Ma Tanner: Visiting Philadelphia (June 2012)

I thought it was really fun to see these domino sculptures. This was at the top of my list of what to see while I was in Philadelphia. Aren't they cute?

They had life size game pieces as sculptures. I liked this chess piece Nate chose for his picture.

This is a memorable picture - it cost me $5 to take this picture. We ran into a homeless man Paul that took our picture and then asked for money. After he got the $5, he asked for more money. Nate has a kind, generous heart. Paul was lucky because I wasn't so inclined. This sculpture represents Philadelphia as the city of brotherly love.

This is a picture of the Eastern State Penitentiary. This was the world's first true penitentiary, designed to inspire true penitence or regret in the hearts of the criminals. It had running water and central heat before the White House. The cells are vaulted with sky lights. Many notorious criminals were housed here. Gary referred to his "friend" Al Capone so we had to take a picture (below) of Al's cell.

This is a picture of Gary and Venus as we were leaving the penitentiary. It was interesting to visit - the prison stands today in ruins with crumbling cell blocks and a surprising eery beauty.

Nate had training so he didn't get to see any of the sights. We took him to the window where he could see the Liberty bell. All the historic sights closed at 5 pm which surprised us.

This is a picture of Gary, Nate, and then me with Independence Hall in the background. It was really fun to be in Philadelphia right before the 4th of July.

In the background is a picture of Philadelphia's City Hall with the statute of William Penn on top. William Penn was the founder of Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania. City Hall is the world's second tallest masonry building. The granite/brick walls are 22 feet thick.

We toured the Grand Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania. It was very interesting. There were many rooms where meetings are held during the week. Each room has an altar where ceremonies are held.

This picture above is George Washington's apron that he wore in the Masonic temple. It is part of the museum there.

The Masonic temple had sculptures of Faith, Hope and Charity. Of course I had to take a picture of Charity!

The pictures above and below are the front of the Masonic Temple. The architecture reminded us of the SLC temple that our church has.

We went to the Ben Franklin institute - I was amazed at all the things Ben Franklin invented or discovered - bifocals, flippers, stove, lightning rods and sudoku (magic cube) are just a few of them.

This is a picture of me with Venus in front of Ben Franklin. At the exhibit below you can see the key on the box. When you try to pick up the key, you get shocked! That was a big surprise. Of course, Ben Franklin is most remembered for discovering electricity. He was quite the scientist!