Lark in London

2023 – 2024 London Adventure

  • Movie Filming

    I was heading home the other day when I turned the corner and this is what I saw, a frenetic movie set.  When I asked our concierge what was going on, she told me that they were filming a Jason Statham movie.  I love Jason Statham in his action movies, but he’s even better when he’s funny and silly, like in Spy, Hobbs & Shaw and The Expendables 4.  I would have loved to see him live and in person, but no luck.  The concierge is also a big fan and she told me that she was hoping that the limo in front of our building was there to pick him up.  She said she was going to run through the doors, like The Hulk, if he actually appeared.  Sadly, she was distracted by work when whomever belonged to that limo got in and went on their merry way. 

    They filmed there for a few more days and the next day, when I walked out of the building, this is what I saw.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  It was as if I was transported back to Chicago.  One of my good friends suggested that I get in it and tell them that I was reclaiming it as a representative of Chicago.

    A movie set is really remarkable.  We had received a warning earlier in the week that there would be drones flying around the building filming over the weekend. Well on Saturday, when Mike and I were in a hurry rushing to the cabaret, the block between our building and the tube station was completely overrun with movie trucks, set dressing, props, people, sound equipment, cameras, etc., etc.  They had even turned the entrance between two buildings into a “school”.  I would have loved to take photos, but as I mentioned, we were in a hurry and Mike was worried they were going to block the pedestrian traffic for filming.  That would have created a bit of a detour for us.  Just like Chicago, London has a police film unit on set.  Thankfully, they weren’t called to action because Mike walked through an active film set. We lucked out and were able to walk by, but shortly after we passed, they stopped everyone to film. Well, when we returned less than four hours later, everything had been cleared away.  If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, we never would have known they were there, until we recognize our neighborhood when we see the movie. We always think it is pretty cool. In fact, a lot of The Gentlemen was filmed directly across the river.

    Have an awesome weekend everyone. We’re off Monday for the U.K. bank holiday, which is a nice three day weekend coinciding with our anniversary. Today if the rain lets up, I’m venturing to the Lark London store in Blackheath, just to say I’ve been there. My mom asked if they are going to give me a 50% discount. If they do, I’ll tell you all about it.

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  • April 2024 Books, Movies and Shows

    How could it be May? At last, spring has sprung, hopefully for most of us. Finally, London had gorgeous sunshine and highs in the 60s, yesterday. I can’t complain because the winter here was much milder than any in Chicago and I had enough sunshine to forego the SAD lamp most days. Today, the fog was so thick I didn’t think we’d see the building next door. We’ve been busy. Yesterday, the building had a coffee breakfast to chat with our neighbors, then we had a lovely lunch at Hawksmoor with a friend in town for work, then we attended the latest Book Club meeting last night. This morning there were treats for the opening of the new gym in the building’s basement. I love the cute little dumbbells on this chocolate cupcake. I’ll need the gym after eating it.

    I’m excited because I started an herb garden on the balcony. I have seven plants – thyme, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, mint, basil and chives. They are looking good. I had to remember to bring them in at night when the temps dipped into the 30s the last couple of weeks and when the wind was so strong, I thought they might blow away. I am also hoping my avocado pit will sprout.

    These are the books I read this month:
    The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush. It was an excellent telling of the lives of the first female women in space. I listened to the audio book.

    The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley for Book Club. I listened and read this one, too. I enjoyed it. My kind of book. In 2021 I read another of her books, The Guest List and I actually gave it a thumbs down, not something I do often. We had our discussion last night. It was not as lively as for last month’s book.

    Wildfire by Hannah Grace, I returned it without finishing it. It didn’t grab my full attention. Not worth continuing to read.

    The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. It was a good story with twists and turns. I listened to it.

    The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki. I listened to this wonderful work of historical fiction about the heiress to the Post cereal fortune. It was an in-depth tale of her life, loves, philanthropy and wealth.

