Buildings of Philadelphia

In any city with history, you have wonderful architecture from major craftsmen and artists. This beauty can not be reproduced for several reasons, such as cost, but mostly because of the lost craftsmanship of a gone-by era. While modern-day architecture is a marvel to look at, there are no longer amazing artisans who make imbedded statues within the walls of a building.

Philadelphia has many beautiful older buildings and I will share a few of those with you today. This is the front and side of City Hall.

Check out the closeup of this amazing artwork that I presume to be stone.

We expect churches to be amazing on the inside but some wonderful structures from the early 19th century and later are striking on the outside.

The Masonic Temple entrance had intricate arched layers as it came down to its arched door.

Along with churches, the Christ Church Cemetery had monuments of artesian flair.

You have to be of a certain age to get a chuckle and be amazed by this building’s stained glass masterpiece. I chuckled with fond memories of the TV commercials when I was a kid.

If the window does not ring a bell, it is the RCA music mascot, Nipper. Since I have always been an animal lover, of course, I would remember Nipper. This building is now apartments and shops.

A must-see if you go to Philadelphia is Elfreth Ally. It’s the oldest neighborhood in the entire country still being used as it was first built. They are still homes plus a museum giving history information of the ally.

A photo contrasting the buildings of 1700 and today…

I close with a smattering of photos taken at random as we walked the streets of Philadelphia. The last day was misty rain but the beauty of this place could still be seen.

One last string of photos – if you go to Philly, you have to visit Reading Terminal. Shop after shop of amazing food.

Well, the Philly trip is done, I hope you had fun looking through my picture fun. Don’t forget that wherever you may travel, always be kind. When you are kind, kindness will be returned.

More on Philly

While my daughter is a major history buff, both of us are aquarium lovers. One of the other reasons for this trip was the Philadelphia Aquarium. It housed one of the few Hammerhead sharks in the world. Unfortunately, 3 weeks before we got there he died. Bummer. But the rest of the aquarium was fabulous.

They have a shark tunnel where you can walk under the tank and the sharks swim over you.

Then the really big tank has the sharks up front and personal.

But the most fun part was the pigmy hippos. We got there at feeding time so we got to watch. Such an amazing creature. Don’t let the word pygmy fool you, they were still over 5 thousand lbs. But compared to the 10k hippos of Africa, yeah they are smaller.

We also caught feeding time at the Piranha rain Forest that was set up for Halloween.

Check out some of the other fish, I take lots of pictures,

They had huge turtles including a snake head turtle.

In closing, I remind you that animals understand love.

They stood cuddling each other for a long time.

Nature will teach us the power of kindness and love if we will just pay attention. So remember to always be kind to all kinds.

History Trip

My daughter and I took another trip this past week to feed her taste for history. This trip took us to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of our country. This is where our forefathers met and discussed how to form this new country. Fortunately, people understood the importance of preserving the city’s history, by restoring its amazing buildings, museums, statues, and cemeteries.

Independence National Historical Park, the “most historic square mile in America” includes Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of the city’s most important attractions.

Independence Hall, formerly Pennsylvania State House, is the birthplace of the United States where in 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Eleven years later, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created and signed an enduring framework of government – the United States Constitution.

Interior Photos:

During the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House and defied the King of England.

Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation.

In 1751, Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris ordered a bell for the bell tower to be made by the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted that bell down and cast a new one in Philadelphia. This is the bell that would ring to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the reading of the news. It was later known as the Liberty Bell.

The Liberty Bell’s inscription is from the Bible (King James version): “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.”

The bell is made mostly of bronze weighing in at 2,080 lbs. The crack appeared over several years of heavy use and in 1852, it was removed from the tower when the repair was unsuccessful.

Over the next few days, I will post more on our trip hoping you enjoy the fun we had, even though it rained. But we don’t melt so on to the next amazing site.

I remind you as always – try to be kind. Its power can change the world.