August 22, 2014
With her new job as a flight attendant with USAirways, Caroline is based in Philadelphia. We decided that it was time to visit her. Past time, actually.
Early (really early) on Friday morning, we headed to RDU to board a plane for Philadelphia. After an uneventful short flight, Caroline met us at the airport with train tickets in hand, and we headed into the city!
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| Train station! |
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| This picture is actually from our last day in Philly, when it was sunny, instead of our first day, when it was overcast. But the LOVE statue was one of the first things we saw when we left the train and walked up to the streets of Philadelphia. |
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| The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul |
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| Amazing architecture everywhere, and beautiful flowers in the must unexpected places! |
Walking, and resting, along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
The Mural Arts Program was started in 1984 to help get rid of graffiti--it would give Philadelphians a way to constructively show their talent. Today, there are more than 3,600 murals in Philly!
Swan Memorial Fountain in the middle of the traffic circle in Logan Square - love it!
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is lined with flags from countries around the world. Of course we had to stop and take a picture of the Georgian flag, because Caroline spent a year there as a Fulbright scholar. And then there was another photo op at The Franklin Institute with the airplane display!
The Washington Monument - across from the Art Museum
Who can go to Philly without visiting the Rocky statue at the Museum of Art?! And no, I didn't run up the steps singing the song. I did hum it as I walked up!
The Art Museum is very close to Caroline's apartment, so that was our next stop. Loved it! Very excited that she is able to live in the city and experience Philadelphia "close up and personal". And very excited to rest a bit before heading out again!
Caroline's apartment is just a few steps away from The Schuylkill River, a Pennsylvania Scenic River, and the river on which William Penn chose to build the city of Philadelphia in 1682. It is a heavily used recreation area now--for walking, running, biking and rowing among other things! The gorgeous boathouses are home to some of the oldest rowing clubs in the country.
The Art Museum is very close to Caroline's apartment, so that was our next stop. Loved it! Very excited that she is able to live in the city and experience Philadelphia "close up and personal". And very excited to rest a bit before heading out again!
Room with a view!
Looking down at the Schuylkil
Under the bridge
Good night Philadelphia! We loved our first day in your
City of Brotherly Love!
August 23, 2014
Good morning Philadelphia! We set out on foot to see as much of Philly as we could see. And there was SO much to see! We were fascinated by everything--the beautiful ironwork, the window boxes, the flowers and gardens and parks, the architecture. We loved it all!
We headed to Rittenhouse Square (one of the original five town squares planned by William Penn in the 17th century) where we were delighted to find a Farmers' Market in progress.
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| We sampled some of these delicious pastries! |
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| Rittenhouse Square |
It rained on us, but we boarded a hop-on hop-off bus and continued to explore.
William Penn stands watch on the top of the Philadelphia City Hall. It's an amazing building.
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge
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| The cemetery where parts of National Treasure were filmed. |
Finding our way around the Old City
Independence Hall (l) and Betsy Ross' House (r)
Christ Church - Founded in 1695
We were fortunate to arrive just in time to hear a presentation on this very historical church. It's known as "The Nation's Church" because of the famous Revolutionary-era leaders who worshiped here.
I would go back to Reading Terminal Market today if I could! So many delicious choices! I decided on a Philly Cheesesteak.
What else? The beautiful displays make you want to eat EVERYthing! I could get used to buying my produce here!
As our day drew to a close,
we walked back to our hotel--Club Quarters.
Another wonderful day in Philadelphia.
August 24, 2014
My favorite part of the Club Quarters hotel (which was entirely wonderful) was the cappuccino/latte/coffee bar in the lobby. Ha! It does not take much to please me! We grabbed a cup and headed out to meet Caroline at her apartment, and to see what we could see along the way. Interesting things around every corner!
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| Benjamin Franklin Institute |
We stumbled upon S. Clement's Rectory on Appletree Street, and found a
charming children's garden, where they grow vegetables and leave them
for anyone who needs them.
Benjamin Franklin statue--and the key at his feet! You know the story, right? He tied a key to the end of a kite string, and flew it during a storm to prove that metal really does conduct electricity. Obviously, he was right, but he - and we - are lucky that he lived to tell the tale!
"From the societies and public institutions that he helped found, to the
institutions and neighborhoods that bear his name, to the businesses
that today use his likeness, to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia is still very much Franklin's
city." http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/
Walk a little. Rest a little.
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| Eastern State Penitentiary (where the word penitentiary originated!) |
We visited the Eastern State Penitentiary, a prison that opened in 1929 and soon became the most famous prison in the world. It was built on the premise that "the Penitentiary would not simply punish, but move the criminal toward
spiritual reflection and change. The method was a Quaker-inspired system
of isolation from other prisoners, with labor. The early system was
strict. To prevent distraction, knowledge of the building, and even mild
interaction with guards, inmates were hooded whenever they were outside
their cells. But the proponents of the system believed strongly that
the criminals, exposed, in silence, to thoughts of their behavior and
the ugliness of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent. Thus the
new word, penitentiary." The public quickly became concerned "about the effectiveness and compassion of solitary confinement. Was it
cruel to hold these men and women without outside visitors, without
books or letters from home, without contact with the outside world?
Accounts vary." http://www.easternstate.org/learn/research-library/history
It was so EERIE! And very very interesting.
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| Al Capone was one of the more famous criminals imprisoned here. |
Tim was especially interested in the greenhouse at the penitentiary. Maybe he'll build one for us!
We boarded the hop-on hop-off trolley (with our 2-day pass) and continued on our way!
We found ourselves back at the Reading Terminal Market again, and enjoyed our little photo shoot across the street. Who ever complains of having too many pictures?
Took this picture of the Drake hotel from the sidewalk in front of a music store. The art deco style hotel was built in 1928-29, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Place. (One of my favorite pictures--I love the violin silouette.)
Day three in Philly - PERFECT
Beautiful homes, condominiums, and apartments line the streets near Rittenhouse Square, and we found ourselves back here after a long day of exploring. We said good-bye to Caroline, because we knew we would not be able to see her the next day, and headed back to Club Quarters
Day three in Philly - PERFECT
August 25, 2014
We loved the Monopoly references in Philadelphia! Your Move is a plaza across the street from LOVE Park that is like a giant game board. There are dominoes, checkers, bingo chips, and Parcheesi, but my favorites were the Monopoly pieces. So much fun!
And there are the railroad references! (No B&O or Short Line though.)
Remember Water Works? (I always liked to buy up the utilities in Monopoly.) The Fairmount Water Works was initially built between 1812 and 1815 on the east bank of the Schuylkill River. It initially consisted of a 3 million gallons earthen reservoir on top of Faire Mount, which is where the Art Museum is now located.
Go Directly to Jail? Some say the jail is the Eastern State Penitentiary! The most famous board game in the world may have been based on the streets of Atlantic City, but there is certainly some history in Philadelphia too!
Knowing that it was our last day, we tried to see as much as we could.
Historic Masonic Temple
We walked in, around, and through the beautiful City Hall.
Oh Philly, we did LOVE you! We'll be back.