    None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. My sixth of her 21 books. The whole time I was reading this very dark and disturbing psychological thriller, I had an icky feeling, but I couldn’t put it down. It was compelling. I wonder how Lisa Jewell came up with the idea. I look forward to her Jessica Jones Marvel book, Breaking the Dark, due this summer.

    Tom Lake by Ann Patchett performed by Meryl Streep. It was a really sweet and lovely story.

    Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin this was a relisten from 2022 for my office Book Club. It was a very good book, with enough twists and turns to keep me engaged. I didn’t remember the last third of the book, so it was helpful that I listened to it again.

    And the movies I saw:
    King Fu Panda 4 at the cinema. We loved it. We laughed a lot because there was plenty of humor for children and adults.

    Damsel on Netflix with Millie Bobby Brown. Not at all what I was expecting. Very dark, but a great girl power movie.

    Little Eggs: A Frozen Rescue at the cinema. (I couldn’t even find an IMDb listing for it.) It was terrible. The worst animated movie I’ve seen in a long time. Strangely, there was animated eggs and bacon interacting with the chickens on a Mexican farm. Even the title makes no sense. The pirates/ motorcycle gang/circus owners kidnap the baby polar bear and penguins from the south pole and force them to perform in their traveling circus in Mexico. The chickens return then home to the south pole. It hardly seemed like a children’s movie with grandma chicken dying and scary orca whales trying to eat the polar bears and penguins, plus the volume was so loud it gave me a headache. I left before it was over.

    Luca, Disney/Pixar animated at the cinema. Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan voice Luca’s parents. I loved it. Colorful and bright. Cute story. Two thumbs up. 👍 👍

    Good Luck To You, Leo Grande with Emma Thompson on Netflix. It was very much like a two person play. Considering the subject matter it was very touching. I cried. Sad to think of a woman going through life never experiencing the pleasure of an orgasm. Emma was very brave to be naked on screen at any age, let alone 64. Props to her. I highly recommend seeing this movie.

    Back to Black, at the cinema. This is the tragic tale of Amy Winehouse. Marisa Abela portrayed Amy’s downward spiral remarkably well and even sang all the songs instead of lip synching. That was amazing. As expected, it was depressing. Another instance of wasted talent. She drank herself to death at the age of 27. I listen to her large catalog of music and just shake my head. So sad.

    Unsinkable: Titanic Untold at the cinema. I read that the actual transcripts from the investigation into the tragedy were used. Karen Allen was in it. I enjoyed it, but it was clearly a low budget endeavor and won’t be winning any awards.

    Ripley, a limited series on Netflix with a great cast consisting of Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning. It seems like Andrew and Johnny are in everything lately. It’s based on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. It’s a black and white TV remake of the 1999 Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow movie. The cinematography is stunning. Stairs are very symbolic throughout. It’s very dark. Lots of Italian, so you have to pay attention to the subtitles. I don’t think Andrew Scott could do wrong. He’s wonderful in everything he’s in.

    Gray on Netflix with Patricia Clarkson and Rupert Everett. I started this last month and finished it this month. Patricia is another brave 64 year old actress parading around in her unmentionables. I liked the series, but it left me scratching my head. It’s another great character for a woman over 60.

    Scoop on Netflix about Prince Andrew and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. It has a great cast – Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Billie Piper, Keeley Hawes, Romola Garai, etc.

    Irish Wish on Netflix with Jane Seymour, Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speleers, etc. It is a very cheesy, Hallmarkesque movie. But it did remind me of our wonderful tour of Ireland in 2011.

    Fool Me Once on Netflix. Many twists and turns. I’m nearly finished, but have one more episode. I’d recommend it.

    The Beautiful Game with Bill Nighy on Netflix was a heartwarming movie about the Homeless World Cup, which began in 2001.

    And the plays and performances:
    They’ll Never Close The Docks – local small theater, The Space. I enjoyed the stories of the docklands, which were particularly meaningful since that’s the area where we live. It was transformed by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s when they did in fact close the docks. It was a very well crafted play performed by a hodge podge of amateur actors who put their hearts and souls into it. The one hour running time was a bonus. The theater was surprisingly full for a 3:00 performance on a lovely Saturday afternoon. I tried the chicken & waffles brunch before the show.

