Southbank Tour-Part 1-Art!-In Route to Oxo Tower

Coming out of the strange tunnel system from Waterloo. Glad there were signs!

Apparently this was the Queen's Walk because I kept seeing these signs everywhere!

Gabriels Wharf- a cute little area with cafes and artist run shops right off of the Thames

It was funny to see business men in their suits sitting at these hand-carved wooden table and chairs

Apparently they do bike tours from Gabriels Wharf!

This little art gallery had great prints, etching, linocuts, and more!

http://www.southbank-printmakers.com/

Entrance to Gabriels Wharf off of the Thames

Behind the Oxo Tower-or maybe part of it?-The Bargehouse where Oxo Exhibitions are held. Great building!

I said I really liked the building. This building had all of these bars on it that I think glow at night as a type of exhibition (or so that's how the photo on their website looked).

Oxo Tower-Skylark Gallery-Jennie Ing had told me about this gallery showing until August 15th. It was great!

Quick look at the Thames

Again with the Bargehouse...Sorrrry!

St. Paul's Cathedral peeking out from inside the Oxo Tower

This day is split into two days because I got a little camera happy! So I went out this morning knowing it would still be overcast (oh how I miss the sun and clear sunny days!), and decided on Jennie Ing's recomendation to come to the Oxo Tower where some of her work is being displayed. I came in at Waterloo Station and walked into a series of confusing underground tunnels pointing me towards the Oxo Tower. They would have been super creepy if the mom with her four small boys hadn't been running around in front of me! Finally I came out somewhere near the IMAX and made my way towards the water-where I foudn the National Gallery. Didn't go inside, so I'm not sure what this is, but they had a cool display of some very large scale furniture made of astroturf (furniture was about 12 feet tall-would post the pictures, but I already have so many!). I made it past the National Gallery and stumbled onto Gabriels Wharf which had some great little shops and would be a great place to hang out on a sunny day!

It was just next door to the Oxo Tower, which I didn't realize was basically a design shopping center! It had art galleries, design shops, jewelry shops, fashion shops, interiors shops! It was great. The Skylark Gallery was great, and I even met one of the artist's whose work I really liked-Clare Johnson:

http://www.clarejohnson.co.uk/index.htm

Good thing I'm a little broke at the moment, or I would have been spedning quite a bit of money! Now onto the next entry for the day!

Scary Borough, Tate Modern (gift shop only) and that big domed church...

Cool grafitti in a sketchy park somewhere off of the Borough's tube stop. Lost again....

Sign of good grafitti maybe also a sign for me to not be there by myself...

It's ok though b/c there was a crazy lady dancing in the flower garden and clapping her hands (not shown).

Not sure, but it's pretty! kind of!

Yes, I realize it is just a concrete building with different colored window frames, but I like it.

Apptly called the blue building.

Tate Modern giftshop-one of my favorite design stores in London!

Tate

St. Paul's & Millenium Bridge

Tate Modern. It's free entry.

St. Paul's and Millenium Bridge. again. but from the other side!

From underneath the bridge!

I always liked these curved apartments along the Thames... (and my favorite light poles)

St. Paul's

So as you can see, this morning I decided to take a trip along the Thames. Although the map said the Borough stop was the closest to the Tate Modern, next time I think I will take my chances and take a different stop. I kept thinking, if I feel I am to get mugged anywhere in London, I feel certain it would be here. Luckily, I was able to pop into a creepy park and at least get some good grafitti shots. There was loads more grafitti, but it was on the other side of the park which was just too risky! As you can see, it was not the sunniest of days, so that will explain why I thought the photos were better in black and white. I attempted to take some panaroamics on my camera of the Thames using the "stitch" tool, but clearly, those didn't work out as they are not posted. Stitch must mean take 5 different photos and stitch them together in photoshop yourself.

Anyways, after watching the dissapointing draw of the U.S. vs. Slovania game (yes, we TOTALLY should have won 3-2 except the ref decided not to count the last goal we made!), I'm making my last post in London for a few days. Clair and I are headed down (or up? not sure) to Seven Oaks (part fo London or town or suburb-again not sure) to meet up with her mom's friend, then off to Dover tomorrow. I'm kind of excited to ride in a car again. As great as the tube and bus system is here, I miss my car!