Magic Gardens, Philadelphia

The Magic Gardens in Philadelphia are not your average kind of gardens. There are no herbs or vegetables of flowers planted here. Instead, it is a beautiful showcase of the mosaic art of Isaiah Zagar. Imprinted throughout the gardens are quotes from other artist, poems, and sculptures from around the world. If/When you get to Philadelphia, head straight down to South Street and see this place for yourself.  Oh, and yes, that is indeed me in one of the pics ;-) Oops I almost forgot to mention that all of these photos were taken with my iPhone 4, as I forgot my Nikon at home. Not so bad, huh?

The U.S. Virgin Islands, Post 2: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

So after sunbathing, hiking, snorkeling and eating our way across St. John, we took the ferry back over to St. Thomas and spent the day sightseeing around Charlotte Amalie, the capital. Beautiful little city flanked by mountains to one side and crystal blue waters on the other. Sadly those crystal blue waters are home to insanely large crusie ships, which bring in insanely large numbers of stupid people. Good for the infrastucture but bad for my nerves.

The U.S. Virgin Islands, Post 1: St. John

So the final stop on the Swedish American tour were the islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the US Virgin Islands. We flew down from NY, landed on St. Thomas picked up a Jeep and immediately went to the ferry dock and crossed the channel to St. John. I first went to St. John when I was in High School on a class trip. We camped and snorkeled and did general teenager things, all under the guise of learning about the delicate Eco system that exists both on the island itself, and the amazing coral reefs that surround its coasts. At the time I wasn't sure how much I was learning, but now I look back and see what an indelible learning experience it was for me. This time was spent doing much of the same things as I did on my first visit, we spent a few days exploring Cruz Bay, Coral Bay, Cinnamon Bay, the ruins at the Annaberg Sugar Plantation, eating seafood at every stop. Then we went back to St. Thomas for a great day in Charlotte Amalie, photos of which I will dedicate an upcoming post to. Sadly, my Nikon was a bit too expensive to dunk into the ocean willy nilly to photograph the amazing underwater life, so you will have to just enjoy the view above water.

Washington, D.C.

And even further south along our tour was our next stop, Washington, DC. I love this city for its vibrant mix of politics, design, art and culture. Each time I go to DC, I fall in love with it a little bit more.  There is always something I havent seen in Washington, and because it is the epicenter of U.S. politics, it always feels current and inspiring. 

Baltimore, Maryland / Bawlmer, Hon.

Next up on the eastern seaboard tour was Baltimore, Maryland. A city of many hats, Baltimore offers us such delights as John Waters, The Peabody Conservatory of Music, The Visonary Art Museum, Johns Hopkins University, Bertha's Mussels, The Inner Harbour, Donna's, Maryland King Crabs, and Tori Amos. It's a city of comical absurdity, important U.S. history, and modern culture.  Here are some of the visual highlights from this visit.