A new daily post, highlighting the best things to do around town today (that aren’t fully booked). We welcome additions in the comments.
Events
- TICKET ALERT: A very small number of tickets for the world premiere of Skyfall, the new Bond film, go on sale at 9am.
- TRAINS: Today’s your last chance to ride on one of the olde-stylee Metropolitan Line trains before they’re withdrawn from service. Ian Visits has the timetable. All day
- BOOKS: Be among the first to view Lord Byron’s presentation copy of Frankenstein — inscribed by Mary Shelley — and related artefacts at Peter Harrington, Fulham Road, on show for one week only. Free (closed Sunday)10am-6pm
- FILM: The Raindance Film Festival opens for two weeks of independent film at the Apollo, Piccadilly Circus. Just turn up or prebook. 6pm
- SCIENCE: Late opening at the Science Museum…let the engines whir, the booze flow, the children stay at home. Free, just turn up, 6.45-10pm
- FREE FOOD: The Royal Albert china company serves up free tea, macaroons and cakes from a van in Bloomsbury Square. You’re also encouraged to dress up in quintessentially British garb. Free, just turn up 11am-5pm
- MORE BOOKS: Peter F Hamilton’s at Waterstones in Trafalgar Square at 2pm and Margaret Drabble’s at Daunt Marylebone, 7pm
- DRINK: Museum of London Docklands yo-ho-hosts an evening devoted to rum, with tastings, talks and workshops. Needs booking, 7pm
- FILM: Should the weather cooperate, More London’s Scoop on the South Bank will screen the 1951 classic A Street Car Named Desire. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
- FLIGHT: A panel, including Iain Sinclair and Bettany Hughes, discusses flight, in all its various forms, at Wellcome Collection. Free, but needs booking, 7.30pm
Random Fact of the Day
At a little over 309 metres, the Shard is plenty longer than the upended Titanic (269 metres). It would, however, be dwarfed by the world’s longest floaters, the E Class Maersk container ships, which are 397 metres long. There’s no special reason you need to know this, but we fancied a bit of dicking about in Photoshop.
Weather
OK, so we got it torrentially wrong yesterday, predicting all-day rain when there was just a brief downpour. We’ll hedge our bets today by forecasting at least one of the following: rain, sunshine, light winds, mist and a crescent moon. To be fair, that’s also what BBC Weather are saying. They clearly know nothing, for the moon is currently waxing gibbous. Idiots.
Secretly Hidden False Rumour of the Day
Porridge is the only meal that Boris Johnson is able to cook. He hates porridge.