    Portia’s Julius Caesar with an all female cast at The Space. I thoroughly enjoyed this very well acted 90 minute performance. All 8 actors were great. I love that they played different roles, including men, during the show. I was sad that it wasn’t well attended and only 12 of us were in the matinee audience.

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Wilton’s Music Hall. A fantastic, energetic, engaging, interactive performance by the Flabbergast theater company.

    The Saturday Supershow Cabaret at the Phoenix Arts Club, where Stranger Things is currently being performed upstairs. Fantastic cabaret. Michael Twaits was a fabulous drag queen hostess with the mostest! What a voice. He was so much fun. Sarah Rose was wonderful on the piano. The acts were great. The sword swallower made me a little uncomfortable, but we loved Becksy, the aerialist who had me in awe. The juggler juggled his heart out. The food was limited, but better than expected. Service was good. We had great seats and a lovely evening of cabaret.

    Please share what you’ve read, watched or saw recently. I would love to hear all about it. Tell me what you would recommend we read, watch or see next. Good day everyone!

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  • Tower of London – Ceremony of the Keys

    It was suggested that we attend the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London while we are here.  Since we have a membership that includes access to the Tower, I jumped at the chance to register for a members only event for this experience.  It was late on a Sunday night, past my bedtime, but I sucked it up and we took the Thames Clipper from Canary Wharf directly to the Tower, which made it very convenient.  We arrived with some time to kill so we stopped at the Coppa Club on the river for a nosh before the Ceremony.

    Since it was a members only event there was a limited number of people in attendance.  After checking in we were led through the gates to the very dark and quiet Tower.  A much different experience than the chaotic crowds during the day.  The Yeoman Warder, who was our tour guide for the Ceremony was a real character.  He made it a lot of fun, especially for the children.  We learned a lot about the Yeoman Warders, who all have military backgrounds.  According to the Historic Royal Palaces website, “Yeoman Warders have been guarding the Tower of London since Tudor times.  Nicknamed ‘Beefeaters’, the Yeoman Body of 32 men and women are all drawn from the Armed Forces.  Beefeater Gin bottles feature a picture of a Yeoman Warder in full state dress. As a thank you, every Yeoman Warder is sent a bottle of gin on his or her birthday!”

    We also learned that the Ceremony of the Keys has been performed every night for over 700 years.  Could you even imagine that?  It starts with “‘Halt! Who comes there?’  These familiar words echo down Water Lane every night as they have done for over 700 years. They are part of the ancient Ceremony of the Keys in which the outer gates of the fortress are locked for the night and the keys delivered to the monarch’s representative in the Tower, the Resident Governor.”

    It was a little cheesy and a bit put on for the audience, but it did give me chills to imagine the history of the ceremony and of the people who have walked the same roads we walked down within the Tower walls.  I’m glad we were able to take part.  Of course, we were not allowed to take any photos and we had to remain silent during the Ceremony.  These are the photos we took before and after.  Once the Tower was locked, Mike asked the very important question, “How do we get out?”  We were led through a very small door in one of the gates.  That’s Mike having to duck through it and over the door frame.

    Then we went back to the Thames Clipper for our beautiful night time cruise back to Canary Wharf. Most people think that the beautifully lit bridge is London Bridge, but that is actually Tower Bridge, the most iconic of London. Unfortunately, London Bridge is rather boring, as you can see in my photo below. It’s the one lit with purple lights, as seen from the Thames Clipper dock. I threw in a couple photos of The Shard, because it’s a cool building and one we can see from our flat.

    Have a great weekend!

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  • More Random, Odd & Miscellaneous Things

    Happy Wednesday!  We’re well on our way to Friday!

    Mike wanted me to work from the WeWork space in his building.  It was very nice to have breakfast and lunch (the spread was really something) with him, since normally during the week, we don’t eat any meals together.  Plus, we did a couples POL at the end of the day.

