8 Must See Scenic Places to Photograph in Philadelphia

Every now and then
this Suburban Girl ventures into the big city.
Here are a few of my favorite haunts:

Philadelphia City Hall
We have William Penn,
the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania
atop our City Hall.
See him waving to you?

Schuylkill Banks, Philadelphia

Looking back at the city
along the Schuylkill River  (skoo-kill)
is a new walk that connects to a multi use trail.

Ben Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia
Near Penn's Landing along the Delaware River
the Ben Franklin Bridge is illuminated at night.
and connects the city to Camden, New Jersey

Boathouse Row, Philadelphia

Boathouses line the Schuylkill River
where rowing clubs house their racing shells.
On warm weekends you might catch a regatta
on the river.

Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia
This college campus is beautiful
with the main structure resembling a castle.

Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia
Once abandoned and completely overgrown,
this historic cemetery is now undergoing restoration.

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia
A lovely arboretum
with gardens, structures and art sculptures throughout.

and of course

Fairmount Park
The park (9200 acres)
is the largest urban green space in the country.  

Mono No Aware

物の哀れ
Or, The Transience of Life



Life is Fragile.



Life is Beautiful.




Life is Precious




Life is Precarious.



Life is Short.

Reminders from the Cherry Blossoms
 Fairmount Park,
Philadelphia, PA

The Party's Here! Where I am linking these days.

            

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All images by Rebecca Haegele have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Click on any image to go to its gallery for purchasing information.

Late to the Party

Usually they are the early type,
sometimes they are right on time,
but this year, they were late.


Cherry Blossoms Begin to Bloom 
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA 

It was Sakura Sunday in Philadelphia -
a day celebrating the Cherry Blossom.
Only the guest of honor,
the Cherry Blossom,
was late to the party.
(No doubt due to our endless winter this year.)


Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance Troupe

Their cousin blossoms in Washington DC
were in full bloom.
They knew how to time their arrival to their party.


Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance Troupe

None-the-less
there was plenty of sensory stimuli
sans the cherry blossom pollen.


Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance Troupe

And just when this Suburban Girl
 was thinking,
"This city isn't quite so bad..."
My brother, who was also at the festival,
had his car broken into via a window.


Wall Fan 
Sakura Sunday, Philadelphia PA

It's Philly after all,
the city I love to hate.

A full gallery of festival pictures through the years can be found here. 

The Party's Here! Where I am linking these days.

            

 My blog posts to my facebook page:  

All images by Rebecca Haegele have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Click on any image to go to its gallery for purchasing information.

A Daydreamy Day

Welcome to Lemon Hill

I love old homes.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 
Any style.
Any condition.
Any location.

Welcome to Woodford

When I visit an old home,
I get all daydreamy
imagining life there.

Welcome to Laurel Hill

Nothing breaks my heart more than the destruction
of a quality, historic building
to be replaced with a cheap, modern structure.

Laurel Hill hardware detail 

So I am happy to say...
within the boundaries of the largest city park

in the United States are the former summer homes

of prominent Philadelphians:

Lemon Hill features a completely oval room on each of 3 floors. 

The Mansions of Fairmount Park 

Woodford

 Living near these treasures, 

but never visiting the mansions 

I thought it was about time I did so. 

I really enjoyed the knowledgable docent at Laurel Hill.

Happily, the homes have all been preserved. 

Woodford

Sadly, they are managed by different organizations. 

 This makes it difficult for visitors to compile 

an itinerary for visiting them. 

The Art Museum features temporary shows at Lemon Hill.

No matter how much you love old homes or architecture, 

visiting them all at once would be mental suicide. 

 A city view across the Schuylkill River

above Boathouse Row as seen from Lemon Hill.

Pick a few to see or visit them over a period of time. 

You can catch summer concerts at Laurel Hill.

Three down...four to go. 

Maybe next week. 

Here is MY guide to help you

next time you are in Philadelphia:

East of River

Mount Pleasant (Georgian) 39°59′0″N 75°11′59″W / 39.98333°N 

3800 Mt. Pleasant Drive, Philadelphia, PA

is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Open Tues-Sun: 10 am-5 pm, except major holidays

Admission: $3; Students and Children (12 and under)-Free

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Woodford (Georgian) 39.993377,-75.187559

2300 N 33rd St  East Fairmount Park, PA 19102

is administered by the Farimount Park Commission

Open Tues.-Sun., 10 am to 4 pm

Admission: $5 adults, $3 senior citizens, $2 children

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Strawberry Mansion (Federal with Greek Revival) 39.994193,-75.190386

2450 Strawberry Mansion Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19132

is preserved by The Committee of 1926. 

Open:  Exterior Construction is completed.

Admission: Adults - $3

**********

Lemon Hill (Federal) 39.970704,-75.187252

Sedgeley and Lemon Hill Drs, Philadelphia, PA 19130

is operated by Colonial Dames of America. 

*Overlooks Boathouse Row and has a city view.

Open April - Nov., Wed - Sun, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission: Adults - $5

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Laurel Hill (Georgian) 39° 59' 28.35" N  75° 11' 41.18" W

7201 Edgley Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121

is operated by Women for Greater Philadelphia

*Views of the Schuylkill River from the back. 

If the area is closed for a Regatta, tell them you want to visit the mansion. 

Main Floor Tours: 

Open Tues.-Sun., 10 am to 4 pm. 
Admission: $5 adults, $3 senior citizens, $2 children

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

West of River 

Sweet Briar 39.976591,-75.20077 

1 Sweet Briar Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131

is operated by Modern Club of Philadelphia

Open: July 1-December 15, Wed-Sun: 10 am-4 pm.Admission: $3 per person

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Cedar Grove (Federal) 39.97914,-75.20444

1 Cedar Grove Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131

is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Tues-Sun: 10 am-5 pm, except major holidays

Admission: $3; Students and Children (12 and under) - Free 

Check for construction closures.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

View from Belmont Mansion Dr. 

Belmont (Palladian) 39.990911,-75.213194

200 Belmont Mansion Drive, Philadelphia, PA

is managed by the American Woman's Heritage Society 

and houses The Underground Railroad Museum. 

*From the front is a great city skyline view. 

Admission: $7 Adult, $5 Student/Sr/Child, Under 6 Free

Summer: Tuesday-Friday 11 AM-5 PM, Weekends 11 AM-5 PM

Winter: Tuesday-Friday 11 AM-5 PM, Weekends Noon-5 PM

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Map

The mansion names are often shared with 

neighborhoods in the community. 

Don't let that confuse you. 

Laurel Hill is also the name of a beautiful, historic 

cemetery nearby.  It is also worth a visit. 

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