In 30th Street Station. The statue of Icarus was the first thing I ever saw of Philadelphia, in the movie "Witness"

I came to Philly for 2 main reasons; to see the new symphony hall (which had been glowingly described by Herbert Muschamp in the New York Times), and to see the exhibtion "American Sublime: Epic Landscapes of our Nation 1820-1880," at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Both of these completely exceeded my expectations.

Looking west towards City Hall and Liberty Place

Arriving at 30th Street Station, I felt a lot like the skinny, gawky twenty-one year old who arrived in this city 16 years ago fresh from his first ever plane ride. The site of cute students in the conservative, preppy sports wear favored here served as another potent reminder of my first couple of years here as a grad student.

Looking along one of Philly's charming little streets downtown. In the background is Drake Tower, a magnificent brick apartment building, and, in front of that, you can see the huge glass enclosed arch of the new symphony building.

I was just happy to amble around downtown, seeing what's changed, enjoying what hadn't changed, and eventually sitting down at an outdoor cafe for lunch, before walking over to Broad Street to see the new symphony hall. And wow! The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has to be one of the best public buildings I've ever seen, both inside and out. Perfectly integrated into the city. It has a huge glass shell, resting on red brick lower floors, which enclose a free-standing concert hall whose exterior is lined with copper-colored wood, as well as another free-standing theater. On top of the theater, there's even a roof-garden (inside the glass shell). It just didn't seem like Philadelphia anymore.

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This is a composite photo - took me ages to get the three component photos to line up!

Part of the interior, with the actual concert hall on the left.

A gimmicky shot outside the hall, looking down Broad Street towards City Hall, with myself reflected off the wall.

I spent a while just enjoying the space, and having a coffee, and then walked past City Hall to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which is an old arts school which just concentrates on painting and sculpture, I believe. They had a wonderful, well-curated exhibition of "epic" American landscapes from the 19th century. You could trace the development of the style from Turner in England, through the paintings of Thomas Cole (whose famous "The Course of Empire" series was on display) through to their followers towards the end of the century.

The Love sculpture, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the distant background.

Afterwards, I went a shopping in the Academy's bookstore. There was the cutest guy working at the cash register, and we smiled, and I blushed. How come this never happens in San Francisco? I guess it's the vacation looseness. He gave me a twenty percent discount, so I guess my smile paid off.

I spent the most peacefully lovely hour lying on the grass in Rittenhouse Square, under the shade of the trees, without socks, shoes or shirt. There's nothing more soothing than lying on grass, I think. And Rittenhouse Square is probably one of my favorite places in the world - the perfect urban square. A place where I spent much time hanging out with friends when I used to live in the neighborhood. I felt so lucky to be lying there on this beautiful Tuesday - at one with the world.

View from where I was lying in Rittenhouse Square.

There are some days, like today, where there's a perfect synchronization between the beauty of art seen at a museum or gallery, and the beauty of the day experienced outside. To tie it all together, there were a couple of guys painting in Rittenhouse Square. I can't express the deeep felt soul-effect of a day like today.

A painting in Rittenhouse Square