Philadelphia

Leaving Easton, we had a very enjoyable day in Philadelphia. Ann swapped some of her Marriott points for two evenings in the restored historic Marriott across from the phantasmagorical city hall. Occasionally plain in passageways, but very nice rooms and great location if you're in town for the museums or arts.

And just a block from the Reading Terminal Market - a large indoor space choc-o-block with ethnic stalls, Pennsylvania Dutch bakeries, butchers, grocers, produce, seafood, and coffee stands. I fell hard for an all-Dutch pie breakfast, while Ann skipped down to the custom crepe shop. It was great fun just walking the isles seeing the variety.

We then headed down Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards Fairmont Park and the Philadelphia Art Museum. The axis from City Hall to the Art Museum encompasses much of the city's art and museum facilities. But with limited time we planned on just spending the day at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

We spent a fair bit of time just enjoying the outside of the museum. A fantastically detailed bronze in front commemorating the settlement of the new world, the dramatically colored classical pediment sculpture on the west wing,  the polychromatic sandstone of the building itself, and the fine view of downtown from the steps were great.

Inside, with days worth of exhibits to choose from, we spent most of our time with the Impressionists (a specialty of the house), then hopped across the street to see a fascinating exhibit relating the history and restoration of Thomas Eakins "Gross Clinic". A fascinating journey into Eakins fascination with anatomy, the history of medicine, and responsible restoration.

We really wished we had a few more days in Philadelphia.  I can't say it could compete with our favorite arts cities - Chicago and D.C., but worth the time and nice to see somewhere different. We'll have to go back while we're in the east.