Philadelphia Summer Time Ball Game

I'm here! I might have had to be peeled off the floor, but I've reconstituted myself a bit. It's cooled down about 15 degrees, give or take, so the days are still hot (80-85 degrees F) but it's better than 100+! The humidity is around 73% today, so it's not that easy to be out. But yesterday, I was in Philly, and it was hotter, so I'll take it and smile!

Check this out. I went to the Phillies/Giants game at Citizens Bank Park... it was so much fun! My bro, Spencer, offered up some tickets for the game because he couldn't make it... and it was a blast! First of all, I enjoy watching the Phillies play, generally. I like the team they have right now. But to get to see them play my home team? That was so fun! There were probably about 20 Giants fans there, ha ha, besides me. Four or five were in my row, so that was cool!


K and I drove out to Philly, and parked at a garage in South Philly. We then walked to Varalli to have some tapas before the game. It's sooo good, by the way! The portions are bigger than I was expecting for a tapas place, and everything we got was tasty!! The lobster and crab mac and cheese was a favorite. YUM. Service was great, too, and I tried a new Belgian wheat beer that I liked a lot. So summery.

Lincecum warming up...

After dinner, we walked to the Broad Street subway line and went with many other fans to the stadium. It was so easy and relaxed.... I loved it. Once there, we got seated, and I took a picture of Lincecum, one of the Giants' all-star pitchers. I like that he's called "The Freak" for some reason. He's a wonderful pitcher to watch. ALSO, I got to watch their Closer, "The Beard", who's another one of my favorites.... what awesome power when he pitches. Wow. It was raining when he closed the game, so I didn't get a photo. :-(

Waiting for the fireworks

Afterwards, there was an amazing fireworks show that lasted a long time! It was amazing... At the end, they shot off all these fireworks that each were a different color so that the colors seemed to meld and create new colors, like watercolors running together... it was beautiful! I wish I had gotten a photo, but it was kind of still drizzling, and I didn't want to take a chance with my camera. It was still really hot out, around the 80's, even at night. Crazy. It's hard for me to grasp still, since in California, evening time means cooling time.


Anyway, we had a wonderful night... so beautiful, if a bit wet, and the Giants won 4-1 against the Phillies! (K was NOT happy about THAT. Sorry, Sweetie.) It was a good night for Giants fans, though! :-D And a GREAT night for US.

Museum of Art in Philadelphia

At the last minute, my boyfriend and I were invited to go to Philly to see the Museum of Art with his aunt. It was a rainy, blustery day, and we didn't have anything planned, so we said, "Yes!"


It's a rather large museum, and we didn't actually get to see it all because it closed at 5 pm, and we didn't get there until around 1 pm. We also had a lunch in the middle, so you can imagine that our meanderings didn't get us through the entire store of riches exhibited there. However, we've all decided that we want to go back again, soon. They have a Marc Chagall exhibit that we didn't get to, as we thought the place stayed open later.


However, here are some of the cool things that I saw...


Armor from the middle ages. Even equine armor!

Detail of one of the pieces.

Horse "helmets" and muzzle guards.

Miniature model of entire horse armor.

There were all kinds of weapons with intricate detailing, which is what fascinated me. They sure did put a lot of time, art, energy and beauty into weapons of destruction back then.

This is metal inlay... very fine work!

Either bone or ivory inlay, it didn't say.

Your "basic" travel kit for dueling.

Fancy powder storage.

Even a big cowry shell was used to hold powder.

Some beautiful swords. One at left has a gun, also.

At the rear are the Viking swords... ancient rough-hewn weapons.

There were also some beautiful and delicate things, like miniature silver service ware for your average little princess' dollhouse. I would've LOVED these things when I was a child!

And of course, there were paintings... my favorites were these two pieces by Henry Rousseau, this one by Claude Monet (because I was actually standing in this spot almost a year ago and recognize it) and this piece by Paul Cezanne, which I wrote a paper about in high school.

Henry Rousseau

Henry Rousseau

Claude Monet - "Pont Neuf"

Paul Cezanne - "Mont Saint Victoire"

Last, but not least, of the cool things I saw and photographed, are some pieces of original Lustre-ware, also known as Majolica, a Louis IV salon, and a few odds and ends...

Majolica beads that were given to women by their admirers.

 If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I suggest planning your day there. There's so much to see spanning three floors. They have a cafe there, but the restaurant called Granite Hill, though pricier, is definitely where I'd suggest you eat. They have delightful dishes that you can order a la carte, or you can do their Prix Fixe menu for $35, which gets you a starter, an entree and a dessert. It's delicious food and very professional service.


I wanted to see the Asian Art exhibit, which also has an old Japanese Tea House set in the middle of it, completely reinstalled from it's original location in Japan. There just wasn't time! I didn't even get to see the Modern Art wing, as it turned 5 pm as soon as I reached it. Bummer. So another visit is planned, which is completely worth the one hour trip from Bethlehem to Philly. Maybe I'll see you there?  

Josh Ritter's Valentine's Day Brawl in Philly

This was my first time going to a Josh Ritter concert, and I have to say, I'm sold! He has the most brilliant smile, not to mention darling personality, and he sings and plays beautifully! I have never watched such a gracious performer before.

Foyer at The Troc

 He played at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, which is near their China Town. It's not a big venue, but it was packed. I actually have a difficult time in crowds, being short and having an actual nervousness being stuck in the middle of large groups of people, so we were always a ways away, on the outskirts of the masses.

There was a bit of time where he talked about the awkwardness of Valentine's Day for most people, and he wanted to celebrate it. So during the bridge of one of his songs, he had the lighting guy put on some "sexy lighting" and asked that everyone there grab someone and "see what happens"... and it was hilarious! Nearly everyone around us were hugging their significant others, slow-dancing or making out, as we were. Ha ha! So funny and appropriate to the season!

I wish my photos of Josh and his band were clearer, but I have the memories inside me! He has the most brilliant smile, and he wears it pretty much the entire show. I have to say, you can really tell that he loves being up there performing for his fans. He was so sweet to everyone, and played wonderfully! It was a really lovely night of music and happy energy. (Big smile and big sigh...) Thank you, Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band!

I just got three new photos from my friend, Dan, who also went last night. His are much better!

Photo by Dan Cuconati

Photo by Dan Cuconati

Photo by Dan Cuconati

 Thanks, Dan!!