31 May 2015
This weekend Samuel and I explored Center City Philadelphia. We used bikes from the newly installed Indigo bike share. It's $15 for a monthly pass, however we just used them for $4 per 30 minutes. We begin in Fairmount.
Fairmount district is located in Northern Philadelphia. The streets are lined in cozy and residential town houses. The sidewalks are layered in chalk patterns, designed by neighborhood children, I suppose. Cars along the streets convey license plates of numerous states, indicating that either this region is diverse, or it is graduation weekend. On each corner there is a warm bakery, speakeasy-style restaurant, or local mom-and-pop’s store (closed because it’s Sunday).
We exert steady force on our bike pedals and cycle toward Old City.
Old City district is located in Eastern Philadelphia. There is more movement here. Larger restaurants and dive bars reveal a younger crowd. Businesses showcase their prized possessions in their windows. Buildings look as though they are part of a college featuring the performing arts. We decide to ditch the bikes and take it by foot. The large streets are broken up by narrow, peaceful cobblestone roads. These noiseless, secret roads can only be disturbed on foot.
Once hydrated from the cities liveliness, we hop back on the bikes and head toward the Art Museum. On our way we cycle through the City Hall. While inside the City Hall’s courtyard, I experienced deja-vu, reminding me of how early American architecture is heavily influenced from European styles. We continue down the avenue hemmed with flags from across the world, which test my skills in geography. It’s not until we reach the art exhibit do we return our bikes for good.
The Saint Gobain 350 has put on a traveling exhibition called the Future Sensations. I am a giddy child as we stand in line to enter one of the five structures. There five different structures each represent a different sensation: look, listen, color, create, and discover. I choose the Art of Matter Pavilion (“create” sensation). Samuel looks at me quizzically and amused as we stand in line to enter an alien-like white structure. The structure looks like a perpetual spiral staircase and our experience comes to life as we enter it. Music, lights, lasers, smoke form above us and we are on a screensaver roller-coaster. Needless to say Sunny Samuel Sundays in Philadelphia are never dull!
