By Michael Downing After nine amazing days in London, we took an Uber back to Heathrow, rented a Nissan Juke, and began our trek to Shakespeare's birthplace: Stratford-Upon-Avon. Stratford is a beautiful little town. We took pictures with Shakespeare's statue in the middle of the square, visited Shakespeare's birthplace, and popped into a cool little... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing On Finally Becoming an Artist I have never considered myself an artist. It wasn't until about ten years ago when Jackie finally convinced me that for not being an artist, I sure do create a lot of art. My art is practical, though. It involves taking the individual components of a house and... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing Tate Modern Tate Modern is beautiful. Located on London's South Bank, it houses "the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is one of the largest modern and contemporary museums in the world. During our visit, the works of two artists were... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing Shakespeare's Globe The original Globe Theatre is where William Shakespeare staged his plays back in the late 1500s; Shakespeare's Globe is the contemporary reconstruction of the theatee that is located near the original site. As always, Wikipedia gives us verified facts quickly: "The modern Shakespeare's Globe was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker,... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing My World of Shakespeare Back in the 1990s when I lived in Pittsburgh, I put together a full-time teaching schedule by teaching courses at various community colleges, including Butler County Community College, the Community College of Beaver County, and Community College of Allegheny County (Boyce Campus). My schedule was spread out between... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing JRR Tolkien In the last post, I wrote about Poets' Corner at Westminster. At the end of that essay, I mentioned how I was disappointed by the fact that JRR Tolkien's name had not yet been included at the Abbey. So let me say it: JRR Tolkien (1892-1973) is a giant of... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing A Mausoleum that Doubles as a Church Westminster Abbey is a full-blown mausoleum that doubles as an active Anglican church. It's insanely beautiful and holds a place of massive importance in the history and tradition of the British Empire. I actually knew very little about the Abbey before we went. I knew... Continue Reading →

By Michael Downing Carnaby Street Located in London's West End, Carnaby Street features more than 100 shops and more than 60 bars and restaurants. The fashion side includes Birkenstock, Cole Buxton, Izipizi, Paul Smith, and Scotch and Soda. Restaurants include Dehesa, Inko Nito, Polpo, and Tapas Brindisa. Click here for Carnaby Magazine 2023. Shopper's heaven.... Continue Reading →