16-22 April 2017

A slooooowwwww start to the week, but boy, what an ending.

For Christmas last year, my dad was unbelievably generous. Because he didn't know specifically what to get me/my sister/Harvey for Christmas, he decided to book dinner for us all at The Ivy and then bought tickets for us all to go and see An American In Paris.

So on 22 April 2017, Harvey and I drove down to Essex to meet my dad and his lovely friend Gill for lunch, before getting ready and heading into London. Probably goes without saying, but I'd never been to The Ivy for dinner before, and I knew nothing about An American In Paris so everything was a total surprise to me.

It definitely goes without saying that The Ivy was incredible. The food, those stained glass windows, the toilets, the bar, the man who scrapes the table cloth after you've eaten, just everything was fantastic and such an experience. Harvey and I had the best time, and we're already making plans to go back to London and go back! That was my first real fine dining experience, and I cannot wait for the next.

If I had to use just one word to sum up the show, it would be beautiful. Like I said, I knew nothing about An American In Paris, so I was very surprised when the cast started dancing. It's a show set in post-WWII Paris, and it is unbelievably uplifting. I cannot tell you how much adrenalin was racing through my body when the final curtain fell. If you get a chance, you really must go and see it.

LAURA