I didn't write an entry for yesterday. I stayed home to rest my feet, finish a book, and work on an upcoming trip--feeling a little guilty that I took a day off.

Today, Gord and I walked two miles to the Jewish Museum to see two exhibitions. Dorothy Bohm: Sixties London was a nice introduction to this photographer's move from studio-based photography to working outdoors. Included here were photographs of a variety of people in different London neighborhoods, going about their day. She captures ordinary lives in such a way that shows more than just a woman entering a store, or children outside a church. By the way, she was born in 1924 and is still going strong.

The other exhibition at the Jewish Museum is Jukebox, Jewkbox! A Century on Shellac and Vinyl. This interactive space on the top floor covers 100 years from the first gramophone to the end of the era, the "sound carriers of popular culture." This history of vinyl is also a history of Jewish inventors, musicians, composers, music producers and songwriters. There were hanging record sleeves divided into sections: Cantors, Popular Songs, Yiddish Theatre Songs, Comedians, Educational, Musical and Film, Folk Music, Israeli Folk Music, Klezmer, Arabic-Jewish Music, Black and White, Pop Music, Israeli Pop Music, Punk, and Jewish Radical. There was a long display table with headphones all the way along it on both sides, and you could listen to songs from each of these categories. I listened to some Beastie Boys, some Israeli Folk Music, and a cantor.

On the next level down was an exhibition giving a history of Jewish people in Britain from the earliest known settlers in medieval times to the Jewish community today. It was very well done with a lot of interactive areas, drawers to open and items inside to discover, taped stories to be heard. They also had clothing for children to try on, except that all of it was out for cleaning. There was a separate gallery dedicated to Leon Greenman OBE, a holocaust survivor who spent the rest of his life campaigning against racism. He was 97 when he died in 2008.

And lastly there was a gallery showcasing their collection of Jewish ceremonial art, one of the world's finest.

From there, we caught a bus to the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum to see Unseen: London, Paris, New York, 1930s-60s, featuring the photographs of Dorothy Bohm (this time in Paris in the 50s), Wolfgang Suschitzky (in London in the 30s), and Neil Libbert (in New York in the 60s). The title Unseen refers to these photographers documenting their initial impressions of their first time in these respective cities.

We passed by Abbey Road Studios on our way to the St. John's Wood tube station, but I've already taken that iconic photo so I will spare you.  I did take this photo for my sister Carole, to assure her that I am taking her advice.

We met John (the other Skidmore faculty member here this semester), Christina, and their children at a nearby Indian restaurant for dinner. We had a nice visit, even after a waiter spilled a pint of beer in my lap.

Miles walked today: about 4