All three of us went to the Science Museum, next to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It covers every aspect of Science which could have made the day feel overwhelming: Space! Engineering! Technology! Flight! Economy! Energy! Special Effects! I decided to concentrate on Medicine and Mathematics. In both cases, the exhibits were all so beautifully designed and user friendly, especially for children. Such a great way to learn outside the classrroom! I watched as children gravitated towards the displays, actually sat through the short videos and were encouraged to touch the displays. And parents explaining things to children too young to read. Saw Louis Pasteur’s microscope and watched an emotional video about people with brain injuries and how medicine has given them autonomy and independence. Awesome.
Zaha Hadid designed the Mathematics Gallery's flowing, curved layout. It is inspired by historical aviation airflow equations and a huge Mobius sculpture wraps around a suspended 1929 Handley Page Gugnunc airplane. Also very awesome.
Walked through crowded Chinatown (at night!) before we saw the play “Stranger Things The Frist Shadow” in the Phoenix Theater. Set in Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959 (with an introduction from 1943), the story follows young Henry Creel as his family arrives in town, and reveals how he deals with his dark powers and the Upside Down. The ingenious staging alone was worth the price of the ticket: very fast paced, mind-blowing special effects and soundtrack (from the 50’s & 60’s, so very familiar to me!), illusions, projections, and smooth transitions between high school life and supernatural horror. Huge cast, tiny theater. Well done.