Finding our Landlegs in Philadelphia

Independence Day, 8^th August

Philadelphia Cheese was standard fare on the Utrillo; now we are here, without the cheese, independent of the ship that has been our home for the last five weeks, almost. Adjustment to dry land has taken some time, particularly fending for ourselves: finding places to eat, books to read, trains, and trolleys to catch, museums to visit, not that there are any shortages of the latter in Philadelphia. The most spectacular to look at, both inside and outside, is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The contemporary collection (Duchamp’s galore) is nothing short of miraculous.

We are staying at the Alexander Inn, corner of Spruce St and Twelfth, which is a most convenient location midway between the old town and City Hall. It is a real inner city location with many cafes and restaurants with in easy walking distance, very helpful proprietors and most congenial environment being a late nineteenth century hotel revamped to modern expectations. It overlooks commercial gothic and art deco buildings that are a feature of Philadelphia downtown. Philadelphia is a lived in city. The houses and laneways hereabouts, which practice Quaker sobriety, are most attractive—models of what inner-city abodes should be.

As well as art museums, we have walked and walked the historic area, Society Hill, the French quarter as well as two long walks to Philadelphia Museum of Art and to University City. We have eaten really well each evening and discovered the Reading Terminal Market as a great lunch location. Our one misadventure has been to catch the train to Germantown where we felt completely disoriented and out of place. Obviously it is usually a tourist bus route and not set up for the wandering tourist. The trips there and back did show us a different side of Philadelphia as did the area around City Hall, early Sunday morning.