All the Tates are free

For my first post, I'll start with the magnificent five Tate galleries: two are in London, two are hundreds of km away, and "the fifth Tate" is online, where all the works of art appear.

Tate Britain is the oldest one. Until the early 1990s it was the only one, so it was just The Tate. Then younger siblings appeared, so it changed its name (and somehow lost the "the"). It's in Pimlico, on the north side of the River Thames, not far from the Houses of Parliament. I think the location suits its atmosphere, as the most "establishment" of the Tates.

Tate Modern got a lot of attention when it opened almost ten years ago, and rightly so. Everyone knows the building: the old power station on the south bank of the Thames, opposite St Paul's Cathedral , to which it is connected by the Millenium Bridge. You could say that Tate Modern is located in the power station, but many visitors would say that the building is the gallery. The huge central space, the Turbine Hall, is filled with a different giant artwork every few months.

At the moment there are several enormous slides. I went on one last week. I had to queue for half an hour because they are so popular. The ride down lasted a few seconds; I lay down on a special little blanket they give you, and folded my arms as the attendant told me too. Wheee! It was fun, but is it art?