Philadelphia: Final post and city evaluation

 

If you aren't familiar with our evaluation scale or why we've creating our own when so many are available, read this first! While in each city, I've been writing about what we like, don't like, and what we've found to experience. All posts on Philadelphia can be viewed by clicking the Philadelphia tag at the top of the page. 

A few favorites:

Philadelphia: Museum of Art, Kung Fu Necktie, Sketch Burger, and drinking Philly style

Philadelphia: Weekend in the city!

Philadelphia: Eastern State Penitentiary (and more) 

Philadelphia: The rough and tumble

The Scoring

(1-10 with 5 as average)

 --------------------------------

Philadelphia

Culture: 8
Environment:  6 (but projects underway) 
Vegetarian Restaurants: 7 
Cost of Living:   4 
Transportation/Infrastructure: 4
Climate: 4
People: 8
Pass/Fail: Pass

Notes: Having lived in Philadelphia in 2001, I was impressed with the city's improvements both environmentally and culturally. People and drivers were more pleasant (relatively speaking for cities) than I remembered. Many projects were underway to increase the city's green spaces. There were a lot of great events like the city-wide John Cage Festival and the Steve Colbert Rosenbach Library exhibit. Taking into consideration that "5" is meeting average expectations, we liked Philadelphia a lot!.

Here's to Philadelphia!

(TIA Photography)

We're all packed up and about to head out. This city has been great! We'll miss being around family and the great restaurants and outdoor areas we've found. 

On to Dallas with excitement and a little regret...

Philadelphia: Schuylkill Banks, Unitarian Church, Mint, and rollerblading trumpet man!

This is our last week living in Philadelphia. Here are a few things we've been able to see during our last weeks.

Previous Philadelphia posts here: Post One / Post Two / Post Three / Post Four / Post Five /  Post Six / Post Seven / Eight


30th Street Station: When it comes to train stations, Grand Central in NY probably gets the most attention, but 30th Street Station is a runner up. The building is massive. Even if you're not taking a train from the station, it's worth visiting for the art and architecture. It has also been shown in movies such as Unbreakable.

Schuylkill Banks Project: A huge project is underway to develop and revitalize property along the Schuylkill River. I visited the area a couple times when I lived nearby in 2001-2002 to be stupid and play by the train tracks. The area was dangerous and filled with trash and no one really ventured down there.

If you're into urban development or live in Philadelphia, this is an exciting project. The walking trails,

Art: Graffiti links and pictures from Philadelphia's Italian Market

I'll eventually get around to researching and posting on the art, psychology, and social aspects of graffiti. In the meantime, here are some pictures I took in Philadelphia's Italian Market area and links to some recent online favorites.

1.  Banksy's Miami Art Exhibit shows how accepted it's become -- check out Banksy's documentary Antics Roadshow on Neflix.

2. Fall Graffiti Roundup from Arrested Motion

3. Philadelphia Italian Market Area:

Thoughts from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

If you listen to art museum conversation, you'll hear all different attitudes echoing from the gallery walls. Some are awed by the skill it takes to create while others like the history and story shown in the art. Some treat modern art like a riddle to be decoded while others gawk as if they're at a freak show. We go to to impress a date or prove to ourselves that we're cultured. We go because we're seven and our parents dragged us here on a field trip.

I've gone to art museums for all these reasons, but currently I go because art inspires ideas and gets me out of the house. I like pieces that relate to and expand my perceptions and appreciations. 

I find art to be reflective. It's often more dependant on the character of the person experiencing it than the art itself. The more open, intelligent, and knowledgeable someone is, the higher potential to enjoy or benefit from a museum.

Next time I go, I think I'll bring blinders and earplugs so I can focus more on the art and less on the people.

Here are three of my favorites from a recent visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

1. This piece by Bruce Nauman, "The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truth" addresses the crowd who is quick to dismiss modern art with a disapproving, "I could have done that." by stating the function of art in an artwork that simultaneously fulfills the function.

