Done. Finished. Kaput. Over. Now, what should I do when I'm in England next month?

So ends another maddening iteration of William Rainey Harper's infernal experiment writ large (except for all the office hours I'll hold next week and however many days it takes me to honestly assess my performance this quarter and grade their final papers equitably), and I'm so exhausted I can't even muster brains enough to translate time zones and purchase tickets to England, where I'll be headed in April to attend this conference. 

I'll be spending a week in England, and plan on spending time with friends I haven't seen in some time and some I've never met, but what else should I do and see while I'm there?  What's essential to the non-tourist experience of London and how much of it can I cram into the four days I won't be attending the conference?  (And if you happen to live there and feel like risking hosting a stranger to whom random and terrible things frequently occur, drop me a line.)

On a completely unrelated note, there's a new album by the National on the horizon, and I'm giddy as a Jew-child is annoyed on Christmas morning:

Comments

[Gary Farber]

You're probably quite familiar with it, but on the off chance you want to do something tourists might do, and you haven't visited it, I highly recommend the Victoria and Albert Museum, the so-called attic of the Empire.

For the non-touristy stuff, I turn you back to the natives.

[Karl Steel]

I second the V&A, my favorite museum. You must see the Cast Courts, the strangest room I've ever seen, and its netsuke collection. If you're into whimsical porcelain--hey? who knows? I didn't know until I went--you will definitely be in the V&A, which is to say, heaven.

[tomemos]

The Sir John Soames museum! A collection of wonderful bric-a-brac, plus you'll feel smug about going to a museum that few others know about.

[Fritz]

You should go to a soccer game. Try something small and inexpensive like Leyton Orient. Millwall if you're adventurous. Chelsea if you're just rolling in the dough.

[Endy]

The national election is due in the next couple of months. There are a number of close districts in the counties around London, for Labour and the Liberal Democrats. You might be able to give somebody a hand there.

[SeanH]

I live in London and can probably host, if you're happy sleeping on the sofa-bed of a borderline lurker.

Tomemos is correct and virtuous to commend to you the Sir John Soames Museum (which museum is the late Sir John's house, more or less as he left it, which is to say beautiful and full of miscellaneous statuary), but what he leaves out is that immediately across the square from the SJSM is the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons! Another little-known gem, it's full of weird anatomical specimens - the toad preserved as her offspring hatched out of her back is a personal favourite.

They'll be exhibiting the Staffordshire Hoard - the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found - free at the British Museum, too.

[Karl Steel]

Second the Hunterian. If you liked the Mutter museum in Philly, you'll love the Hunterian.

[Sisyphus]

No suggestions, just popping in to say I'm jealous! And say hello to Ads for me.

(and food --- people, give him some wonderful food recommendations so I can revel in some fancy food porn pics when he gets back.)

[sharon]

I may have a meeting in London next month if you fancy coming and taking the minutes for me? I'm really bored with taking minutes.

[magistra]

Did you know about the Cartoon Museum? Handy for the British Museum as well. The Jewish Museum has just reopened, now with Yiddish karaoke.

For things going on, it's worth buying a copy of Time Out when you get to London - that has listings of a lot of fringe theatre, talks and miscellaneous events that aren't necessarily in other newspapers.

[Ads]

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