TRAVEL- PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Philadelphia is a city I had wanted to return to for the longest time and I finally found the opportunity to meet up with friends and see the town. We arrived at the Thirtieth Street Station and caught a cab to go to the Philadelphia Museum to see the new Marcel Duchamp Exhibition. It was very small but quite interesting and the museum was able to show works that are rarely on exhibition and worth the viewing.  It was called "Etant Donnes" and was the last work Duchamp did before he died in 1968 and was a bit of a peep show that he left to to the museum upon his death.  We spent a long time going through the Philadelphia Museum's permanent collection, which is on par with the best museums in the world, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The museum bus then took us a few blocks to the Perelman wing of the Philadelphia Museum. There, we viewed several exhibits including one on early costumes which was quite extensive and very informative. We were told that there was a local tram that turned out to be a free trip, making stops all over town, including the zoo, several parks and the downtown shopping area. The tram then took us to the historical section of Philadelphia where we saw the various buildings and exhibits housed in seven or eight different venues. They included the Liberty Bell, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and all else pertaining to our early history. The talks and tours were well executed and we had a picture perfect day. A restaurant had been recommended in that area called City Tavern which was one of the oldest restaurants in Philadelphia. The food was excellent and service was tops. The ambiance was very interesting since everyone was dressed in period costume and the dishes, silverware and furnishings were all from the same era. The evening was topped off with a walk to Penns Landing to see the waterfront area. They hold outdoor performances there and it's quite scenic. I'm already planning another trip to Philadelphia since we couldn't get to see everything.