    However, it cost over £50 for a WeWork day pass.  I kept thinking I could have bought an outfit for that price. It was not the best experience.  No one offered a tour, there was a man grouting the tile in the refreshment area, so that was blocked off, the women’s bathroom was out of service, there were loud video and phone meetings in the quiet spaces, a loud barking dog, a problem with accessing the internet and I was never given a pass to get back into the space when I left to find the working bathroom.  I did ask for a refund, but I got a free pass to visit again instead.  I haven’t rushed back, but hopefully, it will be a better experience next time.

    My new favorite clothing store, which I have mentioned previously, is Scamp & Dude, which I discovered when they did a pop-up shop at the O2.  They have a wonderful mission and message.  I even ventured to Portsmouth recently to check out their outlet pop-up shop.  I will likely wear one of these colorful beauties when we head to the Chelsea Flower Show next month.  They fit well and make me feel great! I hope the weather warms up soon, since they are all I want to wear.

    I tried to get Mike to buy one of these Curtis shirts, but no luck.  The sizing was very strange.  They have standard sleeve lengths based on the neck sizes.  There is an attorney that I work with in Chicago who would love this shop.

    A neighbor was moving out and was giving away things, including this Lego typewriter.  It was too cool to pass up.  I thought of Tom Hanks and his typewriter collection.

    I’m not sure why these construction workers assemble in Montgomery Square.  Maybe it is for a fire drill.  I’ve seen them on two different occasions.

    Have you ever seen an umbrella rental machine?  This was at The Cumberland Hotel.

    I haven’t had a patty melt in years, so I had to try the new one on the menu at Hawksmoor.  It was delicious, but different since it was on sourdough, not rye and mushrooms were an added bonus.  I have wanted to try a Reuben, but have yet to see one with corned beef.  Salami and salt beef are not suitable substitutes, in my opinion.

    This is the spectacular view from my side of the bed.  I am a very lucky lady!

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  • Random, Odd & Miscellaneous Things

    I hope you had a great weekend. Welcome to the week. These are things I couldn’t write an entire blog about, so I decided to give you a bunch of snippets.

    I’ve talked about my fascination with window washers.  I was sitting at the dining room table writing the blog, when these two descended from the roof.

    The escalators down to the tube are really steep. In some cases you are riding two or even three different ones. I guess that’s why the underground made great bomb shelters.

    These are not in any way enhanced photos of the magnificent sky. It was breathtaking. Plus, I wanted to share these beautiful roses I picked up at Waitrose.

    This was a cool sculpture. Most people probably walk by without noticing it hanging off the front of the NEXT store.

    Mike sends me a photo every night when he’s on his way home from the office.  Usually, he is showing me the people standing outside the pub, rain or shine.  I call them his POL or Proof of Life pictures.  I have recently starting sending them to him.

    The Korean Fried Cauliflower and Jap Chae Noodles at Seoul Bird were soooooo good. These other items I’ve recently seen on menus do not sound appetizing at all, though. I guess I’m not as food adventurous as I thought. I did have really delicious, more mainstream food, at this same restaurant, DanDan at Goodman’s Fields.

    Happy Monday! I hope your week is filled with smiles and laughter.

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  • Underground Art

    I recently found myself in the Gloucester Road underground station, rather than the more popular Victoria station, on a trip back to Canary Wharf.   I was delighted to set my eyes on this quite spectacular art installation that I would have completely missed had I not been dropped off here after my tour of Downton Abbey filming sights (more to come on that in a future blog).  Yes, I have seen live mice and rats in the underground, but these were much more welcome creatures to behold, Pond Life: Albertopolis and the Lily. I hope you can get a sense of the scale of this magnificent work. Rather than explain this exhibit, I will let you read the poster and the links I have provided here.  Once again, I feel lucky to have come across this when I did, since it looks like it will only be displayed until next month.

