South Kensington day out. Central and District Line signal failures. Plodding along that austere tunnel under Exhibition Road. Science Museum. Dan Dare & the Shoving Together of High-Tec Britland. Kensington Gardens. Choc treats. Cromwell Road noisy high speeder. IMAX Space Station 3D seen in full at last. I thought kids sat on adult knees on the tube. Hello Boris!
11h34-BST Wednesday 07 May 2008-CE
Yesterday I took the 07h39 train to Waterloo and the tube to South Kensington. On the Jubilee Line for Westminster, the announcement came that District and Circle lines were badly delayed with signalling failures so I stayed on until Green Park. There I had to board the Piccadilly Line but I got it into my head to be looking for “Victoria Line”. I went one way, and then came back. Probably by pure chance, South Ken found me. I take no credit.
I did that dreadful plod along the long horrible tunnel all the way to the point where the main door of the Science Museum is just up the stairs. (I forgot that it is best to avoid exiting direct from the tube station and to, yes, take the long horrible tunnel at first BUT then exit it tunnel at its first little exit which is actually by Cromwell Road so that half the walk can be in the outside air in Exhibition Road.) I made my way in the lift to the Second Floor and took thorough delight in the Dan Dare & the Building of High-Tec Britain exhibition reviewed in the post before this, below.
Then it was time to have a chocolate cookie and a cup of drinking chocolate in the Revolution Café. I nostalgicized all around the dear old Space Exploration once more. Checking at the IMAX, I found the Space Station 3D movie was not on until 16h45. So I strolled up Exhibition Road to Kensington Gardens for a sit in the sunshine. Then I came back down for a meander around South Ken snack shops and enjoyed a yummy mint choc chip cone.
As I sat in the garden by the Nasty History See’em, right by the aforementioned tube tunnel entry/exit, I heard a car suddenly take off from the lights and I swear he must have been doing 70 (mph) up Cromwell Road. When I got back at 21h00 to my flat in Bournemouth and saw the Chelsea shoot up I wondered whether it had been the same havoc-wreaker. But there are plenty of them to go round so probably not.
I am glad to have finally seen Space Station 3D. The first time I saw only a tiny part of it was through the projection windows at the former IMAX cinéma by Bournemouth Pier. My mate the movie industry technician and re-enactor (specialising in US Civil War) was showing Cool Geezer and myself around. A young projectionist was on duty. My mate had been let go. The Bournemouth IMAX was out of funds because hardly anybody went to see the mostly crap movies they could afford. I was sad when it died.
After my stroll, whilst waiting for the movie, I did the Computing History section. When they let us out of the movie, they streamed us through the Third Floor and the Flight section. I had forgotten those old planes hanging on wires from the ceiling. Getting to Waterloo for the 18h35 homeward, we were tight stuffed on the tube. I find it remarkable that little kids occupy a seat alone whilst adults stand. It uses space most uneconomically.
FIN 12h44
