London (Part II) Something Old, Something New

We got the opportunity to experience the best and the less best of London weather.

Old: Sunday and the British Museum
On Sunday, we did the "Old." We took the tube and eventually arrived at the British Museum. It is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than 7 million objects are apparently amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents.

It's been 20 years since my mom's last trip and she really wanted to see the Eygptian exhibits before her trip. I, on the otherhand, headed straight to the Greek exhibits to make up for all the things I DIDN'T get to see in Athens. While it was great to see all these amazing collections all in one place, there was a bit of, wow, what about all the countries this stuff came from? Didn't they get to keep any of it.

It took me a good four hours and a lovely lunch with dessert in the museum cafe to finish the whole museum in one day. And during that time, I got to see a lot of cool objects like, the Rosetta stone, a mummy crocodile, a giant sketch by Michaelangelo, the infamous Portland vase, that famous Japanese wave print that they have plastered on every item everywhere you go and the friezes along the Parthenon.

The most fun I had was tracking down something I really wanted to see was the Sutton Hoo mask. I am an avid fan of the Food Network show Ace of Cakes, and in this one episode they were tasked with making this mask in cake. The pictures provided where 100% clear, so they "made up" some stuff as the design element--I had just wanted to see how close they came. Too my surprise and disappointment, it turns out they ultimately created the replica that sits in the museum, with details interpreted by the museum team... the real mask which is also displayed is a bit older. I am not sure what it says about me that I get my cultural lessons now from a reality show. Nevertheless, it was a very fun little "side" trip that I managed to accomplish.

The most interesting thing to me though was how admittance worked. Unlike the NYC Met, a donation really meant a donation, and not a cash register line where you had to feel like an @ss for saying, "no, I don't want to make a donation, I know it's free." (I never had to say it, I just waived my employee pass since they were both corporate sponsors.) Nevertheless, the British Museum was beautiful, well maintained and had some amazing traveling special exhibits.

New: Monday and the Tate Modern
On Monday, our last, full day in London, we did the "New." We took the tube, crossed the beautiful and somewhat slippery Millennium Bridge and eventually arrived at the Tate Modern.

I don't know what it is but since I went to the modern exhibit on the top floor of the National Portrait Gallery (thanks Stacey), I have really developed a love for Modern Art. All those years of going to Whitney Biannuals never made the same impact that one hour on that floor did. Modern Art was provocative and different, but it never spoke to me. It never made me want to sit or look at it from all angles like I would a great Renaissance piece. I never studied a modern piece too long for what it was trying to say unless it was an assignment. Not the way I would willingly forego food and water in order to figure out why an artist included that piece of fruit or object and what that piece symbolized all those years ago. Modern art did strike some emotion in me, but it was usually an uncomfortable feeling, never really about beauty and awe.

I really wanted to know if this new found interest was a one-time thing, or perhaps an area that I had finally grown to appreciate. After the Tate Modern, I think I have a better idea. I like three dimensional pieces, I still like paintings from the "old guys": Picasso, Jasper Johns etc., but I am still not 100% on board with mixed media art that includes video. I can appreciate it more, but sometimes to me, it's still someone's home movies. I'll give it some more time.

For lunch that day we went to Wagamama, a restaurant chain, serving pan-Asian food in the style of a modern noodle bar. I figured after putting my dad through so much modern art, of which he in general is not a fan, I owed him either hot, pub food, fish and chips, or ramen. Ramen appeared first.

On a Marketing note, Wagamama has a number of interesting features gimicks:

• Orders are taken via PDSs, and wirelessly networked to the kitchen, so that as soon as an order is taken it can begin to be prepared.
• Food is delivered to the table once cooked, with side dishes being served instead of starters
• Customers sit on either side of large tables - one table can seat 20 people or more.

That night I got to fulfill a promise three years in the making. I went to visit my friend Maggie. I've known Maggie for a long time. Our families go way back. But I didn't get to really know here until Jr High and then the paper, and then Gov't Team. And then she was there for my Boston breakdown, and ultimately we lived in NYC for a few years. It's strange, I really miss not having her close by, I know she always has a kind word and she's fantastically smart and extraordinarily passionate, but not in a you have to believe what I believe way. Anyway, I went to go visit her new apartment and we had good Indian food next door. The trip to her place wasn't that bad at all, but of course, I still got a little lost. (I will say this whole trip that I never took the wrong tube. Which furthers my theory that somehow I get along great directionally underground, but at street level, I am hopeless.) I got to catch up with her and see her wedding photos (a wedding I so wanted to attend but ultimately couldn't). Hopefully I'll get to see her later this year in the states again.

Most important:
Seeing Maggie and going to London in general will be possible again, since three times really is a charm. After massive food poisoning the first time, and an airline strike that effectively ended the second visit, this third visit was my "final" go... if it had gotten ruined, that was it... London which I adore in writing would be off the trip list forever. Now as it is, if McCain had been elected, I would have had somewhere to go. :)