2. This one, by Jasper John, "Memory Piece (Frank O'Hara)", speaks of our transitory nature and

Philadelphia: The rough and tumble

Our stay in Philadelphia has been a great experience! Take a look at previous posts on the city by clicking the "Philadelphia" tag above.

This post, however, is about the rough and tumble; the problematic parts of Philadelphia and problems we've run into here.

Transportation

Traffic and Parking: We knew what we were getting into when we brought our car with us to Philadelphia. Surprisingly, traffic and parking haven't been a huge problem. With proper planning, traffic apps, and gps, it's easy to find alternate routes, but it's a hassle regardless. Having to think about it at all is something new to us and definitely makes the "cons" list when considering a move to the city.
     We're fortunate to have the security and warmth of a parking garage included in our rent, otherwise parking is often over $100 a month or your car is at a high risk of being vandalized or stolen. Parking is usually $2 an hour for street and $12+ for a garage.

Philadelphia Parking Authority: I have yet to meet anyone who parks in Philadelphia regularly and hasn't received a violation. We only received one $36 ticket after coming back to our car 8 minutes late.
     I don't think anyone should receive a free pass, but it's frustrating regardless because you either have to overpay to reduce the risk or eventually pay the fines when something goes wrong and you can't quite make it back in time. Take a walk through Philadelphia and you'll see more meter maids than police. It's not uncommon to see three or more during a short walk. I think there are more beneficial ways of bringing revenue to the city and creating jobs than something that dampens people's mood toward the city.

Drivers: Here is a picture of our totalled Accent after a driver swung an illegal U-turn from oncoming traffic into the front corner of my car. We were compensated, but still a hassle.

Crime

Higher-risk: We spend a lot of time in center-city neighborhoods and live in a gated/guarded building where it's easy to forget what a dangerous place big cities are. One look at a site like SpotCrime reminds me.

One of the first things we did in Philadelphia was take a walk over the Ben Franklin Bridge. It's beautiful and highly recommended, but only walk halfway! We wanted to walk all the way across so we could switch sides and walk back, but as soon as we got off the bridge, we realized it was a mistake. If you walk to the wrong areas, have car trouble or detour

Philadelphia: Museum of Art, Kung Fu Necktie, Sketch Burger, and drinking Philly style

 

This is our third and final month in Philadelphia. Over the past couple weeks, we've taken trips out-of-state and revisited some of our favorite restaurants and attractions, but there is still plenty to write about.

Philadelphia Museum of Art: I went early to avoid the crowds and bypassed the Rocky Statue. This wasn't my first visit and I was going mainly for the Duchamp/Cage/Cunningham/Johns exhibit. It didn't disappoint. In addition to the citywide live performances ongoing since October, chess was a focus I didn't expect. An entire gallery room was dedicated to chess documents, boards, and art pieces created by the artists. One board (display only) played different sounds based on the players moves to create a new song with each game. Boards were also set up for play on the second floor of the main hall.

New Year's Eve Fireworks: Fireworks are shot from a barge on the Delaware River at 6pm and midnight on NYE. This is the view at midnight from the fourth floor of our building. If you go to the earlier set, go early or don't go at all. Traffic comes to a complete stop up and down the river due to inadequate parking around 5:30.

Ballroom Spies @ Kung Fu Necktie: Not much to say about the venue, but the band rocked and I had my first Citywide Special. "The Special" is just what it sounds like, a drink special, but it's not exclusive to one bar. You can ask for the special at bars all over Philly and you'll receive a can of PBR and a shot of Jim Beam for $3. Another fun tidbit, ask for a lager

Philadelphia: Hello 2013!!

Penn's Landing midnight fireworks

Philadelphia: Edgar Allan Poe's, Grounds for Sculpture, and more!

More sites of interest from our time in Philadelphia:

Previous posts here: Week One / Week Two / Week Three / Week Four / Week Five 


Edgar Allen Poe's House: I didn't expect much beforehand; it's a house, but it was actually worth going. We knocked once (as directed on the door) to alert the sinister looking guard/guide. We were the only guests and he answered any questions we had. Make you sure you use a cell phone to look in the recesses of the basement!

