I visited the Tate Modern with my children just after it opened and absolutely loved it. It was crowded and we had to queue for ages to get drinks, but nothing could spoil the experience. The Turbine Hall with the Louise Bourgeois towers. The Riley, Picasso and Mondrian. The paintings, drawings, slide shows, sculptures and installations.
I've always been a museum fan (Natural History and Science Museums in London, Foundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, Getty Centre at Los Angeles, Eureka in Halifax) and a modern art and design fan (Klee, Miró, Rams, Riley, Norman) so the Tate was almost made for me.
And now I'm a Tate Member. Anne gave me the membership as a birthday present. along with a great dinner at CAFÉ 7 where we watched the sun set over the Thames. Now we can use the members areas at all the Tate galleries and see all the special exhibitions for free — including the recent Turner, Monet, Whistler at Tate Britain and Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern.
After 100 years, Britain finally seems to have turned a corner and accepted modernism. It too often turns into a snobbish consumerism but mostly it's democratic and fun.
John