At this point my back was bothering me, so we looked for a cool place to sit.
Christ Church was not what we were looking for. Cooler than outside, perhaps, but not air conditioned. And the pews were very uncomfortable. The backs were straight up and down, with no respect for the curvature of human spines.
Remember that we looked at Bishop White's house, a few days ago? This was his church.
Memorial plaques on the wall.
Better seating, on a bench outside, in the shade of a big tree.
Bookstore.
Upstairs from the prev.
Left end of the facade of the bookstore building. What do you suppose this means? There was a "shaftway" sign under each of the windows, on all four above-ground stories.... What does it mean, and why is exterior signage to this effect desirable/necessary?
Ah well. Somethings we'll never know the answers to.
Returning to street level -- small white fuzzy dog meets smaller white fuzzy dog.
The sidewalk on our side of the street. I like the colors.....
Still looking for a place to sit down, inside, with cool air.... Planter by a bar's outdoor seating.
We did, eventually, find a place where we could sit inside in the cool and have a glass of iced tea. And a Dove bar. Ahhhhhhhh.
Meandering back to the hotel.
There are lots of horses pulling tourists in carriages. I hope this is an ok life for them! I only saw one that looked bony, and none of them were covered with sweat (despite the heat and humidity). I never saw any of them looking upset or scared, and didn't see any bad behavior from their drivers, either.
I hope it's ok.
Handsome dude, taking a break.
In front of Independence Hall, looking up.
Heavily embellished bank.
Another mural.
Love that they are supporting the library, and love the reflections of the trees in the window.
Waiting to cross the street back to the Marriott. William Penn, on top of City Hall.
Excellent sky, from our hotel window.
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4 comments:
Philadelphia - like many east coast cities - is so pretty. I just love the intricate architecture; so different from here in the west.
Glad to see your great eye for pictures hasn't changed. :)
p.s. Curiosity got the better of me.
Here's what I found on shaftways:
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/nyregion/fyi-856584.html
Mysterious Signs
Q. I have noticed signs saying ''Shaftway'' in windows of old factory and commercial buildings in places like SoHo and the garment district. What are the signs for?
A. Shaftways are simply elevator or light shafts with windows, which are often found in old industrial buildings and lofts, according to Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen. The law requires that the signs be placed across the front of all such windows. Without them, Mr. Von Essen said, a firefighter might see the smoke-filled window during a blaze and, unaware that there is no floor below, climb through and fall down the shaft.
If they need to vent that window in a fire, the Commissioner said, firefighters simply smash the glass above the sign, leaving it intact as a warning to their fellows. Do firefighters actually look for the signs? ''Definitely,'' the Commissioner said.
:) :) :)
Thanks! :-)
I like to walk around and look at all the different sorts of choices that were made when buildings were designed.....
Much more interesting in an older place -- there's almost always more variety.
I always think about status and ostentation when I look at heavily embellished architecture. What was gained by those who paid for the embellishment? Was it worth it?
I'm glad when artists and craftspeople are paid to do fine work, but I wonder if the bank (say) is more successful because it is fancy?
How shallow we are, to think a person is "better" because they have a big fancy house, or an expensive car....
Oh, good for you for looking this up! Thank you! :-) I thought I should look it up, but didn't, in the middle of all the Phillyphotoprocessing..... :-)
Interesting! I never thought of making the world safer for firefighters! What a good idea.
Thank you!
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