    From the little I have read about Monster Chetwyn, the artist who created this installation, she definitely sounds like an interesting character.  This piece is not referenced on her Wikipedia page.  Hopefully, that will be updated soon.  Unfortunately, I did not see the film, Who Named the Lily?, playing at the station, created by Monster, however, I have provided the link to that and a video of the making of this creation. Here you will see Monster in costume and out discussing her inspiration.  I was invited, again by Anne, my London culture ambassador, to explore the Tate Modern next week, where I will be sure to inquire about any Monster Chetwyn works housed there.  I hope this brings a little whimsy to your day.  Happy Friday!  Enjoy the weekend.

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  • Level 39

    (I love this model of Canary Wharf and the O2 and I got a real kick out of this giant floor lamp that looks like a desk lamp.)

    As a result of a Vertus sponsored AI presentation, I had the opportunity to work from Level 39 at One Canada Square (the building where I did the charity stair climb) in February and again last week.  It is a beautiful space with a spectacular view of London.  It was not very crowded so I was able to get a window seat when I first walked in around 11:00 am.  I couldn’t believe my luck.  There I sat, for the remainder of the day, until 8:00 pm when I was the last person off the floor. Can you blame me, with these views? I will admit it was a bit of a distraction and I wished that I had brought my binoculars to see what was in some of the barges and also to view the crowds of people at West India Quay for the after work weekday gatherings. You could even see the hot tub, BBQ rental boats, in addition to a couple of the guide dog statues, which I hope to tell you all about very soon.

    I didn’t take advantage of the lunch buffet (at greatly reduced prices) or the afternoon cookie treat.  In fact, I brought my own turmeric coconut milk latte from the cafe on the first floor and only used their hot water to make tea with my own tea bag, because I was there for the views. I don’t belong there.  It is mainly a space for tech start-ups, scale-ups and innovators, of which I am not, but I am happy they invited me to their space.  I felt very lucky to get a chance to work from there and hope I can again.  

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  • More Vertus+ Events

    Welcome to the week.  Here is an example of the wonderful social and fun events organized by the activities team of Dot & Brogan at Vertus.  I said it before and I’ll say it again, without the efforts of these two lovely hard working ladies, our time here would not be the enriched and rewarding experience it has been so far.  

    One of these events was the launch of the well-being library in each of the three Vertus buildings, which coincided with Book Club, so we had quite the spread of delectable treats, all cleverly and thoughtfully curated, including the nod to Harry Potter with Ferrero Rocher candies turned into quidditch golden snitches with the addition of wings and the candied books atop each of the cupcakes. In that little wooden box I found hidden treasures of chocolate shortbread. It was a treat I didn’t know existed. It has become my new favorite treat. Thankfully, I can purchase Belgian dark chocolate dipped chocolate shortbread at Waitrose to feed my habit.

    The monthly social gatherings are always fun, this particular event included an intense (by me) game of ping pong at BrewDog, where my neighbor humored my terrible play and was a gracious opponent.

    There are cooking classes (tiramisu last month and pasta this month), empowering, and wellness classes, like the meditation experience I partook in one recent early morning at Illusionaries, a very interesting immersive experience venue.  This is the description from the Illusionaries website:

    “Welcome to Illusionaries, a captivating experiential art hub nestled in London’s vibrant core, where contemporary digital art breaks new ground. Immerse yourself in a realm where the lines between reality and illusion fade as light, sound, and motion unite to create an awe-inspiring spectacle.”

    I can’t believe I don’t have a photo of the pebble floored room where we sat on cushioned “boulders”.  About three quarters of the way through the guided meditation, with a Third Space instructor, I panicked as I wondered how I would get up.  Thankfully, I managed without too much embarrassment.  These were the projected images in that room, so colorful and interesting.

    We have coffee mornings with breakfast from local restaurants, like this one catered by Ole & Steen. 

    Then there are little special additions to the regular monthly schedule, for example, the Easter weekend table spread of sweet treats provided in each building with Easter bunny paw prints leading from the lifts to the delight of the children (and those of us young at heart). 

