Paddington Station, Hyde Park & Science Musuem in a Day

We have been in London for almost five months now and we wanted to take the girls into the city for the day and gear it towards them. We began with a visit to Paddington Station. Our little girls have had us read them the story of Paddington bear many times and we thought they would enjoy seeing the station. Arriving at Paddington from the underground Bakerloo line is a joy.

As you ascend the last escalator you arrive into a light filled station (If it is during the day). The station is constructed of several rows of iron arches. The middle portion of the arches is clad with some type of glass or plastic. Though long overdue for a cleaning, light still bathes the floor below. The ironwork is also long overdue for a paint job and if it were to receive one there no telling how inviting this station could become. After taking the girls down platform 1, up and over the bridge and then back down platform 8 we picked out a small momento from the Paddington Bear Kiosk. Originally we had planned to take the tube to South Kensington to visit the Science Museum, however being that it was about 15C and not raining we decided to walk the 1.5 miles or so and venture through Hyde Park. The walk from Paddington begins on London Street which transitions after a couple of blocks into Sussex Place. Then after after a short transition onto Gloucester Square you quickly see the entrance to Hyde Park. Upon entering Hyde Park we were pleasantly surprised by the number of horses that were out on the trails. A woman who had kindly guided us in the right direction few blocks earlier indicated that there were quite a number of horse stables in the area. Although we didn't come across them, we did accidentally turn down the wrong street and saw a horse at the end of the Bathurst Mews. As we continued through the park meandering to and from The Ring we came across the Serpentine, a large pond enlivened with ducks, geese and various other birds. As we crossed the bridge there was a peculiar scene below. Sea gulls were sitting atop each of the wood posts in the water. It was as if it was some sort of competition. At times there were challengers vying for a position. Just after crossing the bridge there is a food stand. The Lattes are 1.60. Though the cups were a bit small, but the latte was very good. We had brought our lunch along and since the weather was decent we were able to enjoy it while sitting on the green metal picnic tables. After finishing our walk through the park we continued to follow the road as it transitioned to Exhibition Road. During the walk we noted Imperial College which has an impressive glass building with glass sunscreens that appear to shimmer as the light changes. The are angled in such a way as to block direct sun while reflecting light into the space behind. Slender white multi-story columns appear to do their job effortlessly and provide a veil to the glass facade. The following block contains the London Science Museum which was the main event of our travels for the day. But before we could enter, I couldn't help but notice the intricate detail of the building on the opposite side of the street. It has a very ornate and composite type of column that I have not seen before. Then we realized this was the Victoria Albert Museum by the stone plaque laid within the brickwork. I am almost embarrassed that I did not know this as it is touted at the worlds greatest museum of art and design. Even though it is undergoing what appear to be significant refurbishments it is still open. A visit here will be for another day, another post. As we entered the Science Museum we made our way through the security line. In reality it was a person behind a counter checking bags. It was not very sophisticated and they didn't even look at our pram or the bags that were under it. Overall, very unimpressive security. As you progress into the museum and down a ramps the first encounter is with a large circular wheel that has digital light wrapping around it. Itis suspened within a 3 story atrium. The red backdrop of the ceiling gives it a very futuristic feel.



Immediately on your left are some fine exhibits of some of the first steam machines. They are exquisite in the detail and they seem to suggest a period which is not long ago, almost as if you could remeber it if you think back early enough in your childhood. There is also a large red milling machine which looks as though if it could be packaged smaller it would be able to fit under the hood of your car. We paused in this inspiring space to allow our 3 year old girl to grasp it, afterall this day was about her.

After managing to find the bathrooms which are bit discreetly located in back corridor, we first visted the Pattern Pod, "a hands-on gallery that was created especially for children 5-8 year of age and their parents" (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk) One section of this area is devoted to prints -- duck feet, dog paws, a jumping robot and a baby crawling. These prints are layed out on the floor and then light up in red when a child properly replicates their movement. Then their are corresponding shapes and pictures of the four on the wall. The portion that I thought was the coolest (parent speaking here) was a small kiosk with clear plastic shards (smooth), each with a pattern on it. Once you take this shard and place it in another slot the wall lights up and the pattern is replicated over and over again to form a beautiful picture. It is suggestive of the original Superman movie where he can communicate with his father through a crystal shard. Because we were visiting on a Sunday we were finding that the place was crawling (literally sometimes) with children. If you are able, visiting during a week would be a lot calmer experience.

Next, we went downstairs in the basement to the Garden, "an interactive gallery created especially for our very youngest visitors" This place was swarming with bodies, but we were a bit disappointed. It had some interesting areas; one where children are provided with a water jacket, another with mirrors and several that play on acoustics. Overall though it seemed like a glorified playground, but I think that was the intent. To give children that have been couped up in a museum the chance to release some energy. On a less busy day maybe it would be more affective.

The final exhibit that we had the opportunity to visit during our 2.5 hour visit was Launchpad. After queuing for about 20 minutes we were able to go into this area. While many of the displays and activities are for older children (ages 8-11 suggested by the museum) there is still plenty of enjoyment for those younger. The bubble blowing tank, with special tongs to creat unusual bubbles is quite nifty. One exhibit requires you to pump water up into a tank. Once the tank is full it releases the water down a tube and operates a waterwheel which powers an LCD video camera that shows you on the screen. While it is quite clever it takes quite an effort to pump the water into the tank. Maybe that is the point...electricity requires a lot of resources. There are many more displays and you could easily spend an hour here, which is the suggested time. The favourite of our children was the magnet area. There are large magnetic discs with loads of large steel washers and spoons to play with. Some of the older children were trying to build magnetic bridges, but our little girls were just having fun pulling the metal off the magnetics. Who has time to build stuff when you can just as easily understand how it works by taking it apart?

Whether you are tourist visiting London or a resident the science museum is well worth a stop. We will make it a point to visit on many more occasions. There is still plenty left to see and the exhibits will change over time. In addition, with the Natural History Museum next door and the Victoria Albert Museum across the the street you will not get bored in South Kensington. While you can choose to make a day of it as we did and begin at Paddington with a pleasant walk through Hyde Park culminating at the Science Museum it is very easy to get here directly by taking the tube and getting off at South Kensington.