British Museum London

The British Museum in London is a favourite place for many. The lines can be long during holidays and when special exhibits are featured. It's also a favourite place for school children on a mission to complete their lessons. However, I have always enjoyed my visits and found myself unable to see it all in one day.

The collections are organised in a few ways as you will see on the floor plan available on the website. Because there is so much to see, it is best to plan a visit. The exhibits are organised by parts of the world and by time period. Examples include The Americas, Africa, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, and Europe. There are also themed collections such as Enlightenment and Living and Dying.

Exhibits from the ancient world are incredible.

Jehu pays tribute

Rosetta Stone

The Sutton Hoo Treasure is an amazing find ( I suppose I'm not related).

Travel notes

Location: Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG

Transportation: Several underground stations are nearby e.g., Russell Square and Holborn. Many busses stop nearby.

Security: There is a bag search and large luggage is not permitted- storage is available at nearby stations like Euston and Kings Cross

Food: There is food service in the Museum

Admission: Free general admission. Some exhibitions must be booked in advance-see the website

Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE

Churchill War Rooms London England

Winston Churchill & Tommy Gun*

The Churchill War Rooms are open most days and well worth a visit if you are interested in WWII history or British history. The website recommends allowing 90 minutes to visit this part of the Imperial War Museum

The entrance is opposite the beautiful James Park off Horse Guards Road. We enter a lower level of the War Office Building.

A guard reminds us of the incredible importance of secrecy and safety to the conduct of the war.




Offices include period furniture, wall maps, and depict activities related to the conduct of WWII.














Posters and story boards also give a sense of the war years.
















A bookstore with books, and various gifts are available.









































Travel notes

Location: Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ

Nearby Underground: St James's Park, Westminster.

Admission: There is a fee structure with some discounts. See the website

Food: A café serves traditional British meals.

Website: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE

Imperial War Museum London England

Imperial War Museum London / Sutton 16 April 2016

Britain has been a part of the world's wars for centuries. The Imperial War Museum in London is worth a visit to understand the life of soldiers as well as the lives of those at home. Because the wars involved many world powers, there's much to learn about other nations as well. Of course, the machinery of war is also on display in the air and on the ground. Well worth a visit.

The presence of RAF planes hanging from the ceiling illustrate the size of the museum.

There are tanks and other large war machines and vehicles on display.

A number of story boards and posters explain or illustrate various exhibits.

From the simulated trench exhibit during the WWI centennial.

Exhibits include allied nations

Hours: The museum is open 10 - 6 daily except for 24, 25, 26 December

Admission: Free

Refreshments: A Cafe is available.

Toilets: They were well maintained when I visited.

Exhibits: These vary so check the website for details

Storage: Only small lockers are available.

Accessibility: See the website

Locations: This post is about the London site. There are other locations--see the website

London Address: Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ

Website: https://www.iwm.org.uk/

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE

Visiting Chicago

Chicago, Illinois is a beautiful city with many attractions available nearby. And some are unique in the United States and even the world. I've visited a few over the years. In this post, I provide links to my blogs about various Chicago sites.




Chicago Travel Guide From Lonely Planet


On arrival at the airport (ORD), I purchased a CTA multiday pass. The Blue Line took me to a stop near my hotel on Michigan Avenue. From there I was able to walk to the Museum Campus and Willis Tower and get a Metra train down to the Museum of Science and Industry. There are beautiful parks nearby, plenty of restaurants, and supermarkets for those on a budget.



I recommend checking out the City Pass, which I picked up at the Field Museum when I visited there in May 2019. At that time, I paid $108 to see five attractions. The cost included additional items like exhibits, shows, or films.

You might sample some local foods like Chicago Dogs and Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza.















Here are some places I have visited in or near Chicago.

Morton Arboretum

Willis Tower (Formerly called the Sears Tower)

         The Willis Tower as Architecture

Museum of Science and Industry- near Hyde Park

      About the U-505 Lone Wolf  at the Museum of Science & Industry

Museum Campus near Lake Michigan

The whole area is a nice place to walk, run, ride a bike, and enjoy a picnic.

  Adler Planetarium

 Field Museum (Think Dinosaurs)
 
  Shedd Aquarium


Here's a link to my Chicago Playlist of videos on

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYjYcgwalAX9ChGni2XlxarHOWPfWoY9


Transportation note

Metra travel 2017

When I visited, the CTA pass worked for CTA trains and buses but did NOT include travel on the Metra trains. Check out their websites for details.

