Traveler's USA Notebook
Some might like to see London, itself, as a museum, but it isnt. However many fine museums deserve your curiosity, attention, time, interest and wonder. The Tate ModernThat’s not
any old energy you’re feeling. Created in the year 2000, this new
cathedral of modernism (art since 1900) occupies a former power station.
Sprinkled throughout are assorted Great Names In Art: Picasso, Monet,
Warhol Mondrian, Lichtenstein, Bacon, Braque and Pollock to name a few.
The Victoria and Albert MuseumTake a ride on the V&A. A typical exhibit was Anna Piaggi: Fashion-ology. Ms. Piaggi, according to the museum is a fashion reporter, editor, divinor of trends, designers muse and self-styled icon. The show was about how Piaggi thinks about and explains fashion. It was divided into 13 statements. These ranged from a page of text to a room filled with objects. More information
The British MuseumDesigned in the Greek Revival mode, The British Museum gives the reassuring sense of permanence that culture so desperately craves. Somehow the curvature of the Great Courts Norman Foster-designed roof (seen left), made of steel and glass, furthers this little illusion of eternity. The Great Court is indeed a courtyard but in its center is the original Round Reading Room, where as everyone loves to note, Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital, clearly a labor of love and vice versa. Other Reading Room regulars have included Oscar Wilde, Mohandas Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, Vladimir Lenin, Thomas Carlyle, G.B. Shaw and H. G. Wells. Not everyone has gone to the British Museum to soak themselves in scholarship and write major cultural landmarks. It is a museum and people do like to see the pretty pictures, artifacts and what have you. For example there are the Greek and Roman antiquities, including the Elgin Marbles. One fave exhibit in the past put visitors in a mighty Michelangelo state of mind. That's when the museum offered Michelangelo: Money And Medals. The rare Renaissance Italy coins and medals on display told the story of the great artists real world accumulation of wealth and fame. This intimate exhibit was joined by the official blockbuster Michelangelo Drawings: Closer To The Master." It focused on Michelangelos amazing draftsmanship over the course of 60 years and gave insights into paintings with which some of the drawings are associated. Through October 2011, the British Museum is having its "Australian Season" (with a walkabout trail, prints and drawings and baskets). More information
The National GalleryGet a load of storytelling the renaissance medieval and renaissance way and more. The National Gallerys permanent collection includes Western European works created between about 1250 through 1900. A few of the artists represented include Monet, Botticelli, Constable, da Vinci, Cézanne, Raphael, Titian, Canaletto, Caravaggio, Rubens and Stubbs. The building itself, located on Trafalgar Square, is an architectural gem. One memorable exhibit was Americans in Paris 1860 1900 which featured the work of such Paris-trained Yanks as James McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt,Cecilia Beaux, Elizabeth Nourse and Theodore Robinson. A companion exhibit was Mary Cassatt: Prints. This featured 19 of her prints. For more information about the National Gallery, click here.Somerset HouseVenerable Somerset house is hardly a secret but still there is something thrilling about walking along the busy Strand, entering a building and finding a courtyard and cultural hub. The Somerset House offers performances, family events, talks and art exhibits. In the winter (late November to the end of January) the courtyard becomes an ice rink where people skate under ghostly blue lights. Indoors, there is a museum with some fascinating shows. An example was All Spirit and Fire, 35 drawings and paintings by Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) www.somerset-house.org.uk Open HouseAlthough not strictly speaking a cultural institution, there is something museumish about the annual Open House. This year on 17-18 September, London became a living architectural exhibition as government, business and private buildings opened their doors. Admission is free but it helps to buy a downloadable PDF building guide (£3.50). www.londonopenhouse.org
London PluralNow that you've soaked up all that culture, get a sense of the different Londons. Amble through or past some amazing places. Located in the Westminster section of the city, Palace of Westminster, a massive gothic revival structure exudes majesty and permanence. More information. Westminster houses Parliament and a symbol for the ages. How can a clock be timeless? Big Ben not only declares the time. The 13.5 ton Palace of Westminster clock tower bell evokes the very soul of London. Poor William Shakespeare did not have the good fortune to hear Big Ben (The bell's first public chime sounded n 31 May, 1859), the music of Shakespeare certainly is in Big Ben's tones -- along with Newton's clarity, Churchill's will, Princess Diana's compassion and the dreams, thoughts, passions wishes and essence of millions of Londoners, present and past. Have a listen.
