I {Heart} Philly

These balloons bobbing above my booth lifted my spirits, along with the gorgeous day, good fortune, beautiful surroundings, and lovely people of center city Philadelphia.

Taking a strawberry break.

A street fair is ideal here, on a perfect day in the heart of center city. Tables surrounded the Old Pine Street Church block and neighbors and passersby stopped to look, chat, buy all of my Phildelphia prints and postcards. It was good fortune that the block I selected to draw for my first Philly streetscape drawing was in pointing distance, directly across from the front facade of the Church. A few residents of the block were excited to purchase the prints and invited me to tour their homes and make additional drawings. So I am planning Philly: Part 2, another trip to see more of this phenomenal city and make some special custom architectural drawings.

Here is one of the homes on the 400 Block of Pine Street:

We were bewitched by the butterfly stair. Almost all original floors, door, hardware in the 217-year old 4-story townhouse.

I heard the legend that runaway slaves were housed here en route to Camden NJ. Then I saw the tunnel that led from the basement of this house, under Pine Street, to the Church. And the hidden stairway that led to concealed attic space. {wow!} The paintings at the entry were also purported to be the work of those slaves, reminiscent of their ancestors' homelands.

I think the t-o-t-c Print of the 400 Block of Pine Street looks perfect in this home whose front facade also happens to be the center of that streetscape drawing. I loved exploring the neighborhoods of South Philly, too, getting a cheesesteak at Cosmi's Deli and having a mouth-watering look at the venerable Termini Bakery. And a quick but comprehensive driving tour through the Italian Market, Boathouse Row, and many other spots that beckon me back to Philadelphia!

All Thanks to my good friend, Beth. Check her out on etsy!