Public Art in Philadelphia

There are so many sculptures and murals in Philadelphia, it would be impossible for me to sum it all up in a nutshell. While you are here, walking our streets, you will not be able to avoid it! So if you're interested in what you will see, I thought I would give you a few links to webpages that do a good job of providing more information.

You can't walk two blocks without seeing one of many murals painted on the wall of a building. The Mural Arts Program has been the major force behind the murals all over Philadelphia. Check out their webpage or the database of Philly's murals available here. Every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00am, the Mural Arts Program conducts a two-hour trolley tour of several murals (there's no way they could get to all of them). The trolley leaves from the Independence Visitor's Center at 6th and Market. There are only two tours a week, so I would advise getting their early to buy your ticket (which is $24 for adults), or even making a reservation. If you are interested, you can find out more about it here.

As for public sculpture, there are the things that show up on postcards-- Robert Indiana's LOVE sculptures near City Hall and on Penn Campus (yes, we have two!), Claus Oldenberg's clothespin (also near city hall) and button (on Penn's campus), Rodin's "Thinker" outside the Rodin Museum, the various sculptures by three generations of Calders-- I could go on and on. But even as an art historian living in Philly for ten years, I didn't know there was a Lichtenstein on our streets, or that the bolt of lightning at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge is by Isamu Noguchi! The best way to get an idea of what's here, whether you want to search by artist, location, or print out a walking tour, is to look at a website like this one.

As with everything in Philly, sometimes the best things are the ones that take a little effort to find. So keep your eyes open-- there's a lot to see!

DUCK BOATS

The thing about people from Philadelphia is... they think Philly is the greatest city in the world, but then they get annoyed at tourists who want to visit and enjoy it in funny, tourist-y ways. And one of these tourist ventures that some Philadelphians love-to-hate are the Duck boats! We love them, though, and my two-year-old son and I often go Duck boat spotting-- he can see them coming a mile away and never ceases to be delighted by them!

The DUCKS are based on the design of WWII era amphibious vehicles. They drive around Independence Park, South Street, and Society Hill a bit, and then they drive into the river! You cruise the river for a tiny bit, and then drive back up on land. I took the tour with my 4-year-old as part of a birthday party, and we really enjoyed it together. However, for an adult who is not accompanied by a child, it may not be the best tour option. It is expensive, at upwards of $20 (for adults), and though your driver will probably give you an informed tour, he/she will also play silly songs over the PA and encourage you to use your yellow plastic quacker at passers-by. My son and I love it when people quack at us, but other Philly natives can be rude about it.

If you're interested, check out the website, and take a gander at the boats themselves when they're lined up on 6th St (just north of where it crosses Chestnut)-- maybe for you, like us, it will be enough to see these interesting vehicles. If you do want to RIDE the Ducks, I would advise going early. I believe the first tours start at 10am, and it seems to me like most of the people along the tour route in the morning are the genial type (like women with strollers) and not the jaded wet blankets.