Welcome to another brisk and ever-so-slightly treacherous day in the UK! The weather here in West Yorkshire and, indeed, over most of the country is cold, icy, and threatening more of the same for the rest of the week. In fact, I’m home today because without a car, it was just too dangerous to try to get to the bus stop, let alone work. Schools remain closed save the ones running exams today, and everyone is generally continuing to hunker down and stay indoors and warm.
So what to do if you find yourself here in the UK when the weather’s showing itself to be rather difficult? I’m glad you asked. In this, the second volume of What To Do When It’s This Bloody Cold Outside, we’re going to visit the National Media Museum in Bradford. Formerly called the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the name became the National Media Museum in order to keep up with the rapidly changing face of media in Britain. The museum includes such attactions as the first IMAX cinema in Britain (built/opened in 1983), “TV Heaven,” an exhibit that allows visitors to view classic British television dating back as far as 1946, and many other educational exhibits focusing on the history and future of media in all of its forms. The BBC has a functioning studio within the museum where visitors can see news stories being assembled and broadcast on the web for BBC West Yorkshire, and one of the exhibits even lets visitors take a live part in a “broadcast” that can be seen by other visitors on a monitor.
If you’re a follower of my personal blog, Isn’t the Lettuce Brave?, you may remember my post about my experience seeing the movie Avatar in IMAX 3D at the NMM. The movie aside, I want to praise the staff and the overall experience. I have been in other IMAX theatres and rarely have I found the seats as comfortable as those at the NMM. Trivial thing to some, I know, but when you’re sitting through a movie as long as Avatar, it becomes important. The staff are also welcoming and very helpful. My husband is six foot five inches tall, and as a result didn’t fit comfortably in the seats in the General area. A quick word with one of the staff and we were moved to the Disabled area (due to there being empty seats at that showing) where he had more legroom and could enjoy the film.
Making a Dalek's acquaintance at the NMM, Summer 2007
All in all, this is a fantastic day out during the season when the days are dramatically shorter. The museum is a five minute walk from Bradford Interchange railway station and accessible by the Free City Bus that stops at Bradford Forster Square railway station.
Winter Tourism, Volume Two: National Media Museum, Bradford
Welcome to another brisk and ever-so-slightly treacherous day in the UK! The weather here in West Yorkshire and, indeed, over most of the country is cold, icy, and threatening more of the same for the rest of the week. In fact, I’m home today because without a car, it was just too dangerous to try to get to the bus stop, let alone work. Schools remain closed save the ones running exams today, and everyone is generally continuing to hunker down and stay indoors and warm.
So what to do if you find yourself here in the UK when the weather’s showing itself to be rather difficult? I’m glad you asked. In this, the second volume of What To Do When It’s This Bloody Cold Outside, we’re going to visit the National Media Museum in Bradford. Formerly called the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the name became the National Media Museum in order to keep up with the rapidly changing face of media in Britain. The museum includes such attactions as the first IMAX cinema in Britain (built/opened in 1983), “TV Heaven,” an exhibit that allows visitors to view classic British television dating back as far as 1946, and many other educational exhibits focusing on the history and future of media in all of its forms. The BBC has a functioning studio within the museum where visitors can see news stories being assembled and broadcast on the web for BBC West Yorkshire, and one of the exhibits even lets visitors take a live part in a “broadcast” that can be seen by other visitors on a monitor.
If you’re a follower of my personal blog, Isn’t the Lettuce Brave?, you may remember my post about my experience seeing the movie Avatar in IMAX 3D at the NMM. The movie aside, I want to praise the staff and the overall experience. I have been in other IMAX theatres and rarely have I found the seats as comfortable as those at the NMM. Trivial thing to some, I know, but when you’re sitting through a movie as long as Avatar, it becomes important. The staff are also welcoming and very helpful. My husband is six foot five inches tall, and as a result didn’t fit comfortably in the seats in the General area. A quick word with one of the staff and we were moved to the Disabled area (due to there being empty seats at that showing) where he had more legroom and could enjoy the film.
Making a Dalek's acquaintance at the NMM, Summer 2007
All in all, this is a fantastic day out during the season when the days are dramatically shorter. The museum is a five minute walk from Bradford Interchange railway station and accessible by the Free City Bus that stops at Bradford Forster Square railway station.