Exploring Philadelphia!

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     Since I am now living in Philadelphia and will be for the next couple years of my life, exploring of the new scenery was definitely needed. For my adventure I took the subway (for the first time!) to South Street and then to City Hall. South Street is a great place to be-- full of vintage thrift stores and artsy shops that I've come to love dearly. South Street is also reassuring to me because it reminds me of the downtown section of where my family lives with its handmade crafts, cafes, and thrifty feel. My main reason for traveling to South Street was to finally see Magic Gardens. One of my friends had been there and fell in love with the place, so I really wanted to see it for myself. As I came up to Magic Gardens, I was already in awe at the use of materials and the structures of the walls and composition of mosiacs. I absolutely loved the outdoor part of Magic Gardens. The walls made by Isaiah Zagar of bottles and porcelin pottery were amazing. The structure of the garden also impressed me because Zagar was able to intertwine his style with nature as well as other environments with man made walls and tiles. So after wandering about South Street and the nearby neighborhoods filled with murals for a few hours, I got back on the subway and got off at the City Hall stop in hopes of seeing the New York-ish buildings and LOVE Park. On arriving, I really didn't want to see the LOVE sculpture or the wedding parties flocking around it, but I did thoroughly enjoy the fountain and people at the park mostly because I was exhausted and needed to relax in the shade with my feet in the water. I'd like to fall asleep one day just laying on that outer wall with my shoes off and a big hat over my face-- but I know this is pretty unlikely of me to do. Once I tired of the misty air, I wandered over to the large sculptures and nearby buildings of City Hall. The architecture is truly amazing here and it is a nice spot to just marvel at the work humans and machines are actually capable of. I ended up returning to the Temple campus later that evening ready to sleep but having to draw my dorm room. Kind of a bittersweet day, but definitely a great start to college life and living in the city of Philadelphia.