Sunny Sunday Morning at Philadelphia

I feel like the first week of August just flashed through my eyes. I spent most of it in Philadelphia, USA for a business trip – and though the long intercontinental flights from and back to the Philippines was arduous, aggravated by a stye after my first night in Philly I’m dwelling on the bright side: safe travels, getting work done and meeting new people. On the side, I was able to spend a Sunday walking about and getting to know The City of Brotherly Love more personally.

Determined to shrug off the effects of jet lag, I started the day reviewing the things to do and places to explore, as recommended by the likes of TripAdvisor and Google Maps. My itinerary was a self-walking tour, as I’ve been told that there are lots of historical landmarks that the city has to offer.

From the hotel I walked through Broad St where the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts greeted me at my right. I liked the gigantic paint brush structure next to it – I took it as a sign to stop procrastinating about my artwork and getting my watercolor paintings restarted.

Further down the road is the majestic Philadelphia City Hall – a sight to behold, with its grand clock tower and the statue of Philadelphia’s founder, William Penn At the top. I decided to check it out later as I was off to hear mass at 930 AM, so I turned right and walked along Arch Street and then through Benjamin Franklin Pkwy where I passed by the eye-catching sculptures made by various artists.

When I arrived at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, I was twenty minutes early so I decided to walk around Logan Square, where there was a big fountain and a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding buildings like the Free Library of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute, The Academy of Natural Sciences and the Cathedral Basilica. From a distance I could see the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the famous Rocky Steps. I miscalculated that one though – I thought it would take me just an hour to go from the cathedral to the museum basing on Google Maps. I contemplated if I had enough time, or energy to walk all the way as it was already getting hot even though it’s early in the morning. It didn’t take me long to decide – I figured I’ll just admire it from a distance. Note to self: next time start earlier and bring a larger water bottle.

I spent the next 20 minutes sitting at one of the benches next to the fountain of Logan Square, watching people letting their dogs take a dip and gallop in the fountain’s pool. This made me smile and miss my boys back home. Dogs and their simple joys – a reminder of the best things in life that money can’t buy.