Strolling around town

Your Center City Correspondent wants you to know that that he survived the first week on the job as an usher for the Phillies as well as the first week of Mrs. CCC’s unemployment. She was laid off from her job after nearly 13 years. So now we get to spend more time together than ever before. Wish us luck.


As part of my regimen to stay in shape to walk up and down the steps at Citizens Bank Park, I take regular strolls around town. Most of the time I head towards the Art Museum so I get to walk up and down the Rocky steps. The view from the top of the steps is towards Center City with the tall buildings on the right and the Swann Fountain and City Hall directly down the Parkway. For out-of-towners, I’m sure that is a nice picture. But for my money, the better view is around the west side of the museum. On that side you can see the Water Works with its ornate buildings, the Schuylkill River, the dam, Boathouse Row, Lemon Hill, and on nice days, the Zoo balloon. For me, the west view is for Philadelphians, and the east side is for tourists. If you ever get a chance, take in a sunset from the Water Works; occasionally they rival anything seen in Florida or Hawaii, and they are a lot closer to home.

A long-awaited event happened the other day in the neighborhood. The statue of Joan of Arc was returned to its spot at 25th and Pennsylvania Avenue, right across from the Art Museum. She had been removed last fall to repair the pedestal she sat on, and while it was down, they refurbished and re-gilded her. She looks gorgeous, probably better than when she was first installed. The Philadelphia Public Arts Commission is owed a big thank you from the neighborhood, Joan really classes up the area. The statue is a replica of the original which stands in front of the Hotel Regina in Paris, right across from the Louvre. So if you’re ever heading out of town on the Parkway and the Kelly Drive, tip your cap to Joan. She’s hard to miss.

On another stroll into town, Mrs. CCC and I bumped into another Public Arts exhibit. This one is a bit more sublime than Joan of Arc. 15 artists from around the city were commissioned to decorate statues of the Philly Phanatic. I’ve seen three of them, the original at the ballpark, Spaceman Phanatic in an orange spacesuit in front of the library, and Cosmic Phanatic with galaxies and (baseball) stars all over him in Rittenhouse Square. The Phanatic is a local treasure and the artists spent time and effort to recreate him in their vision. I can’t wait for the exhibit to be over and they bring all 15 to the park; it will freak him out.  It freaked Mrs. CCC, she thought she was hallucinating, seeing him all over town in different colors.  She's going to cut down on the margaritas.

All for now. Enjoy your weekend and Go Phils!!