Wanderings: Public art in Philadelphia

As I mentioned, it was pretty cold and gray while we were in Philadelphia, but one of the things that brightened our visit was all the public art.  Last week, I posted a few photos of us horsing around with the larger than life game piece art installation across from City Hall.  We also spent a chilly afternoon walking up and down South Street,…

Wanderings: Vintage charm in old Philadelphia

Growing up in the wide-spread cities and suburbs of the south, I have a particular fascination with the dense old cities of the north.  I like the way the all the buildings are pushed up against one another, the way green spaces are purposefully carved out and preserved, the way the evidence of several centuries of living is all piled up on top of…

Wanderings: A step back in time

What is your favorite thing about old cities?  For me, it’s usually the houses and shops.  I love the old brickwork and wooden shutters, boot-scrapers and weird door knockers, and colorfully painted doors. Philly had a wealth of gorgeous old homes and buildings to swoon over.  As we walked around town, I couldn’t help but pause every few feet to admire an old building,…

Wanderings: Under the radar Chinatown

Traveling is always better when you have friends to show you the places only the locals know.  When making dinner plans with one good friend, he offered us three choices: fancy, real deal, or home cooking.  We had fancy reservations for another night, so we opted for real deal, and were not disappointed. Our friend took us to a small, unpretentious szechuan eatery in…

Wanderings: Reading Terminal Market

One of the highlights of our stay in Philadelphia was lunch at Reading Terminal Market.  Once the train shed for the former Reading Terminal, the market now houses dozens of lunch counters and vendors selling amazing selections of cured meats, handmade cheeses, roasted coffee, preserves, fresh pretzels, bouquets of flowers and on and on. Absolutely starving, we wandered around the terminal, sampling pierogi, buying…

Wanderings: Philadelphia

January is about the time of year that winter starts to get to me.  At first it’s exciting to cozy up in sweaters and layers, and the sparkle and cheer of the holidays is lovely.  By late January, however, the dreary gray and bitter cold make me feel cooped up and anxious.  Fortunately for me, we recently managed to convert a short last-minute work…