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ysobelleToday was an extraordinarily interesting and rich day. I started it very angry, and when I'm a little less pissed, I'll get into that. But on the whole, it was pretty darn neat. I spent it with friends at Eastern State Penitentiary (http://www.easternstate.org/), a building I've passed most of my life but never been inside. I still remember the first time I saw it: I was amazed that Philadelphia had hidden such a building away, crumbling and massive and mysterious, hiding in plain sight.
I won tickets in a charity auction for my Middle/Upper School, Friends Select. In the end, I probably paid face price for them, but the money was for a good cause, and it was very much worth it. (I personally wouldn't care if the school fell into the ocean, but my niece goes there now, so I'll be a good sport, dammit.) Coincidentally, I discovered on the tour that the original idea for the Penitentiary-- a place to inspire true penitence and regret in prisoners, and instill a desire to do better forthwith-- was instigated by Philadelphia Quakers. Their belief that everyone holds inside them the Inner Light, and that no one is beyond redemption, inspired them to push for prison reform and a completely new kind of institute. They weren't alone, of course-- Ben Franklin was in on the plan, too.
Anyway, the place was built in the early 1800s, and was in use until 1971. You've seen it in Twelve Monkeys, a Tina Turner video-- lots of stuff. We got lots of pictures (I handed my camera to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
snugglyevil and only took about a dozen photos myself), because seriously, it's one of the creepiest places you'll ever see, and one of the most photogenic.
morriganswitch has been there before, and showed me Cellblock 13. It was one of the only places I actually had trouble stepping into: small and dank, it pushed back against me with a slight but palpable physical force. The same with Death Row: so much rage, violence, and hopelessness leaves a definite miasma of darkness behind.
So of course, afterwards, we ate!
sheraqaw and her daughter Amy were also with us, along with the LJ-less Dave and Lori from faire. After a false start at Jack's Firehouse-- which was closed for a charity function--we wound up at London for quite a nice late brunch that is, I'm sure, still with me. It was lovely to sit and laugh with friends-- our only tense moment was when someone made a move towards Lori's pumpkin cheesecake. But we managed to talk her off the ledge, and no blood was spilt. (Seriously. The stuff's like crack. You have been warned.)
Upon returning home, a quick chat withmorriganswitch pretty much settled my worries about the London trip. That's a huge weight off my mind. Huge. snugglyevil and I sat for a bit, attempting to digest our enormous meal. Finally judging it a lost cause, she left me, and I fell into a coma for a few hours. Now it's time to sort through today's photos, perhaps draft a pattern, and get ready for a date tomorrow night. Oh, and laundry.
I won tickets in a charity auction for my Middle/Upper School, Friends Select. In the end, I probably paid face price for them, but the money was for a good cause, and it was very much worth it. (I personally wouldn't care if the school fell into the ocean, but my niece goes there now, so I'll be a good sport, dammit.) Coincidentally, I discovered on the tour that the original idea for the Penitentiary-- a place to inspire true penitence and regret in prisoners, and instill a desire to do better forthwith-- was instigated by Philadelphia Quakers. Their belief that everyone holds inside them the Inner Light, and that no one is beyond redemption, inspired them to push for prison reform and a completely new kind of institute. They weren't alone, of course-- Ben Franklin was in on the plan, too.
Anyway, the place was built in the early 1800s, and was in use until 1971. You've seen it in Twelve Monkeys, a Tina Turner video-- lots of stuff. We got lots of pictures (I handed my camera to
snugglyevil and only took about a dozen photos myself), because seriously, it's one of the creepiest places you'll ever see, and one of the most photogenic. morriganswitch has been there before, and showed me Cellblock 13. It was one of the only places I actually had trouble stepping into: small and dank, it pushed back against me with a slight but palpable physical force. The same with Death Row: so much rage, violence, and hopelessness leaves a definite miasma of darkness behind.So of course, afterwards, we ate!
sheraqaw and her daughter Amy were also with us, along with the LJ-less Dave and Lori from faire. After a false start at Jack's Firehouse-- which was closed for a charity function--we wound up at London for quite a nice late brunch that is, I'm sure, still with me. It was lovely to sit and laugh with friends-- our only tense moment was when someone made a move towards Lori's pumpkin cheesecake. But we managed to talk her off the ledge, and no blood was spilt. (Seriously. The stuff's like crack. You have been warned.) Upon returning home, a quick chat with
morriganswitch pretty much settled my worries about the London trip. That's a huge weight off my mind. Huge. snugglyevil and I sat for a bit, attempting to digest our enormous meal. Finally judging it a lost cause, she left me, and I fell into a coma for a few hours. Now it's time to sort through today's photos, perhaps draft a pattern, and get ready for a date tomorrow night. Oh, and laundry.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2008-11-10 05:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 01:55 pm (UTC)Have you ever been to Alcatraz? It was a really fascinating place to visit.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-10 07:10 pm (UTC)When you gonna post your pics?
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Date: 2008-11-10 07:19 pm (UTC)