Today started with me waking up with the idea I would go out at 7 AM and see everything the day had offer. Notice the key word, idea, because that is all it was. In actuality, I ended up getting out of bed around 10 AM, at which point I finally got ready for the day. To begin, my sister, her boyfriend, and I all went to V Street, and had lunch. There I had a vegan philly cheese steak that was made of seitan and mushrooms, with what seemed like some kind of turmeric-flavored cheese substitute. Needless to say, it was really good.
After lunch, I parted ways with my sister and headed up town. I walked up Benjamin Franklin Parkway, past such sights as the Shakespeare Memorial, Logan Square, and the Franklin Institute. I walked into the Franklin Institute, just to say hi to the giant statue of Ben that is there. It is truly a sight to see. From there, I continued on to the Philadelphia Art Museum. With my backpack and carry-on with me, I wasn’t able to run up the steps Rocky-style, so I walked up. There were many schools visiting today, so the steps were a flurry of children wearing the same neon shirts.
For $14 I went into the museum and walked around. The museum’s collection is extensive and varied; on the first floor you can find contemporary art, and on the second you can find medieval armor. With little to no knowledge of art, I still had a good time walking around. One of my favorite rooms was one full of shelves of glass cups, bowls, and other ornaments. All the shelves were lit with fluorescent lights, which allowed you to see every intricate detail within the glass, and it was really cool. Besides that, I also enjoyed the medieval exhibits. Besides armor and weaponry, there were also rooms that were made in the style of the period, and it was pretty cool to see the lavish lifestyle the elite of the time had lived. There were also some contemporary pieces from artists that I had seen in LA(such as Bruce Nauman).
After the art museum, I walked along the river back towards Center City. From there, I took an Uber to the airport, and arrived early, so I could both write this to you, and edit my short video. In around 1 hour later tonight I will board my flight, and by tomorrow morning I will have arrived in Dublin. I am very excited for tomorrow, and am looking forward to it. On the topic of Philadelphia, it is a great city I would love to come back to.