    That same evening was our monthly social at The Parlour, which was a very happening and lively local restaurant where we gathered to greet and chit chat with our neighbors, new friends and the hostesses of the evening, the dynamic duo of Dot & Brogan.  One of my favorite events took place in December where it was encouraged that we travel from building to building with Dot & Brogan to socialize with our neighbors.  Mike and I were the only ones who tagged along to all three buildings and we had a blast.  Mike even got to ride in the buggy (a/k/a golf cart) to the last building.

    Unfortunately, there are events I’d love to participate in, but have to decline because of my work commitments. However, there are plenty that I can attend. Next up I am looking forward to the Friday Social at 640 East, the Coffee Morning catered by Paul (a French bakery and cafe) and, of course, our next Book Club, where we will be discussing The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

    Stay tuned because I have many more adventures in London (and further a field) to share. I love and welcome any comments you have. Enjoy a fabulous week!

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  • Noodles & Churros

    Here is a random photo of us outside the theater where we saw Backstairs Billy with Penelope Wilton (from Downton Abbey) and Luke Evans (from Beauty & the Beast and The Hobbit).

    In this installment, we’ll take a break from fashion and go back to food, noodles in particular.

    Indulge me in a trip (or two) down memory lane.  This is me in 2016 on our amazing trip to China.   When we arrived in the Yangpu District, Shanghai, China we were on our own to find dinner.  While many of our group wandered off to the Western restaurants like Pizza Hut and McDonald’s I remember spotting a couple of restaurants that looked interesting.  Unless I need the toilet, I usually steer clear of U.S. chain restaurants when I travel.  In order to get the fully immersive experience in other cities, you should eat where the locals eat.  Anyway, we decided on this restaurant where no one spoke English and everything was written in Chinese.  Thankfully, Google translate worked when Mike held up his phone to the menu board.  Mike went with the “meat” soup and I opted for the “spicy bird” soup.  While Mike was ordering, I was pointing out a sign that surprisingly was in English and said “Free WiFi”.  The cashier rang something up and I said, well, I guess it isn’t free after all.  It was a happy accident, because the man sitting at the table under the “Free WiFi” sign had a plate of soup dumplings and that is what the cashier thought we wanted.  Oh my, they were the first soup dumplings we ever tried. We fell in love with them, after we recovered from scalding our mouths with our first bite.  The soup was good, too. When we left the restaurant the tables were full and everyone had the soup dumplings. Apparently, they were the specialty of the house.

    That was before we embarked on a wonderful night time cruise where we felt like celebrities.  The Chinese people all wanted to take photos with us.  We got a big kick out of that.

    Recently, I wanted to try Marugame at the O2 mall.  Yes, it’s a chain, but since we are still in the exploration phase (even after a year), we thought we’d give it a try.  I don’t know if I ever had udon.  I did, however, have the most amazing soup of my life in a tiny little counter service soup shop in Tokyo near the Prince Akasaka hotel, where my dad and I stayed in 2007.  I have been on the hunt for something that even comes close.  (I’m still looking.) Unfortunately, Mike didn’t get what he ordered and ended up with katsu chicken over rice.  I did enjoy the udon and would go back to try more.  In fact, later that week I picked up an udon Too Good To Go goody bag.

    On our way back to the tube we noticed a churros stand, Churros Garcia, and thought it would be a perfect dessert to top off our meal.  The churros batter was fried while we waited and stuffed into a cup after being sufficiently doused in cinnamon sugar.  They were served with melted chocolate for dipping.  It was indulgently yummy. (Mike reminded me about the cute story line in The Brothers Sun about perfecting a churros recipe.)

    Aside from the cheap blocks of high sodium ramen noodles my parents bought by the case when I was a child, I can’t recall ever having good ramen.  My niece and nephews were in town recently and rave about a ramen place they love in Arizona, so I thought we should all try Ippudo for ramen at Crossrail Place on Canary Wharf.  The problem is that it is the only restaurant that has a sizeable line to get in at all times of the day.  The day they arrived we were all too hungry to wait and opted for noodles of a different sort, pasta at Emilia’s, which also was delicious and freshly made every day.

