Unfortunately the fiance got sick while we were in Pennsylvania, so we didn’t do a lot of sightseeing together, but his family did take me to Longwood Gardens, which was pretty impressive! It’s a huge botanical garden in Kenneth Square, PA that they decorate for Christmas every year. There were beautiful outside trails, tree houses, and greenhouses full of  exotic plants. We went in the evening to see all the Christmas lights and they even had a fountain show like the Bellagio one in Las Vegas.

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Then in Philly I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the day, the one with the famous Rocky steps. The museum has art from all periods and parts of the world, such as Japanese tea houses, Islamic arches, Medieval monastery pieces, etc. There is an impressive collection of Impressionism and Modern Art, with work from all the greats: Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso, Miro, Dali, Pollock, etc. My favorite thing to do at a museum is spotting something I teach my students about and in this case was the ready-made sculpture “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp, which is nothing more than an upside down urinal. The museum was also having a special exhibit with photographs by Paul Strand and different choirs singing Christmas songs throughout the day.

Philadelphia

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The ticket to the art museum also gives you admission to the Rodin Museum, a small house full of the French’s sculptures, including “The Thinker”.