National Portrait Gallery

Just spent several hours enjoying the National Portrain Gallery. This is a great place to gain a comprehensive look of the Kings and Queens of England, along with other notable historical figures. I suggest starting on the top, then moving down, which follows the flow of the years in which they were painted. Two important hints that the guidebooks won't tell you. Don't get the audio tour- while it is very informative and has some nice voice clips and background information, it isn't necessary. There is sufficient information next to each portrait to have an idea of the person's significance. Secondly, don't miss the only portrait of Jane Austen, which is quite easy to skip. It is tiny, and in a poorly lit case (to protect it from the light). I saw many people walk right by it without noticing, only looking at the larger portraits on the walls. To find the current locations of this portrait, and some of the other famous ones, either look it up beforehand on the web, or look it up on the computers at the museum- the map will not tell you!

The museum is full of several floors of all kinds of paintings and art and is most interesting, as well as a respite when you're tired of walking in the hot outdoors. The cafe at the top of the museum I cannot comment on, because we sat there for 30 minutes before finally leaving while nobody came to take our order.

I actually liked this better than the adjacent National Gallery. It's essentially an art museum for history buffs. You get to see thousands of portraits of all those famous Brits, from kings to poets to physicists throughout Britain's glorious and fascinating history. In a nutshell, it's a who's who of Britain, wrapped up in one museum.

There was also a bizarre but memorable temporary exhibition of various athletes (possibly gearing up for London 2012) during my visit. Inside, you'll find a bunch of athletes and olympians posing nude for AIDS awareness, including French footballer Thierry Henry, one of the Williams tennis sisters, and of course...wait for it.....Buffalo Bills wideout TERRELL "T.O." OWENS! There was also a downright creepy "portrait," which was a continuous loop of a video of David Beckham asleep.

Very much different from the National Gallery. I'd say the National Portrait Gallery is well worth a visit in its own right.