Steffany's Visit

Steffany came to visit me last weekend and we had a great time! I tried to pack all the important parts of Philadelphia into two days, and I think we did pretty well. Especially considering public transportation was on strike so we had to drive (and park!) everywhere.

Steff got here Saturday morning, and after I picked her up from the greyhound station we went to Reading Terminal Market. I'm not really sure how to explain Reading. It's a huge type of farmer's market/food court. They have dozens of stalls with everything from fresh produce to exotic cheeses to butchers to vegetarian snacks to homemade candy and pies. Steffany had a vegetarian philly cheesesteak for lunch, I had a sandwich from the mediterranean grill. Then I had a cannoli and she had a chocolate dipped strawberry. (Also, I got blackberries- they were only 99 cents per container so I got four! That's like four for the price of one at the grocery store!) It was all very tasty.



After lunch we did Independence Hall. Steffany enjoyed passing through the liberty bell building (including a photo with a picture of the dalai lama). Then we visited the American Philosophical Society museum, where I was a rebel and took surreptitious pictures of Apollo 11 transcripts with Neil Armstrong's autograph. (They don't allow photographs in the building).



Then we had our tour of Ihall. We had an excellent tour guide who gave us lots of interesting information and was very cool. That would have been awesome enough, BUT we also got to go upstairs!!! Usually the tour consists only of the first floor of the building, but now it is apparently "off-season" so they let us tour the second floor as well! I was really excited:



After Ihall we had cupcakes and went back home where we ordered chinese food and watched Gilmore Girls (Season 3) and knitted. We are so old.

Sunday we went to the art museum. I have to say that I really messed up last time by skipping the medieval art/asian art wing. IT'S AWESOME! They have really amazing religious pieces in the medieval section, and they have even more amazing statues and paintings and architectural pieces in the asian part. They have ancient temple pieces in context so that room after room looks like part of old temples/churches/monasteries/etc. They also have a full size replica of a Tea Room that's really neat. It was great!!! Also, really enjoyed a ten piece modern art exhibit by Cy Twombly- his Fifty Days at Iliam. I'm a fan of the Iliad, so I really like the pieces he did symbolizing characters and sections of the story.



Sunday afternoon we drove out to Valley Forge. It was pretty, but a little overcast and a little rainy at times. We enjoyed the Memorial Arch and the chapel, where we stopped for quite a while. It was really beautiful at the chapel, the sculpted arches in their courtyard are lovely and meditative. They also remind me of Rivendell (yes, that was a Lord of the Rings reference).





Then Steffany went home. Sad.


For the rest of the general pictures of Steffany's visit (mostly collected for Steffany and Mrs. Ballas's benefit) go here.

For the rest of the pictures of this trip to Ihall (including pictures of what's upstairs!) go here.

For more pictures of the Museum of Art, go here.

And, for more picture of Valley Forge, go here.





PS- Doug comes tomorrow for my birthday!!!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!