Sunday, September 29, 2013

A Morning Walk in Philadelpia

Yesterday my wife and I drove up to Philadelphia (best license plate: I OBJECT) for the wedding of an old friend. This morning, feeling bloated after last night's vast feast, I skipped breakfast and took a walk through the city's historic district. Many, many wonderful buildings. Above, the First Bank of the United States, 1797, by James Hoban and Samuel Blodgett. Sorry about the pictures, but bright, early morning sunshine rendered everything starkly black and white.

The US Customs House by Ritter and Shay, 1934.

The Second Bank of the United States, 1816, by William Strickland. Having failed once with Corinthian columns, the financiers decided to go with Doric on the second try; but the populists were not fooled and rose up to smash the bank again.


Details.

Statue of Ben Franklin on the facade of the American Philosophical Society Library.



Philadelphia has a great collection of old banks and insurance companies that look like banks and insurance companies ought to look.


From the commercial district I made my way into the neighborhood known as Society Hill, featuring many wonderful row houses, some as old as 1752.

These people wipe their feet with style.

View down a charming alley. I love the local habit of displaying 13-star flags.


Spruce Street. There was much more to explore, but I was getting a headache from the blinding sun, so I made my way back to the hotel.


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