    But have no fear, on their last evening here, after flying back from Greece, we gave Ippudo another try, waited in the cold for about 20 minutes, but miraculously five seats opened up at the counter just for us.  We all slurped up the delicious noodles, broth, pork belly, with an egg, in record time and were on our way with full bellies, making room for the next batch of ramen lovers.  I don’t think the boys liked it as much as their Arizona ramen restaurant, but they were too kind to say.  In any case, we all enjoyed it and would go back for more ramen in a heartbeat, but preferably if there was no line snaking outside. (I added the photo of Ippudo and the line outside from last night.)

    This made me think of the adorably famous Lady & The Tramp pasta scene. You know the one. Tell me about your favorite noodle experience. Have a wonderful weekend.

    (Taken from the Disney Food Blog. I love this blog for all things Disney and rely on it heavily, even when I’m not planning a trip to Disney World.)

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  • Divas – Part II

    Contemporary Divas

    In my last post I failed to mention that when we first arrived at this V&A exhibit, we were given headphones. As you moved through the exhibition, music for each area was magically played in our headphones.  That was really clever and an additional special layer to the experience.  As my dad used to say “How do it know?”  I sit here laughing, because I googled the phrase and discovered that it was from an old, old joke according to the Urban Dictionary.  “Sir in your opinion what is the world’s greatest invention?” asked a student. The scientist replied “The thermos bottle!” “Why?” asked the student, obviously confused. ” Well” said the scientist, “it keeps cold drinks cold in the summer and hot drinks hot in the winter.” holding up his thermos bottle in awe, “How do it know?”

    I’m not a big fan of opera, so I do not know this performer, Joyce DiDonato. She was born in Kansas the same year I was born.  I was really taken by this amazing dress and how tiny her waist is, just 25 inches.  Of course that made me want to measure my thigh, which is 24 inches.  Yikes!  I did try to listen to her music, but unfortunately, I do not have an appreciation for opera and didn’t listen to much.

    I do, however, love most of these performers. 
    Rihanna (worn to Met Gala in 2018 and 2021, along with some of her other exquisite outfits):

    Cher (Check out these stunning Bob Mackie designs.):

    Sade (worn for her 1993 tour), Dolly (Who doesn’t love, Dolly? Does/did anyone have the 1978 Dolly doll?), and Adele (worn on the cover of British Vogue in 2021.  I love, love, love her voice.  Talk about a whole body transformation.  She is an inspiration.):

    Doja Cat (worn to an awards show in 2022), Grace Jones (1980 for the stage) and Annie Lennox (worn in her Little Bird video for her 1992 Diva album, while heavily pregnant) (I remember hearing an interviewer tell Annie how cool it would be to have her as a mom. She said her children did not think she was cool.):

    Tina Turner (The Flame Dress designed by Mackie in 1977), Janelle Monae’s Vulva Pants (worn on her Pynk music video in 2018) and Lil Nas X (worn at the MTV Music Awards in 2021) (I’m listening to his music as I write this. I’m surprised that I really like it. It’s got me bouncing to the beat. I respect and admire him for letting his freak flag fly.)

    Lizzo (worn at Global Citizen Live event in 2021), Amy Winehouse (worn at Brit Awards in 2007) (Anyone planning to see Back to Black? It’s the new movie about her life.  I plan to see it Friday.  My dad really liked her.  What a voice she had.  So sad that she was another celebrity tragedy.), Whitney Houston (worn to 1994 Grammy Awards) (As was this remarkably talented woman.):

    Bjork (worn for a performance in Iceland in 2021) (She’s worn many interesting dresses over the years, like the memorable swan dress.):

    Debbie Harry (worn for Blondie’s Tour in 1979),  Billie Eilish (worn to Glastonbury Festival in 2019),  Lady Gaga (worn to Golden Globes in 2019) (At least it wasn’t her meat dress. She has so many different looks and much talent.), and last, but certainly not least – Elton (worn to his 50th Birthday Party in 1997):

    I hope you have enjoyed my collection of photos and comments from the Diva Exhibition. Which is your favorite and why? I would love to hear from you.

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