the natural history museum

just been with my girlfriend for a kind of alternative thing to do on valentine's day. what a load of fucking shit. it's either vastly gone down hill since i was a kid, or my memories of it have been seriously warped by the passage of time. the whole place was bedlam - rammed to the rafters with kids far too young to enjoy being there, mothers wielding innumerable pushchairs and foreign tourists rudely barging their way past you whilst totally ignoring any kind of queueing etiquette. the exhibits looked old, tired and moth eaten. the insects/arachnids section was sorely devoid of any actual insects or arachnids. the blue whale was closed. the dinosaur section involved negotiating a 45 minute queue of of angry families to see a disappointing collection of brown bones which looked like they were assembled by stevie wonder. we misguidedly entered the human body exhibit and got lost in the puberty section for half an hour. non of the buttons worked. the photography on the walls has clearly not been changed since 1974. you had to exit through the gift shop where a small chinese-made stuffed cuddly snake was retailing for £15.

not recommended.

fuck it

Natural History museum sounds like a pile of

Wife and I are going to the beach for Valentines.

I am SO glad we skipped it when visiting London then.

me and my bird are off to the pub shortly to try and forget about it.

You should have gone to the Science Museum, instead, which I don't think they've TOTALLY ruined yet...

I really hate when they try to "interactive-ise" museums, in the idea that, like, kids won't pay attention to anything that's not on a computer/video screen. Like, erm, people can look at that at home. People go to museums for the HOLY COW LOOK AT THAT!!! effect you don't get off a screen.

The Science Museum is much more full of giant clanking and steaming and whirring and just cool shit. At least, half of it was. About half of it had been turned into films about the solar system instead of giant brightly coloured models of computer systems and the like. But it's been a couple of years since I was there, mind you.

The life-size model of a Blue Whale is old, but is still the best thing at the Natural History Museum

shame that bit was closed

You're right though, the rest of it is a bit lame and overcrowded

The building is actually the best thing about the Natural History museum.

  On 2/14/2010 at 6:08 PM, Masonic Boom said:

I really hate when they try to "interactive-ise" museums, in the idea that, like, kids won't pay attention to anything that's not on a computer/video screen. Like, erm, people can look at that at home. People go to museums for the HOLY COW LOOK AT THAT!!! effect you don't get off a screen.

yeah, i totally agree - thing is, non of the interactive shit was working anyway! rubbish. maybe we'll venture into the science museum one day then... can't be any worse that's for sure.

  On 2/14/2010 at 6:15 PM, Masonic Boom said:

The building is actually the best thing about the Natural History museum.

also this - the best bit was waiting in the queue outside and looking at the building.

If you're ever in Cardiff make sure to check the museum. The audio in the dinosaur section is very obviously a man going RAARGHH BLLEEEARGHARH REEEAAA pitched down an octave. It's amazing.

lol brilliant

just don't go on a weekend

i like the nathismu

  On 2/14/2010 at 6:02 PM, BCM said:

fuck me

Ok.

it's not the museum that's gone to shit by the sounds of things, it's society.

Oh my god. Everyones going to museums, society has gone to hell. Reminds me of A Clockwork Orange.

my plan for valentines day is to try and fuck a fat emo girl in the toilets at cathouse. i like to consider myself a romantic.

it could be worse, you could have been at this

it's not that everyone is going to museums, it's that mums take their kids there expecting it to be like some sort of disneyland to distract the kids, as opposed to an educational place where they might actually have to explain something about natural history to their kids. They then realise they know nothing beyond who's banging who in Coronation Street/Eastenders, get maniacally depressed and take it out on said children. Children get pissed at mum, start flinging poo.

Enter BCM and GF, et voila, la fin de semaine tres romantique.

i'm probably going to get drunk with my friends and go play in the snow. oh and my girlfriend will be there too. there are ice slides not far from my house that we would like to enjoy.

  On 2/14/2010 at 7:31 PM, essines said:

i'm probably going to get drunk with my friends and go play in the snow. oh and my girlfriend will be there too. there are ice slides not far from my house that we would like to enjoy.

This man has the plan.

edit.This looks kinda cool and Im fairly close by

http://sciencegallery.com/lovelab

  On 2/14/2010 at 6:16 PM, BCM said:

  On 2/14/2010 at 6:08 PM, Masonic Boom said:

I really hate when they try to "interactive-ise" museums, in the idea that, like, kids won't pay attention to anything that's not on a computer/video screen. Like, erm, people can look at that at home. People go to museums for the HOLY COW LOOK AT THAT!!! effect you don't get off a screen.

 

maybe we'll venture into the science museum one day then... can't be any worse that's for sure.

 

Actually, I went last year with my then girlfriend. Your description of the Natural History museum matched my thoughts of the Science museum. We left thinking "Maybe we'll venture into the Natural History museum at some point. That's gotta be much better"

goto the victoria and albert museum like right next door to it, its much better then the nat his museum or the science museum which are both completely shit there aint no saving it. Alternatively go south and goto the imperial war museum and have a wicked time checking out all the tanks and spitfires