Big Smoke, Here I Come

A week from tomorrow I will be popping over to London for a short three-day visit, ostensibly to see the Modernism exhibition at the V&A, and to hang out with my good buddy Dave R who’s escaping from Redditch for a while.

But I do have another motive: I’m determined to visit the Rough Trade shop, at long last, after my two previous abortive attempts (in 2001, lost in Covent Garden; and 18 months ago, bewildered on the wrong section of Talbot Road). If I don’t find it this time I’ll cry, I really will.

Aside from that, I’m planning to fill up the rest of my time with some quirky sightseeing and gallery-hopping. My current list of attractions is as follows:

• The Tates, Modern and Britain
• Thomas Demand at the Serpentine Gallery
• Future City at the Barbican Art Gallery
• The City of London Festival
• Dan Holdsworth: At the Edge of Space, Parts 1-3 at the National Maritime Museum

I’d also like to take some interesting photos around the city, for which I’ll do a bit more research on good architectural walking tours and the like before this weekend. My time in London may be limited, but I want to make the most of it. (Hell, I’m paying enough for the privilege.)

So I might as well turn this question to the audience: What should I see? What’s good to photograph? What am I missing? Your contributions will be muchly appreciated — bonus points for anything that’s free.

Tue 20 Jun 2006 at 14:16   ·