September 2010
Moms on the Move
Fit for a Queen
These Moms Head to Philadelphia
By Karen Kullgren
Sometimes a mom's just got to get out of town, and when I heard that Philadelphia was playing U.S. host to an exhibit called "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt," I thought it would be a perfect getaway with another mom friend who needed a break. I'd done the American history tour of Philly before, but this time it would be all about arts and food.
The Queen Will See You Now
Heading out for the art, we enjoyed traversing Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a grand European-style boulevard with the gorgeous Swann Memorial Fountain (designed by Alexander Stirling Calder) and flanked by cultural institutions. We found the queen at The Franklin Institute and set to exploring. The exhibit (through January 2, 2011) includes objects from the reign of Cleopatra recovered by Egyptian archeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, and many recovered from her royal palace. This wasn't as easy as it sounds, as her palace had been buried beneath the Mediterranean until French underwater archeologist Franck Goddio's research located it and other submerged cities once surrounding the Egyptian coast.
The statuary, jewelry, coins, daily items and religious tokens displayed are all on exhibit in the United States for the first time. It was the 16-foot-high red granite "Colossi" of a Ptolemaic king and queen, circa 330 B.C., that I found most awe-inspiring, statues that watched over temples regular citizens could not enter, and the two stone sphinxes that once stood (sat?) guard outside the temple of the goddess Isis at Cleopatra's palace. One of my history lesson reminders from the exhibit was that the reason we weren't seeing drawings and paintings of Cleo, as we would have liked, was that the Roman conquerors ordered all images of her destroyed after her death.
Food for Thought
The food scene in Philly is as artful as the arts scene. We dined one evening at Moshulu, the world's largest four-masted ship still afloat, a fine dining experience centered on fresh local ingredients. On our second night, Square 1682 at Hotel Palomar offered up delicious small plates, an attentive, knowledgeable waitstaff and a sublime dessert, lemon verbena panna cotta with candied plums and ginger. Peruvian food and Cantonese dim sum happen to be two of my favorite foods, and the fusion restaurant Chifa's Chef José Garces satisfyingly did justice to both. We opted for the Chef's Tasting Menu for a good sampling, from the red curry with jumbo lump crab, coconut, jasmine rice, tofu and eggplant, to the Ecuadorian ceviche with shrimp, yellow tomato and avocado.
Our Sunday brunch was a revelation in two ways. Cooperage: A Wine & Whiskey Bar is owned by Jennifer Kremer, a well-known restaurant stylist and sommelier, and the cuisine offered by executive chef Ralph Kane was billed as gastro pub meets Southern bistro. I don't care what it was billed as, just keep bringing me food like fried green tomato salad with watercress, burrata cheese and lemon-thyme vinaigrette and desserts like bourbon-spiked dark chocolate beignet with coffee ice cream! The bonus was that on a wall on the other side of the building, the Curtis Center, was a 15 x 49' mural, "The Dream Garden," designed by Maxfield Parrish in the early 1900s and produced by Louis Comfort Tiffany. I could have stood all day staring at this divine vision, made of 100,000 pieces of Favrile glass in 260 colors.
Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and More
We'd been urged to visit the Barnes Foundation (20 minutes outside the city) soon, since the world-famous collection of French early modern and post-impressionist art will be moving from its original location in a stately mansion into Center City. Fortunately, the new staging will recreate Albert C. Barnes's aesthetic of the way works are now hung, close together, symmetrically and sometimes thematically, in a stunning overload for the senses. I found the two hours we'd allotted not enough for both the collection in the house and the gorgeous arboretum outside. While the Renoirs (181) outnumber the other artists, I was most bowled over by the extraordinary Cezannes (69) and Modiglianis (16), Monet's "Houseboat," which I kept going back to over and over, and numerous Matisses (59), including the large-scale "Three Sisters Triptych" and "The Music Lesson." Also, a personal must for any museum visit, I came away having learned about and loving the work of an artist new to me--in this case, Maurice Utrillo and his French cityscapes.
I was one of the last patrons out the door at closing, and we left Philadelphia stuffed with good food and good art. Two moms headed back to their parenting duties refreshed and ready for the next challenge…
Other Royal Recommendations
Art After 5 every Friday evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with a live jazz cocktail party, special gallery talks and tours. I love the museum's Asian wing, with installations of a Japanese teahouse and Indian temple hall. Don't miss the little jewel of a gift shop annex specializing in wearable art.
The Rodin Museum houses the largest public collection of the master's works outside Paris.
Reading Terminal Market featuring everything from cheese to cheesesteaks, from produce market stands to a great little cookbook stall.
Decadent queenly body scrubs and massages at Rescue Rittenhouse Spa, perfect after two days on our feet sightseeing (and all that strenuous eating!).
Avenue of the Arts for theater or live music (go to phillyfunguide.com for discounted tickets).
We stayed at the hip Hotel Palomar in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. This place gave a whole new meaning to hotel art, with exciting original pieces that would do any gallery proud. If you're lucky, one night's hosted wine hour appetizer will be the sublime truffle popcorn.
Philadelphians place a high value on art in public spaces. Bus stops surprise with stained glass windows, and the city is the self-proclaimed "mural capital of the world," with more than 3,000 indoor and outdoor works created by its Mural Arts Program.
For special Cleopatra hotel packages and suggested itineraries: visitphilly.com.
Karen Kullgren has been contributing editor for Washington Parent for 12 years, and she is also a freelance writer. Reach her at karen@washingtonparent.com, and read her blog, "Grace in the Gray Areas: Reflections on Life's Journeys & Joys, Books & Other Blessings" at karenkullgren.blogspot.com.