I lived in Philly for several years, though I never got to explore it that much. I was a college student (broke and distracted). 'Nuff said. So its been nice in years since to visit and "discover" gems. I stayed at a hotel in Center City (downtown). Philadelphia's City Hall is an amazing structure. It's an interesting dichotomy: an elaborate structure in the center of a city incorporated by Quakers.
City Hall has portals from every direction. The facade of each portal has a theme. I was drawn to and spent a lot of time examining the West portal. This was the entrance that prisoners heading for trial would use. The reliefs and statues on this facing depict images of prayer, meditation, admonition and forgiveness. They also contain images of Native Americans to depict the American frontier.
I lived and spent most of my waking time in North Philly so I took a gander at the North facing portal. This facade is dedicated to Europe and local government. I love the the thought and the skill that went into this structure. I could have spent all day here.
About twenty or so years ago the City created the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network to beautify communities and combat graffiti and vandalism. This is one of the murals in my old neighborhood - Spring Garden/Art Museum.
On the crafting front, I have been pretty quiet. I have several projects on the needles, but so far only one with a self-imposed deadline. For my first ever Rhinebeck festival, I am making a Central Park Hoodie. I know, I know, I am a little late to the party, but I have never made myself anything except a hat and a pair of fingerless mitts so I am very excited. I took it to Philly with me.
Central Park [Hoodie] meets Fairmount Park!
Lastly, I took a self-guided walking tour. The city has all of these signs denoting historic events. Very cool.
3 comments:
Love the mural! I was going to make a Central Park Hoodie even downloaded the pattern. Then I found this one. I like the back of this better but I like to be able to zip up the front. I'll have to add some form of closure to the Susie Hoodie. I now own both patterns.
That is possibly the coolest mural ever! Love how the old medieval folk are mixed with the modern day folks. I had no idea Mother Jones lived to be 100 and was from Ireland to boot. Thanks for the history lesson. I should take the family down to Philly for a weekend of fun. But I might never make it out of Reading Terminal market.
I hope life stops kicking butt soon. And thanks for the rest of the tour. That's beautiful light in the second photo and an incredible mural. Looking forward to seeing your first-ever Rhinebeck hoodie!
Post a Comment