.
Shall we get started? read more…
What To Do While Waiting In a Queue (for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
Amidst a fit of surrounding myself with everything Harry Potter recently, I stumbled upon an old draft that I had started to write for this blog. Considering what I know now – that we’re going to London in 4 weeks! – it’s a fun read: read more…
Traveling by train in Germany
European train travel is MAGICAL.
High speed trains. Trams from a sleepy corner of town to the bustling city center. Interconnected countryside and city, state and country. I could have hopped on a train in Munich and emerged 10 hours later in London (I didn’t, though. Maybe next time!). It takes at least that amount of time to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco by train. Is that a testament to just how large California is? Yes, absolutely – but Munich to London is approximately a 700 mile drive, whereas LA to SF is a mere 350 – 400 mile journey. read more…
Six weeks to London
Six weeks from right now, Sohrab and I will be on a Virgin Atlantic flight to London. It’s hard to wrap my head around! Even though I already crossed “traveling to a different country other than the USA and Mexico” off my list last September when we spent a couple weeks in Germany, there’s something special about this countdown. London is its own bucket list item. The United Kingdom has captured my imagination for as long as I can remember. read more…
The BMW Ultimate Driving Experience at CES 2018
For Allegra and me, January has turned into an annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas where we annually attend CES cover Sony for our other venture, Sony Reconsidered. This year was no different and while there is no shortage of interesting, if not obnoxious, tech unveilings I could write about, I want to instead focus on a new tradition – visiting the BMW booth and this year’s The Ultimate Driving Experience.
Hi! We’re Sohrab and Allegra – join us as we geek out, travel the world, and explore our own backyard: Los Angeles!
