DESTINATION Bar Italia, London
INSPIRATION Harley Pasternak, fitness trainer to the stars, sends me to his favorite breakfast spot.
When Harley Pasternak, fitness trainer to the stars, gives advice, you take it. If Halle Berry’s body is listening then you bet your bottom, mine will too.
The first two mornings in London, I rolled out from beneath my crisp white sheets and quickly dressed to go hunt my usual hot espresso and buttery croissant. That rolled up ball of butter and batter became my splash of water to the face the entire trip. The fattening pastry was exactly what my body needed and craved for all the miles I clocked walking, running, and exploring on my trip. Needless to say, I was thankful to forgo the cookie and cheap American coffee that was my everyday a.m. fuel back at home. (Harley would be appalled.) What I realize now is that establishing this new ritual of coffee and croissants gave me a familiar routine that anchored me so that I could be calm and present in the fun chaos that defines travel.
On my third London morning, London blue journal in hand, I headed to find Harley’s recommended spot, the Bar Italia. I didn’t get far before I was hit by a quick, hard splash of rain to my face with the perfect amount of cold to make me forget the cocktails from the night before. So this is the rain I’d heard so much about. I pulled open the glass door and heard an old-fashioned bell ring from above my head.
FROM Harley Pasternak
TO Angie Banicki
subject Re: 30
OK,
So you have to go to Bar Italia in London. It’s in Soho.
I really feel like time stands still when you are there. It is really a true example of authenticity. Something we forget about in Hollywood. Everything is real. It just is, it’s not contrived. Here are some notes I took to describe it…
1950s feel
Boxing poster on wall
No skim milk
No Splenda
No low fat apple tart Custard tart and cannolis Old NCR cash register Italian barista
Coin operated “bacci” gumball machine
Bar with bar stools, no tables (other than outside)
Mirror along wall of bar...allows u to see all of bar and forces u to see yourself.
Floor reminds me of floor from day school, worn tile
Old “tube” televisions playing soccer games
So sell fresh smoothies and juice
Bar at back with exclusively Italian liquors (Campari, martini,)
Paninis
Old gaggia machine with long pull levers
BIO >> HARLEY PASTERNAK
Funny thing, I’ve never actually gotten a Harley workout—only a virtual one. We did a demo together once for Harley’s “Hollywood Workout” for WiiFit. We ran side by side in place, got our B M Is together—it was fun, but maybe not as intense as the motions he puts his celeb clients like Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, and Robert Pattinson through. But while he hasn’t cheered me on through physical training, he was a huge help in keeping me going through the struggles of this book, providing words of encouragement all along the way.
Sitting down with an espresso and large orange juice, the stool where I sat faced a mirrored wall–perfect for observation of the place, not so perfect for observation of myself so early in the morning. I reread Harley’s email and looked for the points he mentioned—gumball ma- chine, boxing poster—while also sneaking glances at the bartender/ barista preparing for his day. His moves were slow and methodical but executed with such pure enjoyment. His white teeth sparkled under his grin as he wiped counters, checked coffee, and arranged chairs. It was like out of a ’50s ad shot in an ice cream parlor. He had a bounce that no coffee could ever give me—and it was authentic, just the way Harley described the place to be.
Bar Italia on day three is where I first felt life start to slow down. Was it because Harley had described it that way, or was it truly the atmosphere of the place? Both, I think. I didn’t look at my BlackBerry. Didn’t notice the time. Didn’t think about all the things I wanted to accomplish that day. Just reveled in the simple. Hot espresso. Fresh O.J. A man delighting in his daily routine. Seeing a new place through the eyes of a friend.
I smiled in the mirror at the man behind the bar as he caught my eye, as if to let me know it was okay to be alone observing life through that mirror. Then he went back to the kitchen, and I listened to the muted sounds of their Italian.
TRIPPING POINT
Authenticity and orange juice make good companions.
Slow down and enjoy the details.
YOU ARE READING
30 Before 30
Non-Fiction30 Before 30. Thirty days in Europe. Thirty inspired moments of adventure to live it up before my 30th birthday. Just the idea of it gave me purpose. Here was a reminder that I could choose a new path, even if it was only for 30 days. A little backg...
