Starkville, I'll be seeing you soon!

fun fact 2: I came to Philadelphia without knowing anyone. On Friday I ran into someone I know from work while out on the town. It was such a small thing, but it was really awesome to have met enough people this summer that I can run into one on the street.

fun fact 3: Philadelphia's cannoli beat Boston's cannoli hands down.

I finished my internship on Friday and decided to commemorate the experience by going to First Friday with a fellow intern. Philadelphia's First Friday is an event on 2nd and 3rd St between Market and Arch (roughly). All of the art galleries and shops are open for the public to enjoy after hours. There are also street musicians and local artists and craftspeople selling their work on the sidewalk. It's a really interesting mix of people (ranging from serious art collectors and student artists to activists and random hippie group who is obviously on something to young people looking for free wine and cheese) and work (ranging from thousands of dollars oil paintings in the galleries to sketchbook drawings and handmade jewelry and screenprinted textiles on the sidewalk).

The second half of the night was spent at a real Italian BYO. The room was small and the kitchen was noisy, but the food was amazing and the experience was priceless! They have four guys serving and every one of them waited on us. The guy that told us about the specials put on quite a show. Think Emeril Lagasse without the BAHMM!

I'm halfway through my last weekend in Philly. I'm trying to decide how to spend tomorrow. Monday will be spent packing and repacking until everything fits nicely in the corolla. I can't believe I'll be back in Mississippi in a matter of days.

Beginnings Are Scary and Endings Are Sad

lesson 50: Here it is the big 5-0: Most of the people I have met over the past two months have told me that, not only have they never been to Mississippi, they have never met anyone from Mississippi. So, there it is. There's a small group of people in Philadelphia whose only tie to Mississippi is meeting me. Hmmm, wait a minute...

I only have two days left of my internship. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. I'm finishing up my big design project and hope to have a finished product by the end of the day on Friday. All in all, it has been an amazing experience! I'm still not sure what my plans are for getting home, but I'll be glad to see everyone when I get there.

lesson 47: Despite the lightning flashing and the thunder crashing, people still have to get their pictures running up the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Note to self: should watch Rocky to see what all of the fuss is about. I wasn't pausing for the photo-op.

lesson 48: Lincoln Dr. closes when the water rises. Also, huge pot holes appear in random places, including I-76.

lesson 49: Getting your car (which is parked nose down a hill) out of a parallel parking spot when the back tire is in a pothole and the front end is six inches from the Volvo in front of you is pretty close to impossible.

lesson 49.5: (not important enough for the big 5-0) Getting an 18 oz tub of Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies to sit next to my computer probably wasn't the best idea.

New York, New York

lesson 44: Until yesterday, I had only been to NYC when the weather was absolutely beautiful. Rain or shine, I still love that city.

lesson 45: Meeting new people is fun.

lesson 46: It feels really good when someone other than your family recognizes your artwork and shows a desire to have it in their living/working space.

I only have one more full week of work left, and I'm starting to feel sad about leaving all of the new people I've met and the new places I've seen. Starkville is going to feel very anticlimactic after nine weeks of executive lunches, store tours, museum visits, photo shoots, and my employee discount!

The Barnes Foundation

This morning we took a trip to The Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA. I could give you a quick synopsis of what The Barnes is but I thought it would be easier and more accurate to copy from their website:

"The Barnes Foundation houses one of the finest collections of French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern paintings in the world, including an extraordinary number of masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (181), Paul Cézanne (69), and Henri Matisse (59). The collection also includes important works by Pablo Picasso (46), Chaim Soutine (21), Henri Rousseau (18), Amedeo Modigliani (16), Edgar Degas (11), Vincent van Gogh (7), Georges Seurat (6), Edouard Manet (4), and Claude Monet (4).

Although renowned for its late 19th- and early 20th-century European paintings, the Foundation's collection also includes important examples of American paintings and works on paper, including works by Charles Demuth, William Glackens, and Maurice and Charles Prendergast; African sculpture; Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles; Asian paintings, prints, and sculptures; Medieval manuscripts and sculptures; Old Master paintings, including works by El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, and Titian; ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; and American and European decorative arts and metalwork." (http://www.barnesfoundation.org/c_main.html)

Dr. Barnes hung the paintings in a salon style based on style, color, subject, etc. rather than by artist or time period. Therefore, you have masterpieces that would never be hung in the same room of a museum hanging next to each other or one below the other. For example, there was a painting by the school of El Greco hanging across from a Renoir with two Van Goghs hung in between. We split up into groups of six and had a docent led tour through the museum. Our docent was so great! She is a retired art history teacher and had a way of spinning the information and anecdotes together to make a very enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see all of the collection because HBO was shooting a documentary and their film crews and sets were occupying some of the rooms. The director of the documentary came down and gave us a quick talk about the foundation and ended with a stern "request" not to make any noise while they were shooting. Such sacrifice for the sake of entertainment...

