Philadelphia - City Hall

http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/city-hall/

We really lucked out with our hotel in Philadelphia. The staff of the Philadelphia Marriott Residence Inn was excellent and they had the best complimentary breakfast buffet we have ever attended.

Location was also helpful. Although our cab driver had a little bit of trouble finding it at first, once we were there we found that we were really close to many of the attractions, and we were just kitty-corner from City Hall, which was really convenient for navigation.

City Hall is easy to spot from many places. For a long time there was an informal agreement in place that nothing could be taller than William Penn's hat. That helps City Hall stand out. For those times when you can't spot it, pretty much everyone knows which direction it is in.

On our first day we wanted to keep things pretty easy, so we grabbed some lunch and took it into courtyard to eat. There were some tables and shade there.

There is also a lot to look at just around the building. It was built in the Second Empire style which has a strong baroque influence, which is especially noticeable walking around the outside.

Inside there is sculpture everywhere you look. There are 250 sculptures total, all designed by Alexander Milne Calder.

(I wondered if that was the mobile artist, but this is his grandfather. However, grandfather, father, and son, all have art featured prominently around Philadelphia.)

Our path to and from each day's adventure tended to lead through City Hall, so it was a big part of our time in Philadelphia, and seemed like a good place to start.