Mon and Tues
Ben Franklin on top of the building was to be the tallest structure in the world when it was built in 1871 but it was passed by the Eiffel Tower before it was even completed in 1901.
The statue of Ben on top is 37 feet tall.
Literally next door is the Wanamaker Dept Store which was 8 floors of excellent shopping until the 90s when Macy's took it over.
This is the way a department store should look.
Reminded me of the old City of Paris or White House
in San Francisco.
Jean and her friend did all their Christmas shopping in this one store in one day.
I had to buy a pair of shoes.
If it had been the right day we would have been serenaded by the Wanamaker Grand Organ as we shopped.
High end shopping surrounds Rittenhouse Square.
I was more interested in the many pieces of public art in the park and the many people using the park.
Philly spends more money on public art than any city in America, 1% of the total city budget,
yet has an illiteracy rate of 40%.
The next morning we left Philly after a few stops.
South Philly's Italian Market was a must. It was disappointing not to hear any Italian or even Philly accents.
And apparently you can get into trouble sampling grapes as we did. It's considered stealing here. We're spoiled in California where samples are encouraged. The grapes were mushy anyway, which is probably why she didn't want us to try them.
We bought some vegs and good Italian salami and cheese and hand made pasta, but since we didn't need 50# of potatoes for $4, we were on our way.
Also in South Philly, the Gloria Dei Church from 1700 is the parish of Ken's grandparents.
It was the first church in Colonial America to use an organ in its services.
Many of the pews have plaques commemorating members, including one of Ken's cousins.
We searched the neighborhood for his grandparents' address, but weren't sure we found the right place.
Headed out of town, one last stop at the Mummers Museum, but darn, it was closed today.
It's just as colorful as the costumes they wear for the yearly New Year's Day parade which they've been doing every year since 1902.
It's a folk festival, really, started back in the 1800's by many different ethnic groups. Today they have elaborate costumes and dance numbers competing for cash prizes.
Next day driving near Chadd's Ford, we checked out the Wyeth family art at the
Brandywine River Museum of Art.
The building was formerly a 19th century grist mill. As a gallery it has its original beams, pine floors and white plaster walls.
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