Happy Thanksgiving

Join me for a Turkey Day 5K - Before we eat all day!!!

Lets meet down at the Riverbottom by the ponds for a friendly Run/Walk 5K along the path. If you would like to join me, please add your name to the "My Events" link on the right side of this blog. I just added that gadget so I hope it will work. It looks fun, just follow the prompts. You can leave a comment (It's linked to my email) text or just a phone call will do. Lets meet at 8:00 am.

Anyone Interested?

Love

The now famous LOVE sculpture was first placed in the plaza, down town Philadelphia in 1976 as part of the United States' Bicentennial.  The United States Bicentennial was celebrated July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. The sculpture was removed in 1978, but the sculpture was missed by the people so much that the chairman of Philadelphia Art Commission, F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., bought the sculpture and permanently placed it back the plaza, in 1978. This totally represents the "70's" for all of us from that generation. I "LOVED" it. - Peace - LOVE and Bobby Sherman!!

                                                                                                                                                                              

What way do I go?

For those of you that know me, you know that my sense of direction is not one of my strong points. I still get lost in Salt Lake or even going down to American Fork. Now Brian on the other hand just has a keen since of direction and memory. If he has driven by someplace 20 years ago he can recall when and where and drive me right to it.

So I have been out exploring the streets of Philadelphia with my map in hand, destinations marked and places to go. A map is not very helpful if you are looking at it upside down! One thing I have really appreciated about living in Utah is the beautiful Mountains along the Wasatch front. They are always there, so majestic and always to the EAST. What a nice reference point that I have not always appreciated.

I was talking to a woman while eating a cup of soup (trying to figure what direction to turn my map) and she informed me that if you look up at William Penn on top of the City Building – He is always facing NORTHEAST. Ahhhh!! He is looking out to the Delaware river. Thank you William.

Tip for the Day:  If you are ever lost in Philly – William is always looking Northeast.

The William Penn Statue, sitting on top of Philadelphia's City Hall. The statue is 37 feet tall, and is the tallest statue on top of a building in the world.

Elfreth's Alley

I was so excited to go to this historic spot down by the water front. Elfreth's Alley - popularly known as "Our nation's oldest residential street" - dates back to the first days of the eighteenth century. Twenty years after William Penn founded Pennsylvania and established Philadelphia as its capital, the town had grown into a thriving, prosperous mercantile center on the banks of the Delaware River.

Early settlers created a cityscape similar to what they remembered in England. Wharves stretched out into the river, welcoming ships from around the world. Shops, taverns, and homes crowded the area along the river. Philadelphians made and sold items essential to life in the New World and to the trade that was a part of their daily lives.

Two of these colonial craftsmen, blacksmiths John Gilbert and Arthur Wells, owned the land where Elfreth’s Alley now sits. In 1702, each man gave up a portion of his land to create an alleyway along their property line that connected their smithies near the river with Second Street, one block away. By that date, Second was a major north-south road.

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, numerous artisans and craftsmen resided on Elfreth’s Alley, often living and working in the same building. Even at that early date, Elfreth’s Alley had a diverse population. 

By the early twentieth century, the Alley had become a run-down, impoverished area and faced numerous demolition threats. In 1934, Alley resident Dorothy Ottey organized a group of men and women to save several colonial houses from demolition by absentee landlords. They called themselves the Elfreth's Alley Association and helped to rescue the street from additional threats, including construction of I-95 in the late 1950s.

Since 1702, Elfreth's Alley has been home to more than 3,000 people. Today thirty-two houses, built between 1728 and 1836, line the alley.

 I fell in love with the deep warm colors of each door. I did get a little carried away and took pictures of my favorites. Each door had its own story to tell. Brian had to keep me from knocking!!

My Favorite DOORS

A Door Mat

And One Beautiful Window Box

Bladen’s Court is an alley within an alley and originally provided access to the backs of several properties that faced Front Street.

A Few Other Favorites

I wish I knew the story for each house and tenant. What a wonderful book that would make!

Meet me at the Reading

I have fallen in love with this one of a kind market. Brian and I meet here for  breaks when he needs to get out of class for a few minutes. He has found a favorite stand where you can get fresh smoothies and I just wonder around not able to make a decission because there is just to much to take in. Here are just a few of the wonderful sights, colors, smells (I wish this was a scratch and sniff blog :) Just use your imagination.

Over 80 merchants rent space in the market. Three of the vendors are descendants of the original market merchants from 1892. The  Market occupies the ground floor and basement levels of the Reading Terminal's former train shed. The space is arranged in a grid pattern with address on each aisles. This saved me many times in my wonderings!

If you would like to read the history of the market you can visit this link.

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/about/index

I could not pass this one by. Brian was dying of embarsment. But I was sly and he never knew I was taking his picture. Sorry it's a little blury. You can't fully appreciate the detailed art work!!! 

Philadelphia

Brian is serving as the President of the Utah Public Health Association and was asked to go to Philadelphia to the American Publlic Health Association Conference. It is a hugh group of health officers gathered together all in one place. It is estimated that over 10,500 people are here. As you can imagine we are taking over the place. While Brian is learning how to keep the public safe, I am enjoying the city sights and enjoying some solitued. Yes - I can find solitued in the 5th largest city in the United States.

My first day in Philadelphia has been great. We are walking distance from Old City Culture Center and right across the street from the Convention Center. There is this amazing market called the Reading Terminal Market one block away. It has everything you could imagine. Fresh fish market, cheeses, vegetables, creamery made in Lancaster from the Amish. (I confess I had a ice cream cone from that one) Bakeries etc. I had a French crepe today for lunch with pesto and a cheese I can't even pronounce, but is was so wonderful. I am going to eat lunch there every day and try something new that I have never had before. Here are a few of the places I visited. We went back to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell but did not take the tour because we did that in June when we were here with Garrett so there are no pictures of that and that’s the main tourist stop in Philadelphia, but if you’ve seen "The Bell" once that’s enough.
 
This is the Declaration House. In 1776, while attending the Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson stayed in this house owned by Jacob Graff. (He was trying to avoid the excessive heat of the city) In this house Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
 

This is where the signing of the Constitution happened and they would meet and debate. This served as the Capital of the US for the first 10 years. Do you remember in the movie "National Treasure" Nicolas Cage was climbing around the clock tower when he found Benjamin Franklin's glasses. Not a true fact by the way!!!

Clock Tower on Independance Hall

 

Looking Upward

We were walking over by the US Mint on our way to the cemetery when all these bikers came rolling by. Amazing sight to see. We could not figure out who they were so we decided they must be from the Sherlock Holmes Society out for a little exercise.

Leader of the Pack

Brian's Favorite                                                                           

Having a little smoke on the pipe while getting in a little cardo workout.

Some looked the part better than others. I think this guy is Randy Horreuchi. He is a member of Salt Lake County Council and he was one of my High School teachers. He taught debate at Kearns High before he entered politics. Do you recognize him? What's he doing in Philly with the Sherlock Holmes Society?

I've always wanted a bicycle built for two. I thought it would have been so fun to have when we had the house in Paris. Check out the basket on the front and the green argyle socks.

This is where we were standing when the bikers came rolling by. This is the final resting place of Benjamin Fraklin and his wife Deborah. Christ Church Burial Ground.

Chronology of Benjamin Franklins life.

Christ Church was just a few blocks away. This church was founded in 1695 by members of the Church of England  William Penn  was baptized here and the font that was used is still in use. 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of this church. It is opperating as Episcopal parish.