Interviewer:  So, Erica, you've finally returned home after another fascinating day on the town.

Erica:  It's raining!

Interviewer:  Tell me about your day.

Erica:  It's raining!  Oh--what?  My day?  Well, today was a class fieldtrip, so our teacher led me and the only other two students who showed up through both Soho and the grandest part of the West End.  Until the 18th century, Soho was a very upper class region, but after that, it slid steadily downhill.  By Charles Dickens' time, it was a seedy, promiscuous spot, and it still retains that sort of a reputation today.  Regent's Street divides Soho from the glamorous, ritzy West End (which, ironically, used to be the lower-class side of town).  By the 18th century, Regent's Street was the high-class place to be.  It's the home of the Royal Academy of the Arts and a lot of other snooty, neo-classical buildings.  Surprisingly, though, most of London's greatest art and literature came from Soho.

Interviewer:  Is that so?  Did you pass any streets or houses of importance?

Erica:  Oh yes!  My teacher pointed out the very buildings where several well-known authors used to live (William Hazlitt, Fanny Burney, Karl Marx, Percy Shelley, William Blake, etc.).  Some of the original structures have been replaced by modern structures, but surprisingly, quite a few of the actual, 18th-century homes still stand.

Interviewer:  Where did the tour end?

Erica:  At the National Portrait Gallery.  Our teacher left us there to browse, and I was able to find original paintings of Dickens, the Austen sisters, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, etc.  It was quite exciting!

Interviewer:  Then where did you head?

Erica:  To Tesco to get some cheap lunch.  I was starving, and I'd only packed a nectarine which the guards at the National Portrait Gallery made me throw away ("No eating!").   Then I decided to take a closer look at two grand-looking theaters I'd passed with my class earlier:  Her Majesty's Theatre and the Haymarket Theatre.  When I discovered that Judi Dench is starring in "Hay Fever" (a British comedy from the 20's) at the Haymarket Theatre, I went crazy!  I adore Judi Dench (she's my favorite character in the movie version of "The Importance of Being Earnest"), and I would give almost anything for the chance to see her perform live.  I went into the theater and asked if they ever offered last-minute discount tickets, but the man at the ticket booth said they don't because the show is so enormously popular.  I was disappointed, but I decided to look around for tickets online when I got home.  At first, all I found were sites proclaiming that all shows were "sold out" (the play ends on August 4th).  Then, finally, I found a ticket for 55 pounds.   That was a little steep, so I kept looking.  At last, to my delight, I was able to snatch up a 20 pound gallery seat ticket.  I know I've got to stop spending money on theater performances, but this was one show I just couldn't miss!  I'm thrilled to the tips of my toes, and I can't wait to attend the play.

Interviewer:  Was that the end of your day?

Erica:   Oh no!  I've jumped ahead of myself.  After lunch, I walked into St.-Martin-in-the-Fields and was able to look around a bit.  Tomorrow, the church is offering a free lunchtime music concert which I'm definitely going to attend.  St. Martin is renowned for its high-quality music!  St. Martin is right next to the National Gallery, so I also decided to explore the museum in depth (since I only got to browse last time my group passed by).  The gallery is absolutely massive!  It covers seven centuries of art (1200-1900).  I passed so many original Michelangelos, Raphaels, Van Goghs, Picassos, Monets, Renoirs, Rembrandts, and Seurats that my head began to swim.  That seems to happen a lot these days!  In the museum giftshop, I purchased seven of my favorite paintings on postcards--including Raphael's "Madonna of the Pinks," Renoir's "At the Theatre," Monet's "The Water-Lily Pond," and Van Gogh's "Chair."

Interviewer:  Did you return home after that?

Erica:  No, I decided to visit the Natural History Museum.  I'm so glad I did!  Although science isn't really my "thing," the displays were absolutely fascinating--probably since they're geared toward children.  :-)  There was a section on human biology with plenty of hands-on activities and demonstrations, and a room dedicated to life-sized optical illusions.  I also discovered a gallery full of dinosaur bones and exhibits and a huge, mechanical T-Rex!  I spent a couple of hours exploring the different "zones," and then headed back to the tube station to--yes!--come home and call it a day.

Interviewer:   Sounds exciting!  Thank you for accepting this interview.

Erica:  My pleasure.  By the way, did I mention that it was raining?