For our last day in Philadelphia, Mon and I caught the train downtown for some sightseeing in the business and cultural districts. The weather man called for rain so we dressed appropriately; long sleeves and rain jackets. But the weatherman was wrong and by 9:00 it was clear blue skies and inching up over 20 degrees. We were already sweating when we got off the train.
It was just a short walk to Logan Square where we saw the beautiful Swann Memorial Fountain, the parade of Nations flags and the gorgeous Bacilica of Saints Peter and Paul (see Gallery/World Windows for all photos).
Then we proceeded along Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art, stopping first to visit the Rodin museum along the way. Most of his more notable sculptures were on display but my favorite was the massive “Gates of Hell” which Rodin worked on for 37 years until his death in 1917.
Arriving at the foot of the stairs to the Art museum, we had our photo taken with the famous Rocky Balboa sculpture and then climbed the steps to enter the museum. Three hours later we emerged overwhelmed by this vast collection of art from America, Europe, and Asia covering 3000 years of art history. Really fascinating and equally as impressive at other major museums we have visited.
Right next door to the art museum is the Perlman Building (part of the Art Museum complex). There we saw the library and archives of the work of Violet Oakley and the Red Rose Girls (female Philadelphia illustraters). Violet was the woman who painted the murals in the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown we saw yesterday. We also saw the painted glass work of Lino Tagliapietra who Dale Chihuly called “perhaps the greatest living glass blower in the world”. Awesome!
By 2:00 pm it was 27 degrees and blazing sun. So instead of walking, we caught the bus to Rittenhouse Square to enjoy the beautiful flowers and several public sculptures amid the gardens. The park was full of people (some quite colorful) enjoying this lovely afternoon.
Right around the corner of the square, we found a delightful Italian restaurant, D’Angelo’s, and gorged on salad and pasta (anchovie for me and bolognese for Mon).
After dinner, and too full to stride along with determination, we shuffled slowly through the park and along the busy streets, through the courtyard of City Hall and finally to the Jefferson train station to catch to 7:00 train home to Chestnut Hill. Another memorable day with lots of photos to sort through. Tomorrow we leave Philadelphia and head to Amish Country.
Here are the photo highlights of day 6 – New Philadelphia
nellyglass studio 