Philadelphia: 30th Street Station...

What do you do when you try really hard to make that earlier train but miss it by literally 30 seconds? Well, apart from march right back to the ticket window dismayed, there are always pictures to take. Especially at the Philadelphia 30th Street Station...

I have kind of a soft spot for this place...I waited for someone to pick me up here once so maybe it's just memories of younger days...I got the whole twirl upon pick up and everything.  Everyone should be picked up at a station and twirled around at least once I think...

There's kind of a familiar feeling about the station...like you've seen the architecture before.  To some degree, I guess it brings to mind a bit of Grand Central, or the maybe Union Station in LA (which I've been dying to see in person - ever since seeing it stand in for NY in Pearl Harbor the movie (yes, I still love that movie)). But the station was actually designed by a Chicago based architecture firm so it's got a touch of that Chicago art deco in it too (remember the Chicago architecture cruise?)

Actually, in reading up on the station (as one has time to do when they've missed their train), I learned that the reason that the trains in Philadelphia...and NYC...and up and down the NE Corridor are underground was to let trains pass below without everyone getting constant doses of steam and soot that the earlier trains had.  Kind of neat, I never really realized there was a reason for that.  And apparently the Philadelphia was full of all sorts of innovations, most of which make us smile with curiousity now I bet:  

"The station had a number of innovative features, including a pneumatic tube system, an electronic intercom, and a reinforced roof with space for small aircraft to land, and contained a mortuary, a chapel and more than 3,000 square feet of hospital space.^"

It just makes you realize what a hub of life train stations used to be, I guess almost like an airport now. Though I don't know how many airports have hospital space (or pneumatic tubes, email takes the place of that...)

One of the most striking things you notice is the memorial statue, and while I've dashed by it on several occassions, I actually had the time to read the dedication.  It's a memorial to employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad who lost their lives in WWII, specifically inscribing that all travelers passing through the station remember them.  I didn't know how many employees of a railroad could have lost their lives in the war, even one as big as WWII, but it's 1,307 to be exact - and all of their names are listed there.  I can only imagine how acutely that must have been felt by others at the railroad.

It's the very retro and art deco touches that really make this place something to take in - the forged iron taxi cab signs, the uplit platform numbers jutting out, the extremely vertical windows and columns, the long polished wooden benches, and the light fixtures (many of which reminded me of Cafe Bazar in Salzburg which had much of the same feel).  But the station isn't all retro either - the station has several contemporary installations in place around the waiting area.  For as much as the structure is one of the great building of the past, the installations help to ground it in the present as well.

I can only begin to guess how many people have sat on those benches waiting for a train, and on that day, I was one of them.  In the end, an extra hour at the 30th Street Station was an hour well spent.

Philadelphia: Carnaval de Puebla...

So with all the travel in the past couple of weeks, I've been looking forward to sharing some of the highlights from all of the trips.  Starting with Philadelphia - in fact, I think we might even have a bit of a Philly-themed week?

And first up is not so much Philly itself (though there's plenty more of that to come!) but just a touch of Mexico in Philly. In this city, Cinco de Mayo is not just one day, it's ONE WEEK - starting with the Carnaval de Puebla parade that kicks off the festivities.

And we saw the parade while out on a mission to have cheesesteaks, so it's just about as Philly meets Mexico as it gets.  While deciding "wit" or "wit out" (more on that to come too), the sound of horns filled the air...then percussion...the just full on marching band.

We didn't know what the parade was about at the time but according to Philadelphia's Uwishunu:

"The event kicks off Cinco de Mayo festivities, which celebrate the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when Mexican forces in Puebla, Mexico successfully kept foreign invaders out of the country. Thousands of festival participants dress up in traditional costume to represent historic individuals from the monumental battle. Folks dressed in bearded masks, capes, headdresses and other garb reenact Mexican folk dramas from Puebla..."

Maybe it was my perception, but the whole parade stopped for a loooooooooooong time in front of Geno's Steaks -  perhaps to order in english? But probably to make a point.

But I think the neatest thing about the parade was the willingness of all the participants to share it - they knew people were watching and that they likely had questions.  Periodically revelers would stop to take pictures with spectators, they would lets kids touch parts of the costume or try on pieces, and I saw on several occassions paraders stop to answer questions patiently from spectators about what things meant on costumes or what the event was.  It just seemed like even though it was clearly a cultural event for a particular nationality, the intent was to share that nationality with a broader community.

The most fun to watch, of course, are the littlest revelers.  But even with all the bands and excitement, a few still preferred a nap tucked away...

Happy Monday!

 Ahhh, sometimes, it's just nice to be home -and a weekend at home is what we finally got.  I'm looking forward to this this week as well, just more home time before travels pick up again.  We finally got a departure date for Copenhagen as well - last day of July, so let the countdown begin!