Hyde Park is worth finding.
Its known around the world for its Sunday Speakers Corner, a sort of
open mike (without the mike) for soapbox orators, preachers, assorted
zealots and the detractors who razz them. Mostly its a lovely park with a
lake, flower gardens, fountains, greenery, rowboats, statues. The Marble Arch sits on what once was called Tuburn, Englands number one execution spot. It is now marked by a stone in a traffic island in the junction where Bayswater Road meets Edgware Rd. In the 60s Ms. Traveler sat there with her friends and guitar.In the newly energized south London neighborhood Southwark near London Bridge, the Borough Market a long standing fixture has recently been gaining more buzz. Its amazing what a bunch or fresh cheeses and Brussels sprouts can do for an areas reputation. There youll find vendors spreading their food and wine wares in an assortment of stalls. a lofty glass ceiling such as you might find in an old fashioned railway station provides a canopy for the outdoor market. Stroll through and its a feast for the eyes especially if you have eyes for a feast. Shoulder to shoulder with each other are purveyors of olives, cheeses, fresh vegetables, fruits, Spanish specialties, olive oils, coffee beans, teas, exotic apple ciders, quiches, soups, steamed puddings, herb, spices. Pies, Mexican chocolate. Stop and sample a cube of cheese or dip a piece of bread into an artisan olive oil. Inhale the aromas of a dozen different foods being fried, steamed, slowly cooked. Pause at one vendor to contemplate the purchase of organice spices from hell or organic herbs from heaven. It makes you want to move to London so that you can take a huge sack of fresh, organic foodstuffs home with you and cook up a storm. More information With the solid presence of major book publishers and cultural institutions (e.g. London University and the British Museum), Bloomsbury entered the 20th century with a pronounced reputation as a center for literary sorts. Add a Georgian mews here and there, the musings of the Bloomsbury Group (a legendary circle of writers including Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey) and some, book shops, pubs and cafes. Queensway is a street where you can get things done. Yes! We dare to tell you things other sites wouldnt dream. Like where to find a launderette in London. Who wants to traipse around with dirty knickers all the time. Perhaps Traveler is strange; but little satisfies Traveler more than doing washing up a load while on the road. It hits the independence buttons. And maybe theres a soupçon of rampant thrift. Why pay hotel prices to uphold the virtue of clean clothes? Central Wash, 184 Queensway Street, declares it is Londons first coin-op. Its open seven days a week (8am 10 pm).. Its near the corner of Westbourne Grove and Queensway, and the nearest tubes are Queensway and Bayswater. Ask for Jack. He is a gem and his customers adore him. There are several Internet cafes along Queensway. You can sip a cappuccino while you marvel at how you can receive your spam even in London. There also are international calling centers. An attendant assigns a phone and you pay when you are through. There is the theatre of the streets and there is the living theatre, West End Theatre, London theatre. You even can see the god-awful Andrew Lloyd Weber works before they come to the U.S. shores. Fortunately there are other choices. Donmar Warehouse Named after Donald Albery and Margot Fontyn. The two used it as rehearsal space for the London Festival Ballet Company. Previous uses of the space, dating back to the late 19th century include a storage of hops for a local brewery, a film studio and a warehouse for ripening bananas. Its current life began in 1990 with the hiring of Sam Mendes as artistic director of the theater. The current artistic director is Michael Grandage. You'll see cutting edge new plays, fresh takes on classical theatre, and intimate productions of musical theatre. Actors of the caliber of Ian McKellen (seen left), Derek Jacobi and Michael Sheen regularly appear. For more information, click here TKTS And if you'd like to take in a West End show. you can get cut-price theatre tickets for a great range of productions on the day of performance at the tkts booth, located at Leicester Square Piazza. The booth sponsored by the Society of London Theatre, is open Monday-Saturday 10 am-7pm and Sunday 12-3:30. More information. Theatre gives new insights; but you'll find a really fresh look at the world near the Marriott County Hall. Fishies from all over the world come to the London Aquarium to look at people standing on the other side of the plate glass. . Perhaps the plural of the London Eye is the London wheeee. The 443-ft. high ride