Last summer, my law school gang got together in Philadelphia where two members of our gang live. The best part of the trip was obviously spending time with my friends. But, one of my favorite parts when exploring Philadelphia was visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is one of the most famous art museums in the United States. It was founded over 125 years ago in conjunction with the Cenntennial Exposition of 1876. Today, the musuem is unfortunately known to most Americans because of the famous scene from "Rocky" where Rocky Balboa jogs up the steps of the museum and triumphantly raises his arms in the air. Many many people run up the stairs like Rocky all day long. There is actually an hysterical video on YouTube of some Catholic monks doing their best Rocky impersonations. My husband grew up watching these movies with his dad, so he made sure to take his turn running like Rocky as well. There is a Rocky statue at the bottom of the museum and an imprint of his footprints at the top of the stairs. So if you are going there as a Rocky fanatic, don't worry, you will definitely get your fix.
However, if you are going to the art museum to, you know, see art, you will not be disappointed. The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a fabulous art collection. There is a reconstruction of an Asian tea house in the museum which is very cool. There are medieval armor exhibits, which you know all the men love. There are even bizarre modern art installations. So, there is pretty much something for everyone. Additionally, the musuem has numerous special exhibitions a year which will not disappoint. We saw a fabulous exhibit on Renoir's Late Period that had a very interesting and informative audioguide. The museum itself is also beautiful. It is a huge marble building that looks like what you want a museum to look like. It sits at the end of one of the main streets in Philadelphia so you have a very enjoyable walk to the musuem plus a great view from the top.
TIP: You can buy your tickets to the museum online ahead of time, which is especially helpful when you want to see one of the many short-term exhibitions. When visiting Philadelpia, you will see many historical sites. I would definitely make time in your sight-seeing schedule to spend some time at this famous art museum.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 763-8100
www.philamusuem.org
