We awoke to gray skies struggling to illuminate our matchbox hotel room on Monday morning. Eight hours worth of drizzling rain isn't my favorite vacation weather, but the gray and the rain was an appreciated change from arid Arizona. Our first stop was to pick up some price-gouge-tastic umbrellas that barely made it through the day before we headed back to the Ritten House for a quick breakfast with family. Bellies full and having said our farewells we made our way to the Eastern State Penitentiary to check out "one of the world's first true penitentiaries" originally designed to inspire penitence and expected to change/shape punishment and reform across the world. The irony of the cold day and the frigid social design of the prison did not go amiss.
The dreary weather provided not only an ideal backdrop for the impressive yet slightly eerie prison, but likely also helped with the very minimal fellow visitors, enabling us to enjoy touring the facility without having to jostle for photos or views. Unlike many audio tours, which Jonathan and I avoid, this tour, narrated by Steve Bussemi was quiet enjoyable. You were encouraged to walk as we listened instead of being held hostage at a certain location, and we could easily get the drift of the chat and move along at your own pace. |
| Solitary |
We toured all of the open cell blocks, admiring the occasional two story, later additions, as well as the extra creepy and decrepit death row sections. Despite no one ever being executed at this prison, death row had its share of inmates. Another creepy section, which didn't photograph well, was the area designated for solitary punishment. The ceilings in this location were not even 5 feet tall. If you look close enough you can kind of see the doors along the left wall. Wretched.
Despite the repressive nature of the establishment, the design of the prison was very impressive. The center of the prison was set up to enable the the guards to stand in a central location and almost simultaneously view all of the corridors. From the rotunda, a guard could watch several rows, and as additions were made, mirrors were installed for additional viewing opportunities. (mirrors seen to the left)
One of the more famous or shall we say "infamous" inmates was the one and only Al Capone. Of course his cell was a bit more lavish than the rest as seen below. It felt odd to take a kitsch picture by a prison cell, but I would have felt remiss had I not taken a tourist pic in such a unique place. Oh, and don't mind the plastic tail-like object sticking out of my back pocket. I am usually pretty aware of my photo surroundings and setups, however the umbrella cover sticking out of my back pocket like a perturbed cat tail apparently slipped my filters. Oh well, that's what I get for a smiling picture in a prison. (for more photos, a few blurrier than I'd prefer, check out the slide show to the left)
After we left the prison we headed across the street to what turned out to be a rather pretentious coffee/vegan/hipster/too-cool-for-school restaurant. I don't care for false flattery but am not keen on feeling less worthy after placing a simple coffee order with the monochromatic, androgynous server. Nothing like paying for a little local condescension.
From the apathetic coffee shop we walked to The Barnes Foundation. I had never heard of the Barnes Foundation but Jonathan gave me a little back story, so here is the super skinny. Albert C Barnes made his fortune by co-developing an anti-gonorrhea drug, and thanks to his nouveach riche status, was shunned by the old school art collectors. So he opted to do his own thing. Barnes bought all kinds of art, decorated every available space he owned and deemed those elites who sunbed their nose at him, banned from seeing or having his art. At some point the goal was to always grant free access to his magnificent collection, but generations and heirs later the amazing structure that houses Barnes' cluttered, yet impressive collection. charges your usual gallery ticket prices.
In addition to the plethora of paintings, sketches and drawings there were random antique items such as door knockers, hinges, benches and chairs. Mind you, there were benches clearly placed in the center of nearly each gallery room for visitors to rest their bones upon which differed greatly from the antique furniture that abutted the walls beneath the famous paintings. Enter oblivious tourist. Apparently one of the chairs on the 2nd floor (clearly within the gallery borders) was too much for one visitor to pass up. We heard the hustle and bustle of security and "sir, you can't sit there" harrumphs, only to learn that someone decided to literally pull up a chair and have a seat among the exhibits. The huffs and puffs of the security and exhibit specialists clearly displayed the worth of the chair, but we couldn't help but find the whole situation pretty entertaining.
Later that evening we met up with Ryan for a spicy, spicy, spicy szechuan dinner. One of the sections on the menu was specialish. Specialish? Since we couldn't quite put our finger on what "specialish" was supposed to mean we opted not to order from that section. The experience was fun, but after only a few bites this fragile flower knew my dinner would consist of a good amount of white rice and a few adult beverages. Win some lose some, but overall a much enjoyed vacation day. 
One more day to go... I promise it will not take me quite as long to post!
