Thursday, June 16, 2011

Philadelphia Freedom


Here's some of what I saw and did in my recent visit to the City of Brotherly Love:

  • A groundhog - yes, I actually saw a real live groundhog on the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where I visited their current exhibit, Paris through the Window: Marc Chagall and his Circle.
  • Marianne Moore's living room at the splendiforous Rosenbach Library. When I asked the tour guide if this was a replica of Marianne Moore's living room, he said, no, it was her actual living room, transposed from her apartment in Greenwich village. Apparently she donated her papers with the stipulation that they also take her living room, intact. Her typewriter, her furniture, her books, her small animal sculptures, it's all here. Oh, and the original manuscript of James Joyce's Ulysses is here too.
  • The Barnes Foundation - it's moving to Center City Philadelphia on July 3rd, not without some controversy. This was my last chance to see the Renoirs, the Cezannes, the Van Goghs in its original home in Merion, Pa. outside the city limits. There's not an obscure artist in the bunch.
  • A bountiful dinner at the classy Asian restaurant Vietnam.
  • An odd assortment of bones and cadavers at the Mutter Museum, at the College of Physicians, along with the chance to see librarians Shira Kavon of CNN and Kee Malesky of NPR win some awards at the Special Librarian's Association News Division Awards dinner.
  • A tour of The Philadelphia Inquirer's news library given by librarian extraordinaire Michael Panzer (Tastykakes provided by his wife, Robin).
  • My life, flashing before my eyes, after a 1 a.m. announcement that there was an emergency in the building at the hotel where I was staying (my life being what it is, it only took about 13 seconds). Turns out some drunk at a wedding thought it would be a riot to pull the fire alarm.