England 2018: Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper Vision

Since high school, I’ve enjoyed reading true crime books and in particular, anything involving the mystery of Jack the Ripper. In the late 1800’s five prostitutes were brutally murdered in London’s Whitechapel neighborhood. A serial killer, whose identity has never been solved, taunted the police with cryptic letters signed “Jack the Ripper.” Not only is the identity of the murderer still a mystery, but he may have killed more than five people.

One of my London tourist goals was to take a Jack the Ripper crime tour. Even though his crimes occurred nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, the Ripper lore still captures the public’s imagination. To this end, there were many different Ripper tours to choose from. So many different tour companies in fact, that we shared space with other tours for a majority of the evening.

Naturally, a Ripper tour takes place at dusk for maximum effect.

I took the tour with my niece, Pippa, who lives in England. Pippa has been a great sport, joining me for various London outings. She was coming from class, so we met at the Whitechapel tube station. The Whitechapel tube station has several entrances/exits, on opposite sides of the street, so we had some confusion with meeting each other. If you’re taking the tube to a Ripper tour, I recommend allowing for extra time.

We planned to meet early enough for dinner and decided on sushi. I adore sushi and I have to say, we have awesome sushi in California. Even cheap sushi, is usually top-notch. I’ve not experienced good sushi in Europe or even within the US, when traveling outside of California.

Dinner was at a quick-serve chain restaurant called Wasabi Bento & Sushi. My visit was just two weeks after the royal wedding and I couldn’t resist trying the When Harry Met Meghan box. I have no idea what spicy tuna had to do with the royal couple, but it was a fun tie-in. That said, this was very much “not yummy California sushi,” but to be fair, it was also not freshly made.

For dessert, we had lattes and cakes at the ExMouth Coffee Company. I highly recommend this cute cafe, plus for a bonus, head to the bathroom where they have fun art on the wall and a nod to Jack.

Our guide was Ripper expert M.P. Priestley, who is also author of the book, Jack the Ripper: One Autumn in Whitechapel. As you might expect, he was selling copies of his book at the end of the tour. I like to always support authors, so I bought a copy, although I’ve not had the chance to read it. Throughout the tour, Priestley gave plenty of background information regarding the leading suspects, but when he gave the pitch to buy his book, he basically teased that the book would give his real, expert opinion on the true identity of the killer.

Here is Priestley in action, the guy in the grey cap.

I was pumped for this tour and after decades of interest, how could I not be? I’m not sure what I was actually expecting, but it definitely wasn’t even in the top twenty of favorite things that I’ve done in London. Priestley was a good tour guide: energetic, enthusiastic, and knowledgable. The walking tour lasted about 90 minutes and he was a good storyteller, setting the stage for the events as he took us to crime scene locations. In addition, he pointed out other London landmarks, like the Gherkin Building.

The Whitechapel area is certainly worth a visit. It has historic buildings and cobblestone streets that mix with modern businesses. Here are a few pictures.

As odd as it sounds to say this, I enjoyed seeing the crime scene sites and walking around Whitechapel. It brought to life everything that I had previously read. However, the tour didn’t add any new information to what I already knew. If anything, the information felt basic, like Wikipedia level and was perhaps best-suited for those with limited knowledge of the case.

Everyone on our tour was intrigued by the promise of “Ripper Vision.” We didn’t know what to expect, but it felt like it would give added value when compared to other tour operators. We were taken under a bridge and Priestley cast pictures from the Ripper case on to a wall. This was “Ripper Vision.” I guess it was nice, but they hype made me think it would be more impressive. It really wasn’t much better than if he had passed around a few laminated photos.

Behold! Ripper Vision!

The tour wasn’t very expensive. I think about twenty pounds each. I’m glad that I took it, otherwise it would have always been on my London bucket list. That said, I’m not sure that I would recommend it. There are so many amazing things to do in London, including great tours, that the Ripper Tour didn’t come close to matching with regarding to the quality or being memorable.

Book Review- Scott Johnston's Campusland

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with debut author Scott Johnston’s novel, Campusland, in exchange for an honest review.

Devon University is a “not-quite Ivy League” east-coast institution that has provided a quality education for generations. Through fond memories and rich traditions, Devon has built a strong group of wealthy alumni, who are happy to support their alma matter, as long as it continues to reflect the values they treasure.

However, there is a problem. The world is changing and life at Devon is beginning to reflect the most extreme state of these changes.

Campusland is a satire and it is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Johnston pokes at several issues, however important they may be, that have spiraled out of control due to a lack of common sense. For example, when Freshman student Lulu Harris takes a spill and is injured on campus, no one will believe her when she tells them the truth: she was not sexually assaulted. Instead of believing the truth, the situation escalates to the point that Lulu feels that she has to name an accuser and decides to point the finger at her professor, Eph Russell.