Adler Planetaruim

There are a number of exhibits dealing with space science, space travel, the solar system, telescopes and more.

I saw two movies, which are child friendly. They are impressive on the large ceiling screen viewed from reclining chairs. The childish numor can be annoying or entertaining, depending on your taste or tolerance.

I'd allow 2-3 hours for a basic interest level visit.

Location: The Adler Planetarium is located on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: I went after lunch on a Saturday. It was not crowded.

Hours: 9:00 - 4:00 - Open daily --check the website for the latest details.

Food: There are places to purchase lunches and snacks. I was able to bring in my own food.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map is available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Parking: Available and expensive.

Website:

Shedd Aquarium Chicago Illinois

I almost skipped the Shedd Aquarium because I have seen several in varioius cities around the world, including a very good one at Wonders of the Wildlife in Springfield, Missouri. However, I am glad I went.

The Shedd Aquarium is worth seeing for the range of sealife inlcuded in the large exhibits.

Seals are entertaining. I was only a few feet away from this one. See video below.

The Beluga Whale exhibit is quite impressive. You can see them from the surface and below the water level.

The penguin exhibit is another favorite.

As you might expect, there are many informative, unusual, and colorful exhibits throughout the aquarium.

The glass was clean and the lighting did not interfere with photography at most displays. This is a valuable lesson other aquarium designers should consider.

My City Pass included a film. I chose the 4-D film about sharks- great fun.

Check out the video clip from the Dolphin Show.

Here's a video clip from the seal show.

Location: The Shedd Aquarium is located on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. The aquarium is  large enough that it did not feel crowded.

Hours: Open daily --check the website for the latest.

Food: There are places to purchase lunches and snacks. I was able to bring in my own food.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map is available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/


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Willis Tower aka Sears Tower Chicago Illinois

The views from the Willis Tower (formerly called the Sears Tower) in Chicago are amazing. I went a day after rainy days in May and the lines to stand on the glass ledge were long. But judging by the wait area, the lines could be much longer in peak season.

The ledge is a worthwhile experience, but it was limited to 60 seconds when I visited.




Some folks thought I was brave on seeing my picture. I guess if you are troubled by heights or worried about human engineering errors, it could be scary.

The tower has 110-story and stands at 1,450. It is the tallest building in the Western hemisphere.


You walk around the top and see different views before reaching the section where the glass ledges are located. Most of the glass was clean but you may have to get close with your camera lens to get a clear picture. My iphone worked better than my expensive 4K camera.

I thought it compared favorably with the Shard in London, England



Location: 233 S Whacker Dr. Chicago IL 60606 

Admission: It's expensive. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Check the website for details.

Crowds: The line was only moderately long when I visited. It seemed to move quickly. Having my advanced ticket helped a little.

Hours: Open days and evenings but hours change with time of year so see the website.

Food:  There are places to purchase refreshments.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.willistower.com/  And the Skydeck Ledge Experience



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Museum of Science and Industry Chicago Illinois

It's hard to know where to begin in sharing a few photos of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. The size of the museum is massive. A few photos of huge objects may help imagine how large it really is.

One standout attraction is the German U-Boat 505, which was captured 4 June, 1944. The full size original submarine is on display along with film, story board, and models depicting life in a sub. Tours are available but were all booked when I arrived.

In addition to the locomotive pictured above, there's a Stephensons Rocket nearby and a full size Pioneer Zephyr on display.





















Planes are here too. You can walk through a Boeing 727,  see World War II planes, and view the exhibit about the beginnings of flight.





And there's a large model railway display featuring city, lakeside, and mountain sections.

There's so much more to see and do with many interactive exhibits friendly to children of all ages.


















Location: The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago is near Lake Michigan BUT it is not on the Museum Campus. It's further South at 5700 Lake Shore Drive Chicago IL 60637. I used the Metra line train near my hotel on Michigan Ave.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details. Map link.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. The museum is so large that it did not feel crowded.

Hours: Open daily 9:30 - 4:30 with various exceptions so you will need to check the website for the latest.

Food: I was allowed to bring my own lunch and eat in designated areas . There are places to purchase lunches and snacks.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map of the museum is online and paper copies are available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.msichicago.org/


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