One thing I love about life is that everyday has an amazement of its own. If you find everyday life to be boring, you aren’t thinking about the delicious cheese steak you had for lunch or the bright sun warming your back. Sometimes a single day could surprise you to an extent that its memories will astonish you till days after.
On a distinct Sunday, without an exception, tens of people gathered in front of the Annenberg Science Center to travel to Philadelphia, home of the Philly Cheese Steak. There, we packed ourselves in two school buses with only a snack, a bottle of water, a map of Philadelphia, and twenty one dollars in hand. When we got off the bus at Philadelphia, what we had to trust was the itinerary the two of us made days prior to the trip.
Kate, as an inhabitant of New Jersey, and I, as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, were completely unfamiliar with the strange environment surrounding us at the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. Unlike the quiet school we came from, the streets of Philadelphia were filled with cars and people. However, with our hand made itinerary and Google printed maps in hand, we ascended the grand steps of the Philadelphia Museum of arts with confidence. The first thing we were going to do was to visit and explore the Philadelphia Museum of arts, a museum filled with artifacts from centuries before. Because of our well planned itinerary, we were able to investigate these marvelous pieces of arts for a mere donation of five dollars. And with the sign “free admissions on Sunday” greeting us, Kate and I first went to the first floor exhibition hall. At the exhibition hall, magnificent drawings by Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet were hanging on the walls. Past these portraits were exhibitions of relatively modern art pieces. One piece that came in sight was a wall completely covered with sown leaves. If someone told me to sow leaves, I would regard it as a complete waste of time. Yet to others, the leaves became an artifact with significance. After circling the first floor once, Kate and I went upstairs to find what we had been looking for; the architectures of Buddhist arts. When we went into the exhibition, statues of hideous monsters were looking down on us. This seemed a bit odd to me, for it would be somewhat awkward to place Buddha in a dim lit path. With doubt, we proceeded on to the next room. As expected, the second room was in total contrast to the first room. A transparent roof allowed natural sunlight to brighten the whole room. Accompanying the natural sunlight were houses built with nature friendly materials. And in the center was a Buddha statue with a peaceful smile on its face. The Buddha statue itself was a magnificently sculpted piece. But when I saw the Buddha statue with its surroundings, the whole piece of art gave pleasure like nothing else. After examining every aspect of the Buddhist art hall I dragged my feet to the next exhibition. The next and final exhibition was a medieval weapon hall full of diverse weapons from a simple sword to and elaborated crossbow. With this final exhibit we headed outside for our next destination. While exiting the Philadelphia museum of art, I was once again amazed on how wonderful the Philadelphia museum is. Inside a single building were exhibitions from different times and places all over the world. Despite my thought that museums were a boring place to visit, prior knowledge allowed me to recognize the Philadelphia museum of Art as an remarkable place to visit.
Finishing a tour through the museum, Kate and I headed to our next destination, the Constitutional Center. However, by the time we were half way to the city hall we were forced to change our minds. After spending hours in the Philadelphia museum of arts, we had run out of energy to continue without food. To satisfy our dissatisfied stomachs, we changed our course to Pat’s, a famous Philly cheese steak house. After riding down a taxi down to Pat’s we went into line and got ourselves the famous Philadelphia Philly cheese Steaks. Although the contents of the cheese steak were only whip cheese and steak, the harmony of the two ingredients far surpassed my expectations. Despite the fact that I do not crave for cheese steaks, it’s taste was good enough that I had to go for seconds. After filling our stomachs with this magnificent delight, Kate and I were once again able to ‘hit the road.’
Than an event that proves that this unique Sunday is a truly amazing Sunday happened. While walking up the Italian market, we were able to meet Mike Clark, Justin Lee, and Mike’s aunt Sue in a car. Although Kate and I had never met Sue before, she was more than welcome to help us. As an inhabitant of Philadelphia, she kindly explained the historical sights at the Old town, which we were heading to. In addition to explaining, Sue, with her boyfriend Bob, drove us with Mike and Justin to the Old City. It is true that we were not able to walk through the streets of Philadelphia; however, more than just seeing something that passes by, we were able to make a new friendship that would last. In a matter of a few minutes, people who were strangers the same morning were now friends that same afternoon. It is simply amazing how foreign people can be friendly to people you have never seen before.
After being dropped off at Independence Visitor Center by Sue and Bob, Kate, Mike, Justin, and I spotted a carriage pulled by a horse named Truman. After finding out that the carriage would be cheaper with more people in it, the four of us boarded the carriage for a quick, yet incisive tour about the history of Philadelphia. During this twenty minute tour, we were able to see the First Supreme Court, the Second National Bank, Washington Square Park, and so on. By riding the carriage, we were able to see the many historical sights that we might have missed due to the lack of time. In addition, we were able to see the second largest jewel street in America and humorous locals. While riding the carriage down jewel road, a small child followed us with his four-wheeled bike shouting at us. At first, I found the child to be annoying, because he kept on bothering our peaceful tour. However, when I found out that the child was telling the jockey to stop hitting the horse, I let out a small laugh. Finishing the tour of Philadelphia with Truman, we headed to the Vietnam War Memorial, our final destination. This short walk was enjoyable in that we were able to connect the sites with the scenes in the movie The National Treasure. In one corridor, where there was a chasing scene, we took pictures together as though we were the characters in the movie looking for the national treasure. Soon enough, we were able to arrive at the Vietnam War Memorial and the yellow school bus waiting us.
On the school bus back home, I thought that another wonderful day had passed. A day that I would remember for days on; the diverse worlds inside the museum, the welcoming strangeness of others, and the historical sites that lasted centuries after its construction. I will remember all these as an exceptional Sunday of my life. An amazing Sunday I will never forget.
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