london adventure day 4 (fri. 05.04.2002)
Originally written 05.04.2002. This might show up in ‘zine form in the near future if I have a chance to put it together when I get back to Edinburgh.
running low on funds, i decided to check out some of london’s free museums. i scoped out the tate brittain which houses an impressive collection of brittish art from the elizabethan era to the contemporary. one of the best art museums i’ve been to, the free guided tours and the thoughtful gallery layout give a good idea of the relationship between pieces and the evolution of british art. especially cool were the placards by various artisits, writers, and musicians (including one of the members of blur) which give a more personal view on why certain pieces are significant. for me, the highlights were the famous “ophelia drowning”, blake’s dreamy wierdness, and francis bacon’s powerfully grotesque figures.
i spent way too much money on dinner at a place called mildred’s (45 lexington street, not far from picadilly circus) which was your typical boughie veg*n joint. the food was good, but seemed more like a place to take your date than an everyday spot. my advice, skip the meal and go straight for the awesome vegan chocolate pudding which is more of the cake variety and not the jello.
the last couple of days, i had skated concrete parks, so i decided to hit up the shell centre. turn right out of waterloo station and you’re there. a 3-set, a 6-set, some gnarly double sets and fast marble ledges made for some fun skating. while there, i had the disconcerting experience of being passed by some security guard-looking guys w/ radios w/o even a glance. that’s it. i’m moving to the uk if only for the lack of skate harrassment.
i headed for another tate museum, the tate modern (just follow the signs from the southwark tube stop), which stays open until 22:00 on friday and saturday. this place is in a disused factory or industrial building of some sort and it’s really impressive. it’s also the world’s largest modern art museum. it has the same thoughtful layout as the tate brittain and is quite a fun art museum to browse. at night, it also provides a beautiful view of the thames.
leaving the tate modern, i walked across the millenium bridge and ran straight into
st. paul’s cathedral
. the pedestrian walkway before the beautiful building has steps, steps, and more steps, making for a rad street spot. beware, as the spot is in the city of london which has laws which prohibit skateboarding, though i’ve heard the cops are generally cool.