Yard's Brewery: Since they only do brewery tours on weekends and we went during the week, my dad and I had to create a taste test for ourselves by buying the tour samplers (flights). Good beer, free parking, and surprisingly inexpensive (flighters were only $5).

Grounds for Sculpture: Not technically in Philadelphia or even Pennsylvania, but worth the drive from Philadelphia and further. The grounds are

Philadelphia: Christmas Village, Italian Market, and more!

Highlights from another week in Philadelphia:
We've been doing more than I've had time to post and I've fallen behind, but here is some of what we've been doing the last couple weeks. Previous posts here: Week One / Week Two / Week Three / Week Four

Penn's Landing Ice-Skating:  I hadn't gone ice-skating since childhood, so I didn't have much to compare this to. It was fun! Opened until 1am with two hour sessions. The 11pm crowd was surprisingly well-behaved and sparse. There were the usual falls and collisions; the inexperienced skaters clinging to the sides. If you don't know how to skate that great you'll fit right in! Go towards the beginning of the session since the ice gets roughed halfway through.

Christmas Village at Love Park: A traditional German Christmas Market takes over Love Park from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. We went to see the sites and search for an iconic love sculpture ornament and ended up tasting delicious mulled wine instead! Delicious!  (Info Here)

Firebird Festival in Phoenixville: Every fall, the citizens of Phoenixville gather to burn a giant wooded phoenix that represents not only the mythical firebird born from the ashes of its parent, but also the historic roots of a town build in the fires of a steel mill. Every year, a different artist builds and designs the bird. Hundreds of small ceramic birds are fired inside of the bigger wooden structure. Fireblowers, drummers, and other performers are a part of this growing festival.

 

Electric Factory: This place has been around forever, I just never made it inside until now opting to see shows at the nearby Trocadero in the past. It's huge! We watched most of the sold-out show

Philadelphia: SS United States

Rounding the corner towards our apartment on Columbus from the south, it's hard to miss the huge Titanic-looking boat that is docked directly before another turn. First thing I did after seeing the boat was look up info online. Here is what I found:

"...the ship is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the US, the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction, and even in her retirement retains the Blue Riband given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record

Philadelphia: Seaport Museum and Holiday Parade

Highlights from another week in Philadelphia:
(Other posts here: Week One / Week Two / Week Three)


West Chester Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade: This was surprisingly entertaining. The streets and restaurants were crowded, but not impossibly packed. We found a great restaurant after seeing lines in the street into downtown restaurants by looking for something a few blocks from the parade route. We didn't have trouble finding sidewalk space to watch from. The parade moves in a rectangle so it's possible to stand  at the intersection where the parade both starts and ends to see everything twice.

Even stormtroopers celebrate Christmas!

Evil elves attack!

Philadelphia: Eastern State Penitentiary (and more)

Highlights from another week in Philadelphia:
(Other posts here: Week One / Week Two)

Eastern State Penitentiary: This large abandoned prison facility exceeded my expectation. Kept in "preserved ruin", the building is beautiful. Points of interest like Al Capone's cell, riot areas, and escape locations are clearly marked and described. Certain cells are given to artists for relevant exhibits (see picture of car below) and the audio tour was helpful and easy to use.

Philadelphia: Big buildings

Five major skyscrapers have been added to the Philadelphia skyline in the last ten years. The most notable being:

The Comcast Center

 

The Murano (on the right)

Philadelphia: Traffic and real-time traffic maps

 

If you're ever feeling down about the slow traffic where you live, just look up Philadelphia, click layers then traffic. The red lines on the roads means miles of bumper to bumper cars crawling along. It may make you happy you are where you are. Above is a screenshot I captured as I was leaving to pick Lindsay up at work, before rush-hour.

