![[title of show]](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b285/ShephardSummers/titleofshowsm.jpg)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
London, Naturally
We flew into London from Barcelona, and had a free afternoon and evening. 
London's SoHo Hotel, where we spent a very enjoyable 3 nights.Unassuming entry from the back.....
Front entrance even less assuming. In fact, I'd assume it wasn't even a hotel. :)But once inside.....
We were greeted by an 8 foot Botero sculpture of a black kitty!!
I don't think he had a name. Maybe he did. I wish I'd have asked. I will call him Trevor.
Smile for the Americans, Trevor!
Looking at his feet made me homesick. Golly has big fat feet. 
Right away, I thought... this hotel is a good fit. :)
The colors were so rich and yet soothing.
The common rooms were so comfy and welcoming, if somewhat dimly lit (thus the blur).
Windows looking out from the restaurant. Clever way to block that not-so-lovely alley-view. :)
The Honesty Bar -- you could serve yourself after hours, and then report what you 
Very comfy. Pink can be painful if not used correctly. Very warm and welcoming.
The restaurant bar mural. I don't have any good photos of our own room. It was very beige. :( But the bathroom was devine! :) So we were off by taxi to The British Natural History Museum!!
B is a big dinosaur buff, so naturally, we headed for something we knew we could see in 2 hours. We were SO glad we did... the building itself is extraordinary!
The light was just beautiful.
The brickwork, just wow.
(zoom in)
Once inside.....
Immediately, we knew we were in for a treat... the building was amazing!
And B was in dinosaur heaven. :)
The Dino Exhibit area was two levels... they'd built a bridge (!) that ran the length of the hall. You started on the bridge and could look up and down at the skeletons.
The lighting was a moody and atmospheric. Fantastic exhibit!
And being on that bridge... the only way to get close enough to the archetectural details!
...and a T-Rex or two.
If my memory serves me... this is the ceiling to the cafe. Not kidding.
The main hall... zoom in.... wow.
It grew dark, and it was time to skeedattle to dinner (the best Indian Food we've ever had) and then to a show... we walked outside the museum to catch a taxi and what we saw made me gasp.
B hailed a taxi, and I barely had time to turn around and take those last two shots. My favorite of the entire two weeks in Europe.
A fleeting shot of Harrod's Department store from the back of the taxi...
Came around the corner and kablam! Chinese New Year!!
That night, we went to see Graham Norton starring in the musical La Cage Aux Folles. It was a hoot.
Why no, I didn't take this photo inside the theatre. That would be bad manners. I must have found it somewhere on the internet.
B is a big dinosaur buff, so naturally, we headed for something we knew we could see in 2 hours. We were SO glad we did... the building itself is extraordinary!
The light was just beautiful.
The brickwork, just wow.
(zoom in)
Once inside.....
Immediately, we knew we were in for a treat... the building was amazing!
And B was in dinosaur heaven. :)
The Dino Exhibit area was two levels... they'd built a bridge (!) that ran the length of the hall. You started on the bridge and could look up and down at the skeletons.
The lighting was a moody and atmospheric. Fantastic exhibit!
And being on that bridge... the only way to get close enough to the archetectural details!
...and a T-Rex or two.
If my memory serves me... this is the ceiling to the cafe. Not kidding.
The main hall... zoom in.... wow.
It grew dark, and it was time to skeedattle to dinner (the best Indian Food we've ever had) and then to a show... we walked outside the museum to catch a taxi and what we saw made me gasp.
B hailed a taxi, and I barely had time to turn around and take those last two shots. My favorite of the entire two weeks in Europe.
A fleeting shot of Harrod's Department store from the back of the taxi...
Walking SoHo at night, bustling mecca of theatre and pubs!
Came around the corner and kablam! Chinese New Year!!
That night, we went to see Graham Norton starring in the musical La Cage Aux Folles. It was a hoot.
Why no, I didn't take this photo inside the theatre. That would be bad manners. I must have found it somewhere on the internet. Stay tuned.... there will be more London Calling... :)
(if you haven't already, scroll down to see all the BARCELONA posts)
~Shephard
Labels: London
posted by Shephard @ 
Monday, March 30, 2009
Score One for the Kitties
B*lt won the G*nesis Award from The H*mane S*ciety this weekend, an award that spotlights movies, TV shows, newsprograms and any journalism that sheds light or aids in combatting animal abuse, neglect and awareness etc. It was a full-tilt awards show, complete with celebrities who care about animal causes and awareness, held in Beverly Hills (natch). And we could not have guessed what we were in for during this evening.
We sat at a table full of some very sweet and friendly people (and some standoffish people but we won't pay any attention to them), 2 tables away from Ell*n D*Gen*res and P*rtia D*Rossi who were being given a well-deserved merrit award for raising awareness and helping CA pass Prop 2 (healthier more humane conditions for farm animals and livestock).
We all ate a surprisingly yummy & hardy Vegan meal, enjoyed wine, and had a scrumptious chocolate dessert
Field Greens & Endive with artichokes and delicious dressing!
Gardein Chicken Scalopini (no meat, tasted A LOT like Salisbury Steak), with Asian veggies and yummy black risotto!
Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake. To. Die. For. (No Mousse were harmed in any way during the making of this dessert)
I was so caught up in the evening, the causes and the travesties of cruelty on display, that I kinda forgot all about taking photos. So I have very few of the celebs. I adore J*nnifer Coolidg* (one of my favorite comedians, so it was really fun seeing her), and some of you may recognize K*ley Cu*co from Big Bang The*ry. :) (one of our favorite shows). She sat at the table next to us.
Though I did manage to snap a photo of a certain director on stage accepting the award for the Studio.This was our 6th awards show of the season.
Frankly, I thought there was no chance in hell B*lt could win, because the other movies nominated in the category of Best Picture were inspirational, educational and powerfully emotional. It was the last award of the evening, preceded by 2 hours of watching footage of doomed baby harp seals, murdered elephants, dog-fighting victims, puppymills and horses being sold for meat to Mexico and Europe. By the end of the night, we were emotionally exhausted. We weren't sure B*lt with it's little message of pet-responsibility/not abandoning pets and not declawing cats was significant or far-reaching enough to warrant such an award. Who would take an animated movie that seriously when pooled with such other films of import?
This was compounded by the fact that we were sitting next to two very deserving (and lovely) people in the category, independant filmmakers who made the film *SAVING LUNA* (link in pink). But B*lt won, and B accepted on behalf of the studio, an award not for film-making necessarily, but for a message and possible impact. A real honor. We felt badly for the aforementioned people that could have certainly used the exposure, publicity and recognition for their important film. But Hopefully B*lt will continue to affect children and adults who see it, make them think twice about pet-responsibility & awareness.
Meanwhile, a few kitties are proud of their dad. :)~Shephard