Even More to Love About London
Part 1
During Roadboy's visit to London last year a few things that just felt a little off.
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG), was still closed, the nation was on death watch for the Queen, and the Fourth Plinth in Trafalger Square sat empty.
Trafalger Square at Night
This year London felt better.
The NPG was open, is still free, and welcomes visitors until 9:00 pm on Saturdays 😉! We booked tickets for the musical Tina, enjoyed the gleaming new Elizabeth Line from Heathrow, and Trafalger Square's Fourth Plinth has a new installation entitled "Antelope".
This years visit to London was a layover stop on my way to Italy to join with friends to cycle in the Dolomites. But, after AA began non-stop service from Phoenix to London Heathrow, I stopped my usual entry flights to Madrid and now begin my European trips into/through London. Also with the post Brexit Pound Sterling in a freefall against the dollar, London pricing doesn't come with the sting it used to.
With time short, London offered us a little shopping and a full day at the NPG (followed by a nearly full day in its neighbor the National Gallery).
With the recent passing of Tina Turner in May, I really wanted to see Tina the tribute to her life. The London edition was high energy and truly amazing. The audience began swaying almost immediately and finished on its feet for multiple curtain calls. Don't miss Tina.
Selfridges
Shopping trends change all the time in London and the current hot date for fashionistas seems to be Liberty. Tourists will always flock to Harrod's ("Horrids" to locals) but to actually buy stuff I used to go to John Lewis. This trip locals were lamenting that John Lewis has taken a steep dive in service and quality and should be avoided. The other store that used to define style was Harvey Nichols, but it sort of feels frozen in some previous decade.
Selfridges is London's grand department store
created by American Henry Gordon Selfridge in 1909. Prior to this trip I hadn't set foot in Selfridges for over thirty years. Even in an era of declining brick and mortar
retail stores I found Selfridge's pretty spectacular this visit. It still has the massive deco entry and features restaurants, a plush theater, lots
of designer studios, a bike shop(!) and some truly stratospheric prices. Not the place I'd normally buy much, but certainly an experience.
While walking through Selfrdiges bike shop I was taken by Cowboy bikes. These are practical well priced and gracefully integrated commuter e-bikes. They'd be a perfect choice for urban commuters. They include fully integrated running lights, racks, fenders and anti-theft tracking devices. If I were lucky enough to live in London a Cowboy is likely what I'd use for my commute.
Right around the corner from Selfridge's we found Market Hall Oxford and stopped for lunch. My Thai chicken sandwich from Sexy Buns along with a bottle of good Cawston Press cider was a perfect lunch.
The NPG
OK, for American's who have explored the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, you already know how mesmerizing a fine portrait gallery can be. But Britain's NPG is in a class of its own. I first visited it decades ago all these many years later I once again became immersed in its portraits and photographs all organized by time periods. There is even a gallery with death masks.
Annie Lennox
(Peter Ashworth 1983)
This iconic image of Lennox ultimately became the cover for the Eurythmics first number one album Touch. Seeing this image just made me feel young again as the tune Sweet Dreams are Made of This just rolled right into my head reminding me of a time when the endless possibilities of my life seemed to be in front of me. Nearby was this 1985 photo of George Michael in full heart throb swagger.
George Michael
(John Swannell 1985)
Sir Cliff Richard
(Norman Parkinson 1960's)
Such a great photo of Britain's "Elvis" on the beach leaning impossibly back onto the hood of a gorgeous Corvette Stingray. While few American's have ever heard of him, Richard made his mark globally and landed on Britain's Top 5 charts consecutively for seven decades.
Henry Moore
(Lee Miller 1941)
This striking photo just stopped me in my tracks. Here is Britain's most famous mid-twentieth century sculptor Henry Moore wearing a pair of killer slacks in a London underground shelter during the Blitz as part of his role for the War Artists Committee.
It was very close to this elegantly composed sleek black and white portrait of Sir Noël Coward with that impossibly elegant cigarette.
Sir Noël Coward
(Horst B. Horst 1933)
As I went on through the gallery I just adored this stark oil on canvas portrait of Judi Dench. She seems to be floating in a lab coat during a blizzard.
Dame Judi Dench
(Alessandro Raho 2004)
As I was just finishing up my time in the NPG I came to a little room filled with life and death masks. I found them somehow startling in the realization they were also portraits. In this last gallery was Gillian Wearing's Mask Masked. Despite morons that still try to ignore its impact and very existence, this sculpture simply and unambiguously reminds us of the tragic loss of 7,000,000 humans to the Coronavirus pandemic.
(Gillian Wearing 2020)
London 2023 Part 2 to follow.
Roadboy's Travels © 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment