Visit to Franklin Square
On Sunday we had brunch with our college friend Martha and her husband Josh; they have lived in the city for a few years now and we've only recently re-established contact thanks to Facebook. We met for brunch at Jones, one of our favorite restaurants in town, and then walked over to Franklin Square:
If you're living in or near Philadelphia, you've probably seen Franklin Square - it's the pleasant-looking spot that seems to be completely encircled by ramps feeding into the Ben Franklin Bridge. Turns out you can walk there pretty easily from the south; we got there from Jones in less than ten minutes and didn't even have to walk across any highways.
Franklin Square has been the focus of some restoration and revitalization work in recent years, and it's now a charming spot with a carousel and a phenomenal mini golf course. There's also a pretty fountain in the middle; alas, unlike the Logan Circle fountain, this one is fenced off to prevent swimming:
There is a huge sand sculpture on display in the park right now commemmorating the Phillies' World Series victory:
Soon enough we got down to business on the mini golf course. About half of the holes are built around Philadelphia landmarks, and some of them are really spectacular. Here is Maria at Elfreth's Alley:
Chelsea, Martha, and Josh sorting out how to play the Ben Franklin Bridge:
Anna and Maria with a replica of the LOVE statue:
And my favorite, the Art Museum:
No Philly-themed mini golf course would be complete without Independence Hall:
Next the girls got their faces painted, which was available for free all weekend because of the holiday:
Of course, we also had to hit the carousel:
And the girls rounded out our visit with some play time:
We had a great time! Many thanks to Martha and Josh for meeting up with us - we're hoping to get them out to the 'burbs for a visit sometime. We will certainly be visiting Franklin Square again, maybe when our friends Catie and McKinley come to town over the summer.
If you're living in or near Philadelphia, you've probably seen Franklin Square - it's the pleasant-looking spot that seems to be completely encircled by ramps feeding into the Ben Franklin Bridge. Turns out you can walk there pretty easily from the south; we got there from Jones in less than ten minutes and didn't even have to walk across any highways.
Franklin Square has been the focus of some restoration and revitalization work in recent years, and it's now a charming spot with a carousel and a phenomenal mini golf course. There's also a pretty fountain in the middle; alas, unlike the Logan Circle fountain, this one is fenced off to prevent swimming:
There is a huge sand sculpture on display in the park right now commemmorating the Phillies' World Series victory:
Soon enough we got down to business on the mini golf course. About half of the holes are built around Philadelphia landmarks, and some of them are really spectacular. Here is Maria at Elfreth's Alley:
Chelsea, Martha, and Josh sorting out how to play the Ben Franklin Bridge:
Anna and Maria with a replica of the LOVE statue:
And my favorite, the Art Museum:
No Philly-themed mini golf course would be complete without Independence Hall:
Next the girls got their faces painted, which was available for free all weekend because of the holiday:
Of course, we also had to hit the carousel:
And the girls rounded out our visit with some play time:
We had a great time! Many thanks to Martha and Josh for meeting up with us - we're hoping to get them out to the 'burbs for a visit sometime. We will certainly be visiting Franklin Square again, maybe when our friends Catie and McKinley come to town over the summer.
