PHILADELPHIA, PA, U.S.A.
I went to the U.S.A. this July (2012) to breathe some American air. Pennsylvania did not disappoint.
My first stop was on the grid in Philadelphia, home of American Democracy, signed, sealed, and delivered here in Constitution Hall in 1776.
My daughter is a professional artist in the very artsy Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is an old city, a bit down at the heel and in need of some fresh paint . . . which has been slathered here and there: Philly is a city that feels like it is on the rebound.
There is much urban charm to be found in Philadelphia.
Some Philly residential areas remind me of my time in London.
My infatuation with street carts was fully satisfied in Philadelphia. I couldn't help but think of the similarities and differences between food carts in Philly, Bangkok, and Yogjakarta, Indonesia.
A trip to Philly would not be complete without engorging on the requisite cheese steak sandwich.
Philadelphia is also a modern metropolis of glass and steel . . .
. . . and all kinds of people in funny hats and clothing . . .
. . . for many, many years, it seems.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM of PHILADELPHIA
There is a fine Natural History Museum in Philadelphia definitely worth the visit.
You can actually touch dinosaur bones!
There was a large section containing many dioramas of current and extinct animals. We enjoyed looking at the bison, moose, and bear dioramas in anticipation of actually seeing them in Yellowstone National Park later in the summer.
Like many museums, actual scientific study was going on. There were glass windows overlooking the research labs.
There was a butterfly "room" filled with colorful butterflies from around the world . . .
. . . a photographer's dream (although I did not have my macro lens handy . . . damn!).
I chased this black example around the room until it sat still.
A fantastic environment for photography . . . I could have spent all day in there, but Vietnamese dinner in Chinatown was beckoning.
Philly does not have an especially large Chinatown area, but it makes up for it in colorful lights.
The Occupy Wall Street folks were in Philly to protest the 4th of July parade, but stopped off in Chinatown for food and beer. Good people.
We were still a little jet-lagged, but we enjoyed the day.
The city that never stops working . . . I imagined these guys to be secret operatives splicing into the Police Station communications net they were working next to . . . .
I LOVE A PARADE: 4th of July
A hot, sunny 4th of July morning in Philadelphia.
We where up early and out the door to get a good place to view the big 4th of July parade. Thee side streets were full of staging floats and parade goers . . . .
. . . as well as a goodly number of Occupy Wall Street protesters, and an overwhelming police presence. The Founding City of American Democracy seemed a bit intolerant to those who want to preserve it - for all.
We stopped for good coffee right across from Betsy Ross's Historical House . . . .
. . . where they were busy running visitors' hometown flags up the Betsy Ross Flag Pole (BRFP).
Everybody was eager with anticipation for the parade to begin.
And the parade began!
The 4th of July is America's Birthday party . . . a time to celebrate America . . . in all its aspects.
I liked that the parade organizing committee allowed such a wide swath of American culture, history, and institutions to parade themselves before the citizenry.
There were lots of Marching Bands . . . .
. . . and actual soldiers just back from Afghanistan . . .
. . . and soul singers on floats . . .
. . . antique milk trucks (I enjoyed these) . . .
. . . a Viet Nam Veterans Motorcycle Club . . .
Sometimes the contrasts between the parading groups was astonishing . . . like these members of the Confederate Antebellum Society . . . followed by the group representing the Underground Railway Museum.
A fervor of historical reverence was evident among the parade-goers.
They are proud of their police in Philadelphia . . .
. . . and their Beauty Queens.
Lots of Beauty Queens riding on convertibles . . . like the calmly Miss Philadelphia here.
There was a nice mix of Beauty Queens and Marching Bands . . .
. . . and old Fire Department machinery . . .
. . . and Marching Bands, some more wild than others!
I was glad to see the Shriners and their little parade cars racing about . . . the crowd loved them. They do good work.
Uncle Sam was a part of the Red, White, and Blue orgy of patriotism.
For me, the highlight of the parade, in addition to the hot rods and classic cars, were the many ethnic communities represented. The inclusiveness was admirable and exemplary.
The local Philippine community was out in force . . .
. . . Miss Philippines USA was on hand . . .
. . . as was this Filipino sailor, symbolizing the close historical connection between the USA and the Philippines.
The Chinese community was amply represented.
Did I mention that there was a temperature record set on this day? It was well over 100f degrees (37C) when the parade began. These poor Chinese dragon masters were taking a well-deserved break.
The Philadelphia Tibetan Association was also present and received a very loud ovation from the crowd. It is very interesting how these conflicting groups (Chinese and Tibetan) coexist here in the U.S.A.
Thanks for calling our attention. Tibetan Lamas.
My own personal Grand Marshall of the parade, the Dalai Lama.
The Chinese also had to contend wiht a large presnce of Fulon Gong members in their yellow silk outfits. The are banned in China.
I guess that's why they have so many old fire trucks in the parade . . .
. . . and Beauty Queens on very cool old cars . . . .
. . . and wonderfully loud drumlines: they separate the groups that might be in conflict.
Philadelphia is a National Football League (NFL) team hosting city: home of the Eagles. This guy brought the crowd to life!
This was my favorite entry in the parade: teacher of the year. To be a great teacher is to be living a great life. I am glad the good people of New Jersey appreciate that fact. If you don't know your American geography, Camden, New Jersey is just across the river from Philadelphia, Pennsylania.
There are large numbers of Cambodian refugees in The States . . .
. . . and apparently a large community in Philadelphia. I loved seeing the young Buddhist monk being paraded down the street . . . . talk about a test of your inner peace and a challenge to your conscious awareness!
What a great idea: a Migrant Heritage Commission. This poor guy had a hell of a time fighting this huge banner against the sudden hot wind. The crowd really got behind his efforts.
What could be more fun than getting together with 15 of your best freinds to bang on the "sto" buckets while riding down Main Street, I ask you?
What could be more American than the Hot Rod!
It must be nice to have friends on the parade Organizing Committee: you can drive your car down Main Street waiving a USD$0.29 flag.
Eventually, all things must come to an end. The, by now, 103f heat had driven most of the children off the streets, along with their overheated parents. Flags play an important part of the American experience.
The Official End of the Parade float.
In Philadelphia, even the coolster HipShop owners get into the fun. We headed back to an air-conditioned space for naps, then later in the evening . . . .
. . . we went to a delightfully post-modern Cuban restaurant. I ask you, what could be more American on the 4th of July?
After a rousing engorgement of black beans and rice, we walked to the very popular Franklin Fountain for ice cream.
The Franklin Fountain is a very interesting business concept: take an 1880s building and recreate an 1880s business in it. In this case, a soda fountain.
Dress your staff in period costumes, find period furnishings, make your own ice cream with period recipes, and display antique fountain products. Very good . . . . they even had sugar-free ice cream for me!
They managed to pull off a perfect illusion of the 1880s. There was a line of 30 people waiting to get in . . . it was 7:30pm and it was still 90f . . . good ice cream weather.
Our original plan was to walk to the river to watch the fireworks display, but they had moved the fireworks to the other end of the city. It was getting late, and we wanted an early start for our road trip to Virginia, so we went back to the hotel to pack.
Good night Philadelphia.