magic garden

Today we ignored a leaky pipe in the basement (and few resulting puddles) and the chores that are always hanging about, and snuck outta Dodge for a bit. My LSH has been working like a dog given how sick everyone is at the moment -- and I am not just talking about my kids. He needed to get away.

So we hightailed it down to Philly, and had a dim sum lunch in Chinatown, and went to the Academy of Natural Sciences (which we had not been to before; the boys were suitably shocked) and then in the quest for a Philly cheesesteak, we came upon the Magic Garden on South Street in Philly. Make sure to click on the link and watch the slideshow for a bit. The place is unlike anything I have ever seen. The artist, Isaiah Zagar, has created this amazing giant mosiac in an empty lot, with more tunnels and twists and turns than you can imagine. It took him 14 years to complete, and incorporates bits of tile and glass, bottles, statues, bicycle tires, and other found objects. We all walked around and around and around it again, because it was so rich in detail that you couldn't take it in all at once. Our mouths hung open at the thought of all the work that had gone into it. Primo wondered aloud "Where would you even start?"

We never did get the cheesesteak as the lines were ridiculously long, but no one complained. That garden had given us plenty of food for thought. Take the time to search it out the next time you find yourself in Philly. You won't be disappointed, and you may even be inspired.