Yep. I flew to Philadelphia last weekend for a performance of Mahler’s 8th Symphony. My old friend Matt from the Disney band (22 years ago) is the co-principle trombonist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the top five American orchestras. Here I am on the SEPTA train from the airport to downtown. I flew there directly on miles on Delta and then returned on United transferring in Chicago.
Sue and I booked me a Hotwire deal on a room. With Hotwire, you say yes to a price and a general location but you do not know the exact hotel until you seal the deal. This was my view from the 15th floor of the Embassy Suites Logan Square. The museum in the upper left is the Philadelphia Art museum where Rocky famously ran up the steps in his training for punching someone—I don’t remember ever seeing Rocky so the details might be fuzzy. . . I think he punched people?
As it turns out, right across the street from the hotel is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, where the Pope spoke during his recent trip to Philadelphia. I went to Catholic church here on Sunday morning. I talked to a security guy in the plaza outside the church. I said, “I’ve been reading some Philadelphia travel books and none of them mention this awesome cathedral!” And there it was, right outside my hotel room. There was a special service Saturday afternoon for a tour group from New York—a group of 300 people!
I do enjoy visiting churches.
On Sunday after visiting the Barnes Foundation Museum where photos were not allowed, I walked up the “Rocky steps” in a light rain just to soak in the atmosphere. The St. Pat’s Day parade had finished and a lot of the drunk revelers had dispersed to the pubs around town. There is even a statue of Rocky off to the side.
Here is the cathedral from my balcony. On the next street over, I-676 runs through the center of town buried in a trench. You can hardly notice it but it is just a four lane interstate running through the downtown of a major urban area. Traffic is always backed up on this undersized road but at least the road is not an ugly blight on the city.
Here is my buddy Matt. We met for lunch on Sunday afternoon before his performance of the Mahler 8th. I might have gone to that performance too if Matt had offered me a back stage pass. . . instead I went to an awesome museum. We didn’t even get to rehash any of our old Disney stories or catch up on band member’s lives. I actually know the fourth horn player in the orchestra too but was unable to meet up with her. Matt lives in New Jersey just across the Delaware River from downtown Philly. He rides the commuter train 25 minutes. He also teaches at Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music.
I visited Christ Church Cemetery where Benjamin Franklin and many other Revolutionary War era patriots are buried. This place is so old that most of the writing on the tombstones is worn away. This is right across the street from the mall where the Liberty Bell is and the hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.
Here is a streetscape with row houses and the tallest building in Philly, the Comcast Center. I had a great weekend and only wish Sue could have come with me! She and I did this same trip in 2006 to hear Matt and the orchestra play another Mahler, Das Lied von Der Erde – The Song of the Earth. We flew free on miles then, too. Matt said the orchestra is playing Mahler 3rd next year. Hmmm.
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