August 10, 2010

Philadelphia Matrimony

We had a great trip up to Philadelphia and NYC over the past five days.  I post on NY in a couple of days but for now I’ll share some of our trip to Philly. 
We went up to Philly for the wedding of our friend Hans.  I probably wouldn’t have thought to visit Philadelphia except for the wedding and I think that these low expectations really helped me enjoy the city.  It helped that we were experiencing it with some good friends and had a beautiful place to stay. 
Philly is a very lively city with a very distinct sense of history – expressed through its neighborhoods, green spaces, food, and architecture.  We actually didn’t get to see the “historical” section of town with the liberty bell and independence hall but Hans actually lives in a row home south philly and we spent a lot of time exploring the area between his house and downtown. 
On another occasion we got lost in a ghetto in West Philly (which I found ironic that a year ago I was driving through Bel-Air).  In general we had a great time and though it was a short trip we crammed a lot in. 
On with the pictures:
City Hall (notice the window units)

30th Street Train Station




The house that we stayed at.

Han's street, they were really packed in there


Interior of his house


Melynda's Great Dane - Han's new roomate


She loved to chase you around the pool but was afraid to get in.

The newly married couple

The awesome reception place.

It was right across from a small river and park.


We took a side excursion to the Brandywine river museum to check out paintings by the Wyeth family.  The museum was in a old converted mill.