London Travel Guide
7/01/2008 at 11:30 AM
Tags: Museums, Art, Exhibitions, Martin Creed, Videos (all tags)
A new "installation" at the Tate Britian is made up of groups of runners sprinting through the neoclassical galleries. Work No. 850, which will continue at the museum until November 16, is a non-stop relay race back and forth through the museum, with each 15-second dash accompanied by a 15-second pause.
Artist Martin Creed says the work was inspired by his attempt to see the catacombs in Palermo, Italy in just five minutes, but we immediately saw another muse. In Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," Isabelle, Théo and Matthew sprint through the Louvre in a moment of youthful jubilation and rebellion.
Of course, that too was an homage. The original museum runners were the trio from Godard's "Bande à Part" in 1964. We've got the clips after the click.
MORE...
by pbb
6/27/2008 at 2:45 PM
Tags: Summer Travel, Festivals, Nelson Mandela (all tags)
If you're in London right now, you still have time to grab a blanket and get to Hyde Park for the biggest, baddest birthday party the town has ever seen--and it's not even for the Queen!
Apparently Nelson Mandela's 90th-birthday wish list included performances by Josh Groban, Queen and (fingers crossed) Amy Winehouse with all proceeds from the concert tickets going to his AIDS awareness nonprofit, the 46664 Campaign.
The concert will also be televised, in case you're too cheap to buy the former political prisoner and past president of South Africa a gift.
Related Stories
· Stars Gather for Mandela Birthday Show [CNN]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: maggiejones]
by egw
6/20/2008 at 3:23 PM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Naomi Campbell, LHR, Bad Behavior Travel, Baggage Hell (all tags)
Another pugnacious passenger is facing 20 years, but Naomi Campbell got off relatively easy in a British courtroom today. After a fracas at London Heathrow's Terminal 5, the frequently feisty supermodel was looking at a six-month jail term.
Rather than lock her up, though, a magistrate decided that 200 hours of community service and a $4,500 fine would be enough. Though only four of the six charges against Campbell were pursued, the Crown Prosecution Service wasn't going easy on her, its director Nazir Afzal said:
Ms. Campbell was aggressive, hostile and violent to people who were simply trying to do their jobs. Her behavior fell far short of what is acceptable.
So will British Airways will take her off its blacklist after she serves her sentence?
Related Stories:
· Naomi Campbell Sentanced in Air-Rage Assault [People]
· Travel Tips: Why You Shouldn't Flip out at the Airport [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: E! Online]
by pbb
6/19/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Ricky Gervais, Music Travel (all tags)
Among the cheering crowd at Coldplay's live gig at London's Brixton Academy (a live music venue, not a school) we saw two people who, if they aren't best friends already, should be: Jay-Z and Ricky Gervais. Both stood off to the side and watched the band run through new tracks from their latest album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends."
Longtime Coldplay or Carter/Gervais fans will know that both rapper and comedian have worked with Chris Martin, Jay on the 2006 song "Beach Chair" and Gervais on his TV show "Extras." But can Ricky rap? We wish we knew.
Didn't get into the exclusive gig? You can visit the BBC Television Studios in London six days a week for £9.50 a ticket (about $18), which gets you a guided tour and a peek into the studios. Pool party not included.
Related Stories:
· Together at Last!! [ONTD]
· Backstage Tours [BBC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ONTD]
by egw
6/18/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Good Burgers, Restaurants, UK Travel (all tags)
Feel like a burger? Feel like a really, really good burger? We don't know if the new "The Burger" being sold in a West London Burger King is a really good one, but we sure know that it's really expensive.
At £95 ($186) "The Burger" is the world's most expensive, they say, and includes delicacies like this:
The world's most succulent Japanese Wagyu beef with white truffles, onion tempura prepared in Cristal champagne and Italy's finest Pata Negra prosciutto.
Profits go to a local charity, so your burger munching is for a good cause. If anyone tries one of these, we definitely want to know if it really tastes 95 times better than usual.
Related Stories:
· £95 Burger Launched [Ananova]
· Good Burgers coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Ananova]
by amandak
6/10/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: London Travel, London Attractions, Attractions (all tags)
There's about to be another way for the (reasonably wealthy) traveler to see London. The Star Over London is a German-built Zeppelin airship that will run scenic flights over London, starting July 10.
Over six weeks of summer, the airship will take off five times a day for a flight taking up to an hour, floating you over sights like Buckingham Palace (wave at the Queen's corgis!), St Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, among others.
Oh, and in case your brain thinks airship-equals-Hindenburg, the manufacturers are saying very loudly that this is a more advanced--and more safe--model. The only thing that's crashing to the ground is your jaw when you hear the price: Zeppelin-ing over London starts at £185 ($360).
Related Stories:
· Zeppelin Airships to Fly Over London Again [UK Times]
· Star Over London [Official Website]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Favynet]
by amandak
6/06/2008 at 1:30 PM
Tags: Gardens, London Travel, Outdoor Travel, Summer Travel (all tags)
Stuffy London lets its hair down today with the start of Open Garden Squares Weekend, in which the snooty green spaces of the city become public domain.
More than a hundred walled gardens are taking part in an event whose very existence would be unheard of in an American city. After all, we call these things lawns; parks are always open to everyone!
All twitting the British aside, Londonist has some great picks for the oases not to be missed, like Kensington Roof Gardens and the rooftop Japanese-style garden at University College.
Related Stories:
· Open Garden Squares Weekend [Official Site]
· Preview: Open Garden Squares Weekend [Londonist]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: thisparticulargreg]
by egw
6/05/2008 at 5:00 PM
Tags: Museums, UK Travel, London Travel, Tourist Traps (all tags)
Ripley's Believe It or Not chain of "museums" will open a location in London later this summer in August. UPI reports that the exhibits will include:
A $1 million Swarovski crystal-covered Mini Cooper, a genuine 16th-century iron maiden, a trio of shrunken human heads from Ecuador and a 13-foot-long Tower Bridge made of wooden matchsticks.
The only place fitting for such exhibit is, obviously, Piccadilly Circus. More odd exhibits will include a portrait of Princess Diana made entirely from laundry lint, the famous sweater worn by Marilyn Monroe during her last photo shoot on the beaches of Malibu, a mummified man, a genuine moon rock and a copy of "The Last Supper" painted on a grain of rice.
There are already 30 Ripley's Believe It or Not "museums" across the world. Have you been to one of these places? Are they worth your time and money? (We doubt it!)
Related Stories:
· Ripley's Believe It or Not [Official Site]
· London to Get Ripley's Museum [UPI]
· (Actual) Museums coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of Piccadilly Circus: Floyd Nello]
by juliana