Lulu is complicated. She is a NYC party girl, who is stuck at a college far from the city and is feeling her status slip away. She has failed at making friends and can’t seem to catch a break. Lulu had a bit of a crush on Eph and his rejection stung, however she did not initially intend on blaming him or anyone else. She tried to tell the truth, but no one would believe her word. When she names Eph as her attacker, she realizes that she has an opportunity to promote her social status through a social cause. In a calculated move, Lulu starts a nightly ritual of crawling through campus. Lulu’s crawl is silent and she never speaks of her “assault,” however other people assume that she is making a statement and speaking on behalf of all sexual assault victims. Lulu becomes a sensation and she doesn’t correct any of the assumptions.

Currently, with so many powerful men being accused of sexual assault, there is such outcry at women not being believed when they are attacked, this shows the same problem in a reverse situation. Lulu was never attacked, but no one will believe her. She is only believed, when she becomes the victim that people want her to be. Her voice has actually been silenced by the very people who pretend to support her. It’s sick.

Eph, the true victim, is a white male from the South and he is helpless as his career go down the drain. Not only is he accused by Lulu, but prior to the Lulu situation, his course syllabus comes under attack by students accusing him of racism for teaching “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and for not including more writers of color. Eph has counter argument to their accusations, but the momentum of this group, including many students who are not enrolled in his class, grows. Eph keeps expecting that his luck will change and that surely having truth on his side will prevail. However, not even the clearest proof of his innocence will stop those who want him gone. By virtue of his historical power of being a white male, he is not allowed to be the victim and the people who have the power to help him, see it as a loss, if they accept the truth of his innocence.

At Devon, having power is more important than morals or truth. Fairness is a sham.

Campusland reflects a world where common sense is missing and extremism rules. This is a story world where people are very divided and there is no room for civil debate. It is uncomfortable and reflects our current world with a “You’re either with us or against us” attitude.

I loved Campusland. Johnston’s novel is a hilarious page-turner that is a keen observation of our society. I can’t wait to read Johnston’s next book.

England 2018: Grant Museum of Zoology

Although small in size, the Grant Museum of Zoology is packed with wonders of natural science.

Located on the University College London campus, this free museum is filled with rare and interesting zoological specimens. This “dead zoo” has the vibe of walking into a Victorian curiosity cabinet.

It’s sublime. I spent about forty-five minutes engrossed in the exhibits.

Although free, nothing in life is truly free, and many of the specimens in the Grant Museum of Zoology are very old. The collection began in 1827 and it is one of the oldest natural history museums in England. These delicate treasures need care and although Trump has made “great again” a negative phrase, I think it works in this context.

One of the first exhibits is the Quagga: The rarest skeleton in the world. This alone was worth the visit. Unfortunately, I could not get a great picture of it for this review, however seeing it in person is far more impressive. The absence of a picture and promise of something incredible is the nudge I’m giving you to visit the Grant Museum of Zoology for yourself.

Besides the very rare, the museum also houses the smallest of specimens in its Micrarium. The Micrarium is filled with slides of tiny species from the animal kingdom.

The Grant Museum of Zoology is absolutely stuffed ( pun intended) with animals. This one-room museum has a second floor that is not for visitors, yet animals peer down from above. Here are several pictures that I took while exploring.

You might have noticed on the above pictures, that some of the exhibits are “adopted” by individuals. In addition to the collection box for “Making Taxidermy Great Again,” the museum has a program where people can donate to sponsor a particular exhibit. As soon as I have some spare funds, I’m going to do this and I know what I need to adopt.

I’m pushing Becca Valentine aside and getting my Flamingo skull. I have a love/hate relationship with flamingos. As a child, they were my favorite animal. In sixth grade, we had to write a report regarding what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to work at the zoo and I wrote to the Los Angeles Zoo, enlisting a keeper to answer my questions. The front of my report had a photograph of the Flamingo exhibit.

Be careful what you wish for…

Flash-forward a few decades and I found myself volunteering for the zoo’s behavioral research department. I ended up on a project where I spent over 2000 hours observing flamingos. They are foul fowl! I’m no longer enchanted by flamingos, but of course flamingos persist in my life. Flamingo themed items are everywhere and now, to friends and family, I am associated with flamingos. So, I fear there is no other choice, but to adopt the flamingo skull.

Or perhaps the other creature of my nightmares…

I didn’t know about Lampreys until a few years ago and they are the real-life monsters from a B-Horror film. I wrote all about living ones that we saw at the Bonneville Dam in Oregon. Check it out.

To some, it may seem creepy, morbid, or perhaps even unethical to keep a collection of animal specimens. However, many of items in the collection are generations old and animal specimens are a vital way that scientists can study animals, both those that are currently living and those that have become extinct.

Studying animals can help to understand and preserve species that are still roaming the planet. It can help us better understand ourselves and our environment. I highly recommend the Grant Museum of Zoology as an educational, fascinating, and important place to visit in London.