A Week in Philadelphia
City Hall, PhiladelphiaCity Hall, PhiladelphiaIndependence Hall, Philadelphia, PAInside Independence HallInside Independence HallThe Liberty BellElfreths AlleyElfreth's AlleyElfreth's AlleyPhiladelphia Merchants ExchangePhiladelphia Tribune BuildingThe Packard BuildingStatue of ClothespinDowntown from our hotel...Miscellaneous buildings downtown...Miscellaneous buildings downtown...Miscellaneous buildings downtown...Miscellaneous buildings downtown...
I roamed around downtown Philadelphia for a week while my wife was attending a conference in the spring of 2000.  These are a few of the pictures I took with my Olympus XA pocket camera.  One day I hopped onto a train and rode all the way up to New York City, but I seem to have misplaced that roll.  I'll post them when/if I find them.  I was up early one morning and took advantage of the morning light to explore lighting on very tall buildings.

City Hall, despite the local's opinion on the subject, is a magnificent structure.  After paying obligatory homage to the shrines of democracy (Independence Hall, the Liberty bell, etc.) City Hall should be your next stop.  Portions of the building have been very nicely restored, and the elevator ride to the top of the tower is not to be missed.

We capped off our visit with a concert at the Academy of Music featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra's last performance before leaving on European tour.  This concert also marked the final full season in the old concert hall before moving to more sumptuous quarters down the street.  The program - Stravinsky Firebird,  Hindemith Mathis der Mahler, and Resphigi The Birds.  Does it get any better than that?