Like its playgrounds, museums in London are busy places buzzing with visitors and activities. In my opinion, there are at least two reasons that they are so central to every day life: free admission and public transportation.

Being trained to get the maximum value for the dollar, I was excited about free admission to museums because of the “savings” I was getting. I soon realized there were other benefits as well. When I did go a museum, I could spend time looking at one gallery or even one piece of art because I knew I could go back again and again to see the other galleries and art. One afternoon I popped into the British Museum just to see the netsuke (Japanese carvings) they had on display. A few days later I went back and spent a few hours with the Elgin Marbles. And one afternoon when it was unusually slow, I was able get close to the exhibit of the Rosetta Stone which is usually mobbed with crowds.

Because I had no financial ‘risk,’ I also found that I went to museums I would normally not visit, which opened my horizons. I am not a big fan of interior design, but because it was free, I visited the Geffrey Museum and enjoyed looking at ‘family rooms’ from different eras. It gave me sense of history from a different perspective, and made me appreciate the comforts of home. 

Obviously, on a personal level I greatly appreciated and took advantage of the free admission to museums and cultural attractions. However, the most important aspect of the free admission is the public benefit.

Whenever I went to a museum it was busy – full of tourists, yes, but also locals and students. The tourists crowded in during regular operating hours. The locals took advantage of the late nights and special programs offered. Classes of young students sat on the floor in front of paintings to learn about subject matter, art genres, and history from museum educators. Older students – from teenagers to senior citizens – could be found sketching copies of the great masters or taking notes on design trends, science discoveries or archeological finds.

Visiting museums is much like playing together in a playground. When people play together ‘common experiences’ are created. When we play together – whether on a playground or in a museum – we learn how to work together. And when people work together amazing things can be accomplished.  Public transportation being one of them. But more on that later.