Weekend in South Philly

I spent the weekend in South Philly pet/house sitting. I finally got a chance to walk down to Italian Market and up South Street to Headhouse Market.

The fist picture is stepping it back a day to Friday after work and the rest are from Saturday.

This is typical South Philly.

Some might say "trashy." I say "resourceful." REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Most of the garbage inhabiting the Daily Newspaper kiosk is recyclable and the kiosk itself is being repurposed. Who knew Philadelphia was so "green?"

Gotta love the Mexican food vendors.

A really misleading shot of Philadelphia's skyline.

A fabulous cheese store on 9th. They had barrels of olives and antipasto.

A guy watching soap operas in the middle of the market.

A friend from home came to visit Saturday night. We went to dinner at Dmitri's which is a BYOB Mediterranean seafood place. We got a six pack of locally brewed beer from the restaurant/bar across the street. (Yes, the bar across the street. They do things a little differently around here.) We had the best hummus I've ever eaten. It was very light and fluffy, in both texture and flavor. You could taste the chick peas in it which was a nice change from the over flavored hummus that you get in the grocery store. I also tried my first octopus. I don't really recommend it. It had the consistency of chewy, over cooked chicken. I was expecting it to be more like oversized calamari and less like frog legs. For dinner we had the most delicious, melt-in-your-mouth scallops. It was a fun experience. I'm glad I got to go to a BYO before leaving Philly. They seem to be known for them.

Small Sample of Philadelphia's Mural Project

Philly has a large variety of wall art around the city. Here are a few of my favorites from Saturday.

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is the work of artist Isaiah Zagar. The mosaics are featured all over the city, but predominantly on and around South Street. South Street is an area of Philly that reminds me of Bourbon St. The mosaics are pretty amazing and extensive.

Today Was a Waste of a Beautiful Day, But I Did Catch Up On Sleep

lesson 42: A college town is a college town. It can easily be recognized by the following: Natty-light and Keystone cans lining the porch, a grill in the back, and an upholstered couch on the front lawn.

lesson 43: Transportation is a booming business in Philly. It costs $6 to take the train into Center City, $2 for the subway once you're there, $12 for a cab ride back to the train, or $23 for an all day parking spot. The way to get around this is to drive into the city, park 20-30 blocks from where you want to go and either walk, pay the $2 for the subway, or split a cab with three other people.

This Has Been A Long Week. A Good Week, But A Long Week

lesson 41: Yankees aren't necessarily rude, they just expect more from people. Again, I will provide some examples:

1- When merging onto the highway, you are expected to move on over... see? They left you plenty of room for your car and maybe even a foot to spare.

2- A honk is just a friendly reminder that you were lucky you didn't just cause a traffic pile-up.

3- The quality of food and service at restaurants is quite impressive. This is mostly due to the location. There are plenty sources for fresh ingredients, fresh waitstaff, and even fresh restaurants if something isn't up to par. Not to mention the fresh customer feedback. No one is shy about sharing their opinions. Some are very complimentary and some not so much.

Another Day, Another Fun Experience, or Two, or Three

This will be short because I need to finish the book for tomorrow, but a few fun things happened that are worth mentioning. 

First, I was invited by the creative director to go to a fashion shoot. Oh, it's in NYC so the company bought me a train ticket for the end of July. 

Second, my boss said she would get me out of the car wash so I can work on more important things. 

Third, I got to sit through part of a meeting involving the final stage of a project that Anthropologie is about to launch. I'm not sure I should go into detail, but it will be very exciting when it happens!

I Always Thought I Would Learn Patience, Not Lose It.

