by On a frigid January day off, we decided to spend the day in Philadelphia, Penn., to knock some more museums and historical sites off of our list.
This sculpture of Benjamin Franklin went from “cool” to “creepy”, depending on your position relative to it.
It was designed by Alexander Generalis and Thomas Miles, installed in 1992, and is named Big Ben at Franklin Town.
The Shakespeare Memorial by Alexander Stirling Calder was created in 1926 but not moved to its current location in Logan Square until 1953. It features Hamlet (Tragedy) leaning his head against a knife, and Touchstone (Comedy) with his head rolled back in laughter. It is inscribed “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” (from As You Like It).
The Philadelphia Pennsylvania LDS Temple was dedicated in 2016, which probably explains why I felt it look almost fake next to the old buildings beside it.
Doug picked up on the fact that the columns on the exterior matched the building next door, so hopefully it just needs some time to age properly.
The Race Street Meetinghouse has been home to Quaker meetings continuously since 1856. It is part of the Friends Center campus that works for peace and justice; its American Friends Service Committee won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.
Since we were walking right past and it was free for us, we ducked into the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, even though we knew the academy itself (what we really wanted to see) was closed. We did a quick spin through the open exhibit space, most of which did not capture our attention. However, I did like these works by John Rhoden and Richanda Phillips Rhoden, both of which are “Untitled” screen prints from 2019.
We went to Reading Terminal Market (cover photo) in search of some “must have” items. Its origins date to 1893, and today this indoor market is home to more than 100 vendors offering quite a variety, from fresh flowers, produce, and meat, to bakeries, smoothies, and many made-to-order specialty foods. Bassett’s Ice Cream has had a stall since the beginning; they were on my list to try, but it was a frigid day and we were already full from the other items on our list. One bakery item we were in search of was unavailable, so we’ll have to go back someday anyway!
