My friend Sue and I arrived in London on Wednesday morning after an uneventful, though totally packed, flight.
After checking in at the hotel and miraculously being able to get into a room immediately, Sue and I set out for a walk and lunch. Our hotel is in a wonderful location, right on Tottenham Court Road, close to an underground station, lots of buses, shops, restaurants and just about anything else one might need. We had a pub lunch which got me into a British vibe. Then it was time for a short nap.
Early evening, we headed over to the Barbican Center. It’s a performing arts center (similar to Lincoln Center) and is the largest one in Europe. It hosts concerts, theater, film, and art exhibitions. I remember going there years ago and thinking it was stark and unwelcoming—largely due to its “brutalist” architecture. That feeling has been erased, the public spaces have been well lit and decorated with art and, this time of year, holiday decorations.
We ate dinner at The Brasserie located in the complex.
Then we headed to the main concert hall for the London Concert Orchestra performing the best of John Williams. The theater was lavishly decorated for the holidays. The opening number was the theme from “Jaws.” That was followed by some lesser-known works and a slew of what can only be described as “hits.” When the Star Wars theme came on, Darth Vader and two Jedi appeared, much to the delight of the audience. The conductor, Anthony Inglis, introduced each piece with an impish humor. For the theme from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” he taught the audience the five notes featured in the movie. Then he split the audience into humans and aliens and had us “talk” with each other using the five-note sequence. It was wonderful. For the final number, “Superman,” he took off his jacket and ripped off his shirt to reveal a superman T-shirt.