Today was amazing except for the few parts that weren't. I'll start with the good:

Today, I hit a pinnacle in my intern experience. I was given a Mac AND a design project! I'm pretty sure they made up the project so I would have something to put in my portfolio, but I am amazingly grateful regardless. I spent the whole morning sifting through the sample closet and going through the shelves and shelves of paper samples looking for textures. It was a graphic designer's dream! That definitely made my day a thumbs-up, but the other stuff is also worth mentioning. 

lesson 38: Trying times often lead to learning experiences. Case in point:

lesson 39: When you go out of town, be sure to throw the milk out before you leave. Otherwise, pressure builds up and will literally "blow the top off." Then there is the matter of dumping out the clods and slime. In Mississippi, I would have thrown the whole thing away. Apparently, that is frowned upon; but knowing that it is taboo to throw away #1 and #2 plastic doesn't mean I wouldn't do it if no one was watching.

lesson 40: I've never been so grateful to have not joined a sorority. I'd imagine that working on the intern car wash is as close as I'll ever get, and that's plenty close for me.

I don't like to start or end on a bad note, so I'll add that I am looking forward to this week. We have a lot planned, and it should be fun and educational! We have a book club meeting Wednesday. I read half of the book on the train this weekend, and I hope I can finish up in time. I would love to post some of the more interesting points that are made, but that will have to wait for another day!

First Things First

lesson 34:Penn Station is a nut house. Mainly because half of the people there don't know anymore about the train system than I do... and some, less.

lesson 35:Patience is a virtue. Again, I knew this; but having them wait until five minutes before my train is scheduled to leave before assigning a track number is a good reminder.

lesson 36: Wandering around SoHo and people watching while you wait for your lunch at an outdoor table is not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

lesson 37: If you think being on the road with aggressive, Yankee drivers is scary, try being in the car with one. j/k

I had a fantastic weekend! I took the train to Connecticut to meet up with one of my Mississippi friends. We spent the afternoon wandering around the neighborhoods of Southport and spent the evening eating and drinking in Norwalk. Sunday, we ate some wonderful homemade oatmeal, blueberry pancakes and then drove into the city. All in all, it was a great way to spend the weekend! (even though I still haven't done laundry or gone to the grocery store in... well, we won't put an exact time on it, but it's been a while.)

First Rule of Scouting: Be Prepared

lesson 33: This isn't really a lesson. It's more like a fun fact: There are 27 Sara/h's in the URBN home office directory (not including interns... there are an additional 4 interns).

I went and scouted my first photo shoot location today! It was 1h 20min there and 2h and 15min back. Fun times. It was a beautiful old building built in 1808 and it was an amazingly beautiful day. All in all, it was definitely an interesting experience.

Also, today was our Urban Outfitters store tour. I finally got to use my discount card!! Love it!

Sorry if this post seems segmented. I'm distracted by So You Think You Can Dance. This is the first time I've been able to watch it since I've been in Philadelphia. :)

Things to Check Off My List

lesson 32: Fireworks or gunshots? It's my first night in the city... I'm gonna go with fireworks.

Dutch Amish Country: experienced it
Sho Fly Pie: tasted it
Longwood Gardens: toured it
Hershey's Chocolate World: ugh... (see lesson 28)
Steam Engine Train: ridden it

And finally,
Philly Cheesesteak: eaten it!

This is in no way meant to trivialize my experiences. I loved all of the sightseeing we did and am very grateful to have been able to spend the fourth with family!

Pennsylvania Dutch Amish Country

Happy Fourth of July!!!

lesson 28: Hershey, PA- been there, done that.


lesson 29: The best ice cream comes from the same farm as the milk.

lesson 30: Don't stand too close to the fly strips when the wind is blowing.


lesson 31: There are some places where you don't have to go to the fireworks to see the fireworks.

New Holland Horse Auction, Friday: Carriage and Draft

lesson 26: Doing someone a favor can be very interesting and informative.

lesson 27: The two horse auctions I have been to (New Holland, PA and Meridian, MS) are basically the same:
1- Horses are taken to the parking lot to show potential buyers what they can do.
BUT: In PA, they are pulling racing carts up and down a paved road. In MS they are reining down the gravel turn-around.
2- The dress code consists of boots, hats, and something to hold your pants up.
BUT: In PA, they wear jeans or cotton pants, straw hats, and suspenders. In MS, they wear Wranglers or Carharts, cowboy hats, and the largest belt buckle they can find.
3- Barn aisles can be dangerous places.
In New Holland, the horses are lined up hip to hip. We looked down the aisle just in time to see a horse sit back and flip over. It then got up and reinserted itself further down the line.
In Meridian, people hop on and ride the horses (some broke, some not so broke) down the aisle.

Longwood Gardens

Portrait of me and Mom.

Picture of Dad. He's in the conservatory wearing a white shirt.