After living in Tennessee for some time, it was actually enjoyable to be back in faster paced travel. Generally, green-light take-offs, ninety-degree turns, and merges are quicker, cars flows above the speed limit and drivers don't slam on their brakes when they see a police car. At the same time, there is no getting around "The Traffic"; as in, stopped or crawling sections of highway.

Without evening discussing rush-hour, there is weekend traffic, lunch traffic, rubber-necking traffic, and get-around-the-tourist-driver traffic that comes to a crawl at almost all major interchanges and merge points. Wherever one highway merges into another even if it's a 5-lane highway, 35mph is the norm in these areas.

Since there are so many ways to get from one point to another, we've started using Google Maps with traffic view to check the route before leaving the house on busy days. It's under "maps" on android phones. You just add the traffic layer. I didn't know it was there since there was no need in Tennessee. It uses the cell phones that are in people's possession in their cars to monitor their motion and show what traffic is actually doing. It's creepy and interesting. They've activated the feature on over 130 cities.

Philadelphia: Weekend in the city!

Due to the warm and sunny weekend, we were able to walk around the city and see the sights. Feel free to email me with questions if you're thinking of visiting. Last week's post can be found here.

Some highlights--

Benjamin Franklin Bridge: Amazing views of the city and Delaware River. If we did the walk again, we probably wouldn't walk all the way to Camden; we'd stop halfway. It got a little shady there, ending in traffic and a tollbooth with no easy way to switch walkways.

Rittenhouse Square: Great energy. The park was full of people enjoying music, recreation, and relaxation.

 

Philadelphia: Home Sweet Home (for now)

A few pictures of our new place with comments for everyone that has been asking! I tend to remain somewhat impersonal on this blog, prefering to share links and writing I think will appeal to an anonymous audience and not just friends, but as part of the series of posts I'm wiring on our travels (The Big Move) I'll post a few pictures of the buildings we settle in at each stop.

 V. from living room

I like to describe the view as "expansively Philadelphia". You can see a lot from our window but the view is mainly warehouses, boats, harbor cranes, abandoned piers, highways, and a heliport. Philadelphia has a beautiful skyline and some nice bridges, but I've come to appreciate the view since the majority of what Philadelphia actually looks like is what you see through our window.

 

Cruise ship or our apartment building?

As you can see from the picture, our building is surrounded on three sides by water. This increases security as well as isolation. We don't have

Philadelphia: Magic Gardens and South St. Vegetarian

Lindsay and I spent a good part of yesterday on South Street checking out some of the restaurants and sites. The south end of the street with its cafes, pizzerias, bagel shops, and other restaurants is across from our apartment.

Some highlights:

Magic Gardens: I'd never heard of this small gallery and a few others I asked about it since going haven't either. It's definitely worth checking out for locals and tourists alike. It felt like stepping into someone's psyche à la Jennifer Lopez's The Cell (Apologies to the artist Isaiah Zagar for the reference). Staff was friendly and photography was allowed.  B1G1 admission is available online for signing up for their mailing list online.

Review: Pennhurst Asylum Tour

Last night, my wife and I left Philadelphia and headed to the "Pennhurst Asylum" a seasonal haunted house attraction built on the campus of what used to be the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Spring City. Pennhurst was built in 1908 and closed in 1986. What sets Pennhurst apart from other "asylums" is its size. The aerial view shown above is only part of the entire campus and until recently, this entire campus was covered in overgrowth and forest making it a formidable property to explore. All furnishings and tools from chalkboards to eating utensils were left when they closed the gates leaving eerily picturesque scenes like the one below

The Big Move: Philadelphia! (sort of)

[Click read more at bottom for pictures]

I've done little to no writing over the past two weeks. It's as if I have a disease that prevents me from doing anything remotely enjoyable when there is work to be done. This is the first day I've dedicated time to myself.

So far I've used the time to look around, to plan, and to contextualize. Cities can be overwhelming both mentally and emotionally. People, like me, who over-think decisions can find themselves drained by hundreds of dinner options with dozens of variables. Stressful, high-pressure traffic causes the same. At least I know