Things I love about London

1. Savory Pies
Chicken pot pie is merely the tip of the iceberg. The Pie Man is a shop conveniently located between my flat and the playground, so I walk by it two to four times a day. We pick up dinner from there at least once a week. The steak and guiness pie is heavenly. Even the frozen pot pies from Waitrose are better than any similar food in the States.

2. Department stores sell fabric and notions
This is such an amazing convenience. I can just exit the flat, and a 5-minute walk away is the Peter Jones store where I can pick up thread, zippers, buttons, etc. No more paying $7 shipping on a $1.50 zipper to avoid the 40-minute-round trip drive to Joann's.

3. The water table at the Science Museum
If you have kids and are visiting London, DO NOT MISS the water table at the Science Museum. They also have satellites, locomotives, etc (real ones, not models), but the water table is really more impressive than all that.

4. The textile library at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Thousands of samples from all eras and from all over the world, mine to examine.

5. Designer shops right in my neighborhood
You'll get this in any big city, but I still love it. I went to the Miyake shop last week. Amazing. I walk by Chanel all the time, too, and they always have something lovely in the window to look at.

6. Breathtakingly beautiful flower gardens
These are possible in part because it rains all the time, but they're lovely nonetheless. They even have palm trees, which I found a little startling at first. And fuschia grows so big it covers entire brick walls.