Philly Down Town

Hey, its already my second weekend in then land of opportunity. So it was about time to do some proper sight seeing. And thats what I did... on Saturday at about 9am I took light rail in the Eastern direction. After another short subway ride I had the whole day to explore Philadelphia. There is actually quite a lot to see. However, covering so many places on my feet was quite tough. At the end of the quite chilly day I felt rather sore...

I started on the Delaware river and than made my way through one of the oldest parts to the Independence National Historic Park. This was the place were the Declaration of Independence and the fist Constitution were signed. On top of that Philadelphia served for 10 years as capital of the newly formed United States. I had great tour through Independence Hall, the (reconstructed) building where theses documents were actually discussed and signed. Very interesting - you could almost feel the historic atmosphere there.

I continued through China town (less impressive) to the City hall, with the statue of William Penn on the roof top. What I really like about the city were the many pieces of (street) art that are displayed everywhere. Philly apparently has a very lively artist's community and you can see this when you walk around with open eyes.

My favorite place in this regard was definitely "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens", which feature a huge labyrinth designed by the local mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. The dimensions were just huge! And every tiny corner is covered with a piece of tile, mirror, plates, bicycle wheels or whatever you could imaging. Everything adds up to a overall WOW-experience. I found it a bit hard to capture. I hope you get at least a rough impression of the genial piece of art.

The day ended with an 100% original Philly Cheesesteak at Jim's: "No trip to Philadelphia is complete without trying the cheesesteak, Philly's most famous homegrown food, a sandwich made of a fresh roll filled with grilled shaved beef and cheese (as well as onions, mushrooms, and other optional sides). " (wiki) It sounds kinda strange, and definitely looks so, but its actually quite tasty. And the place was super popular - I had to queue for about half an hour.

This was a full day of new experiences and a lot of walking. That's why I didn't have the energy to join on of the St. Paddie's day parties. But nonetheless, I enjoyed it and I will come back. I mean I still have to see the 'Rocky' stairs and statue at the Museum of Art! And Philly is a cool place with a special atmosphere you don't find in many big cities.

(Argh, including the images is quite a pain. I have to find a better solution for that.)