I’m in the beautiful historic Latham Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. April and my papa are asleep, and my mom is reading while I take a moment to myself to reflect on the past couple of days. My feet are aching, hot and heavy. I’m absolutely exhausted from a day of pounding the pavement and the marble and wooden-floored art galleries in this, the sixth biggest city in the USA.
Philly is really an impressive town. America certainly knows how to do grandiose. The boulevards are enormous. Huge skyscrapers looking down upon great stretches of grass and monumental statues and fountains. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is lined with the flags of the world, arranged alphabetically, keeping your eyes transfixed as you wander past scores of museums, from the easily recognizable Philadelphia Museum of Art (think of the steps in Rocky III) all the way past the Free Library and the science museums.
You can tell that the city was prosperous at the turn of the 20th century by the impressive art nouveau and art deco architecture that weaves its way through the downtown. My personal favourite period, these early skyscrapers are really something to behold.
In a nutshell, we drove down yesterday from the cottage. April was an absolute star, and the 6 1/2 hour drive wasn’t bad at all. We got in around 10:30pm, when April woke up and proceeded to whirl around the room like a little dervish, waving her hands and rushing back and forth, especially excited by the toilet (into which she recently discovered one can throw things).
This morning, we walked to the Museum district in the sweltering heat. It was already 30 degrees when we arrived at the Rodin Museum around 11am. Fortunately, it was air conditioned. Absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen so many of his works in one place. Our day continued to be blissful when, after lunch, we continued on the the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they currently have a Renoir Exhibit. Above all things, Renoir believed that art was meant to be beautiful. There is something about his paintings that simply uplifts the soul. Plus, looking at them with a couple of pints of beer in you can enhance ones appreciation and make carrying a sleeping baby for two hours much less gruelling.
After Renoir, we wandered around the general collection which is dumbfounding. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would see so many famous modern paintings as I saw today. April thoroughly enjoyed herself too, making friends with the security guards in just about every room.
After a quick break back at the hotel, we headed to Chinatown for dinner at Sang Kee Peking Duck House. Yum!
I am so glad to be on a little holiday with my parents. How awesome is going to a city you’ve never visited, looking at incredible art and eating delicious food? Thank you parentals!
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