A City Girl No Longer

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My time in Philadelphia is at an end. My cubicle is cleaned out, I presented my 7 weeks worth of work to my boss, recycled a ton of papers, and said goodbye to my coworkers. It was a good learning experience, and I made some friends that I hope to keep in touch with.

Yesterday I made the decision to have a day out in Philly instead of spending it in my cube. The other interns were out in the field, so I took the train in and had a "culture" day. I took a bus out of suburban station and went to the Philadelphia Art Museum...the one with the famous "Rocky" steps. I spent the morning getting lost in gallery after gallery, seeing some of my favorite artist's paintings (ie: Renior) and trying my best to understand how modern art is actually art. A blue square on a white canvas...I just don't get it. The museum was huge, and covered all sorts of art. I started with the painting galleries, but then ended up wandering rooms that highlighted architecture, pottery, tapestries, sculpture and furniture. Some of the rooms were actually rooms that had been taken from old houses and recreated...floors, windows and all! They were sitting rooms from high class houses in London and New York...elaborate woodwork and they just oozed elegance.

From the museum I took another bus down to Market Street, where I found my way to the Ritz at the Bourse...an alternative theatre (Sundance-esque films), and bought a ticket to Encounters at the End of the World...a documentary about the people who work in Antarctica. It was great, and really got me all excited about going down there again. My intended plan is to get down there for the 09/10 season (October-February).

To round out my solo day in the city I found a little Italian cafe on the corner of 3rd and Market, and ordered a wood fire thin pizza and a mojitio...but sadly they were out of the ingredients for the mojito. Had to settle for water. Boring.

I have enjoyed being in the city. Commuting an hour each way on the train has been an experience. The hustle and bustle of working about as dead center of Philadelphia as you can get has been fun. There are people rushing around all the time, and we are constantly dwarfed by the tallest building in the city...the Comcast Center...right as we walk out of the door of EPA. I do not see myself working on the East Coast, but you never know, I may be back someday.

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Photos

a day in the field
wetland surveys