carries its status as the worlds largest Ferris wheel with due authority and humility. All this gadding about makes Traveler hungry. Here are several remedies. The India Club Certain restaurants distinguish themselves with timeless qualities. Up two flights of creaky stairs, youll feel youre going back into a very dear, almost lost part of London. Those stairs have been trudged for years and years (since 1950) by people who knew that they would get a good Indian meal at a good price in a friendly atmosphere. Every time we come here we see people wed love to know writers and other verbal types, local business people, dear friends meeting for lunch, world travelers and the dedicated staff of nearby India House, the awesome building Londoners go to get their visas for India. At a time when London
restaurants are flexing their muscles and busting your wallets, it is a
pleasure to know you can order a huge meal for two vegetarian people for
£13. (If you want booze, bring your own.) The current owner of the
50-year-old establishment has been there for eight years. It is a cozy
room, but you do not feel crowded, the waiters all smile at you and bring
you a pitcher of water. Your meal may be delivered to your table via some
pretty historic grey metal trays, Do get a look at them. Razzle dazzle
and glitz have their place, but sometimes we also like to go humble, and
real, and go where we can order good solid curry with integrity, and it
tastes good too. The dishes are prepared slowly and taste like it. Just
like Rama used to make. The lemony walls are adorned as they have been for
years with pictures of Gandhi and Nehru and Rabindrath Tagore 143 Strand,
WC2. Govinda
Govindas pure vegetarian restaurant and takeaway 10 Soho StreetW1D 3DL 020 7437 5875 Okay theyre hari krishnas, but you dont have to shave your head to enjoy healthful, tasty , portions of a decent curry, lasagna or other veggie treats. more information The Cafe Below The Cafe Below (previously named "The Place Below" is in the crypt of St. Mary le-bow Church, street called Cheapside EC2. tube stop is St. Paul or Bank. Open Monday to Friday only 7:30 to 2:30. Its actually quite cheery as crypts go. The place Below is one of those marvelous wonders, one hopes to find. The very workaday, humdrum, normal surroundings and buzz, crypt notwithstanding is the home of a great variety of freshly prepared, tasty, inexpensive meals. Though not strictly vegetarian any longer, it still offers many non carniverous options. Theres just enough virtue in the air to let you know youre doing a good thing for yourself; but not too much virtue to pale the thrill of scarfing lunch down. More information Make no mistake. When you dine in Pearl, you are indeed having a gem of an experience. Who ever thought you could transform butternut squash into gold, beets into rubies and parsnips into platinum. The restaurant is located in the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel, on the site of the Pearl assurance companys erstwhile banking floor. Head chef Jun Tanaka has gathered not so much of a staff as a cult. Eager to please the master. Eager to educate and serve the diner/knowledgeable attentive staff. Pearl strands of Pearls wafting up to the ceiling in columns.. To heighten the magic, a circle of light glows on each table top. The light actually radiates from below We were so shocked at how delicious the first bite was we burst out laughing. Rocket, cauliflower, pearl onion, baby carrots and mushrooms all marinated lightly, yet still maintaining each vegetables own distinct flavour. There was the passionate beetroot tart. Different dishes had tiny little daubs of purée. Tanaka plays with the shape of the dishes. Even the angle at which the dish is presented to you indicates he has a love of geometry and when the honey roasted parsnips came standing in forest of cones, it was the blessed marriage of food and quantum physics. An adorable small soup bowl looked like a Saturn cut in half, smooth and white, or perhaps an inverted flying saucer. The chef chose all the crockery carefully. Another example: A long ovoid plate which the waiter took care to place in front of Traveler at an 150° angle. The main course was some kind of roasted vegetable and butternut squash enrobed in glazed pastry case, so delicate and delicious it sends shivers down the spine. To this day we do not know what was in it but it was incredible. And for dessert, there was cranberry granita atop vanilla yogurt. For he hath taken the most
humble and placed it on a seat next to him in heaven. For these are the
most humble of all the vegetables and he has made them the most
heavenly. Perhaps it is true that the meek shall inherit. |
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