Checking Out Mural Mile in Philly

On what happened to be one of the hottest days of summer during my recent U.S. trip, I dragged my college girlfriend around with me to look for street art in Philadelphia.

Normally, we meet up in my homestate of Nebraska, but this year she had moved to Philly so we set out to explore her new city for the afternoon.

I had read about and wanted to walk along the city’s Mural Mile, which consists of 17 commissioned murals in the city center on a route that’s actually 2.5 miles long. The murals are quite diverse and interesting! The city’s Mural Arts Program, created in the 1980s in response to the city’s graffiti problem, has helped put over 3,600 designs across the city. You can find a Mural Mile Map here and can even download an audio tour if you visit Philadelphia yourself. The program also offers several guided tours in case you don’t want to do the DIY version.

Even though we were sweating like crazy outside, we stumbled upon several of the large-scale murals while we admired the city’s architecture. Other friends might have balked about being outside during the heat, but Julie knows my crazy ways. We had a lot of fun gossiping about our old college days and talking about our latest moves.

Walking through downtown Philly amounts to a stroll through the world’s largest outdoor art gallery. I wasn’t able to find all the names for each mural we saw, but at least you can see some of the city’s talented artists for yourself below.

The Philadelphia Muses, located at the corner of 13^th and Locust streets, features the nine classical Greek muses of the arts and each one is modeled after a real Philadelphian. For example, the woman in the green dress is the muse of Performance and the man in the coat is the muse of Word.

Finding Home’s theme revolves around homelessness and was made with the help of a number of Philly’s homeless residents.

Building the City mural is painted on the side of a historical building on Moravian Street. The mural, spanning more than one wall, is the artists’s tribute to Philadelphia architecture and features workers pouring steel, the main component of the city’s skyscrapers.

Women of Progress depicts the change in work and gender roles of women.

Spring mural by David Guinn depicts a spring day with Bradford pear and dogwood trees blooming in the city.

Gimme Shelter is dedicated to the city’s dogs and cats that find homes through the local animal shelters. 

The 55’x165′ Pride and Progress mural, located at 1315 Spruce Street, depicts a gay pride festival in the midst of nearby landmarks, including the Drake Hotel.

Last year, Pope Francis was added to the wall of this popular dive bar, Dirty Franks, located at 13^th and Pine streets just in time for his Papal visit. The original mural was created in 2001 by local artist, David McShane, and features the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Aretha Franklin and other well-known “Franks.”

If you visit Philly, be sure to take some time to explore the city’s rich street art scene which includes several hundred murals in addition to the Mural Mile downtown.

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Our First American Thanksgiving Since Becoming Expats

Sure the holidays are fun when you’re surrounded by family members, but it’s also utterly exhausting.

I’ve been in the U.S. for 23 days and have a few more days to go – the longest I’ve ever been back since we moved abroad in June 2010. I’m sure you’ve been there…when you travel, you end up sleeping in hotels, beds and couches that just aren’t the same as your own bed back home. I miss our comfortable bed and quiet apartment in Warsaw.

But our first American Thanksgiving since 2009 was a memorable experience. We celebrated this traditional American holiday with 24 members of my husband’s family in Pennsylvania. It’s amazing how my mother-in-law puts the entire meal together for aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. She likes to do many recipes on her own because that’s the way she’s always done them, so I actually stayed clear of the kitchen for the most part. However, I did contribute by making my cheesy green bean casserole and two desserts.

My homemade cheesy green bean casserole. None of that canned junk for me! 

Like most American kitchens, not every dish was completed on schedule. Thanksgiving is always a difficult meal to pull off because most of the traditional dishes are baked in the oven. And you can only have so many dishes in the oven at one time. The turkey needed more time to brown on top and then the dinner rolls still needed to be baked.

But we did pull it off, and our meal was delicious!

My father-in-law and cousin carving up the turkey. 

Here are a couple photos from our first American Thanksgiving in five years. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday as well!

Making pies the day before Thanksgiving.

My nine-year-old niece wants to be a pastry chef. I love that!

Just some of our Thanksgiving dishes.

Thanksgiving 2013 group family photo.

Our Thanksgiving pies - chocolate cream, apple crumb and pumpkin.

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Spring Popping Up in Pennsylvania

Greetings from somewhat dreary and slightly snowy Nebraska!

I’m currently spending a week with my family here, but last week we spent four days in Pennsylvania where spring was certainly in the air. We visited family and friends and attended our good friends’ wedding out in western Pennsylvania. The weather has cooperated with us for the most part as we flew and drove hundreds of miles around the East Coast.

One of the sure signs of spring out east is the sunny yellow color of forsynthia blossoms. Almost every front yard contains these cheerful colored bushes. You’ll even see forsynthia randomly along side of the road.

During a few pleasant mornings, we took a stroll through the nearby wooded areas, and I decided to test out my new camera lens on the wildflowers we encountered. I have wanted a 24-105 mm Canon lens for two years. We finally could justify the expensive price tag since I take on average 8,000 photos per year!

This camera lens is amazing and takes some fabulous upclose photos! Just look at the morning dew droplets on some of these wildflowers. And the green moss covering an old log is one of my favorite photos too.

Happy spring (again)! Hopefully, spring will arrive soon for my parents too!

I took this photo out in western PA. Loved the rolling hills and the bright blue skies!

Morning dew droplets on white wildflowers.

We don't see many squirrels in Istanbul, but we did in PA!

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