In the meantime, links for your Monday!

• Paris…one neighborhood at a time.
• And speaking of Paris, geometric projections that are only proportional some of the time.
• A playlist to get moving by one of biggest fitness crazes out there.
• Poseidon’s beautiful bride.
• The most iconic flats worn by some pretty iconic girls of today   (via Note to Self)
• 100 social media stats. 
• A little girl honors some very inspiring women. 
• Annoyed by having to pay for luggage? Me too.  But that adds up to $6 Billion for airlines. 
• I love blackberries.  And cobbler.  Good combination, yes?
• Like interiors and lifestyles? 15 instagram feeds for you.
• I’ve always thought that people in New York really live like this. 
• When I think of the underwater world, I think of color, but this black and white version can be just as compelling. 
• Glamping in yurts in Norway – adding this to my growing scandi list!  
• I have always been meaning to do a weekend here and now it’s listed as one of America’s Best Little Beach Towns.
• SO excited to give these prints a try, from one of my favorite photo book companies. 
• How a Tokyo Bride becomes a bride…and then how she goes back to being herself after. 
• A notebook case for your iphone.
• A workout done in 7 minutes? You be the judge.   (via Bunny and Dolly)
• Reading to kids when one of their parents is deployed.
• Looking forward to trying some chocolate tarts new to our neighborhood this weekend – hooray for being home!.  
• We might be leaving DC soon but these three new shows are just starting here. 

And what you might have missed last week:

• Sunrise at the Vietnam Memorial
• A necklace that reminds me of North Dakota
• A quick trip to Charlottesville
• Lessons for Clara from Monticello

Trip Report n.11: Charlottesville

The move to Copenhagen still seems far off but we know that pack out day will be just around the corner.  It will sneak up on me, I know...but we've started to work through our list of places we've wanted to see and things we've wanted to do, and we've been extra careful to set aside lots of time for our family and friends as we go into these last couple of months.

With Charlottesville, we hit two birds with one stone: a new place with old, dear friends.  Just a quick visit sandwiched between all the work travel, it was about 24 hours but with all the greenery and good laughs, it felt like a long weekend break...

We started on the "mall", which is neither shoppping mall really, nor like the National Mall that we're used to here in DC.  It's more of a pedestrian shopping and restaurants street with lots of musicians.  Also, with the Kentucky Derby that day, lots of hats out on parade...

Springtime seemed to be everywhere, and if there's one thing that diplo-tot loves as much as blowing bubbles, it's blowing dandelions.  Her enthusiasm gets so great than upon inhaling a big breath to blow she actually inhaled the entire dandelion.  Which means I got to spend the next 10 minutes picking out all of those dandelion things out of her mouth- but no matter, she was off to pick the next one without skipping a beat.

A visit to Monticello was a highlight, not just for the house itself, but for the gorgeous sweeping views and all that you can learn about Jefferson's life, some of which I've passed on to diplo-tot in this week's Lessons for Clara.

A friend recommended Michie Tavern, which advertises "Colonial Midday Fare".  Honestly, I had no idea what Colonial Mid-day Fare really means (um, a thanksgiving meal?) but it turns out it means probably some of the best fried chicken I've ever had, and my diet coke served in a tin cup vessel.  We liked the cups so much (especially since it keeps that diet coke cooooooooooooooooold) that we bought our own to take home! (visitors to Copenhagen beware, you might be getting your beverages served in a colonial midday fare tin cup!)

Also for sale were an inordinate amount of lawn ornaments.  We don't have a lawn so we didn't buy any but definitely a lot of other prospective buyers for these items.  Who knew?

And although I've intended to do this for a long time, it was only on this trip that we finally made it to see Skyline Drive.  It's a gorgeous road that follows along the mountains - it had it's only springtime beauty as pockets of green and yellow were peeking through, but this must be completely amazing in the fall when the colors really come out.  Something to come back for...

Fields of North Dakota Gold...

When Elva Fields released a "Small Town Springtime" collection, I just knew it would have something for me in it.  I don't know if Fargo is considered to a be a small town anymore - after all, small has always been relative, right? But since I grew up there, and had a small but tight community around me, it will always have small town appeal to me. 

One of my favorite things about growing up in North Dakota were the wheatfields, long, expansive, horizon to horizon. I lived a little outside of town, so I even had it right outside my window.  Most of that is housing development now, but it doesn't take too long to drive just a bit out to see it all over again.  Golds and yellows, as far as the eye can see, contrasting always the best with the short green grass around it or stormy skies behind it.

Seems like this necklace is a way of always keeping a bit of that field of gold feeling with me...