Needing a mental health day, and with the forecast for outstanding weather, I took a day trip to Philadelphia on Friday. I've been down there a number of times, but never really had the time to just go out and shoot. I hit the road around 8:30am, and didn't get home until close to Midnight.
My first stop was Eastern State Penitentiary. This prison was build in the 1820s, and remained in use until 1971. It is now open to tourists. When built, it was one of the largest structures in the United States. The building was constructed as part of the then progressive "Pennsylvania System" of corrections, where prisoners were kept in separate confinement during for the duration of their sentence, only interacting with guards and other prison staff. This was done to allow them time to contemplate their actions, and hopefully turn away from crime. All of the original cell block wings radiated out from a central room, so in theory, it took only one guard to watch all of the cell block wings. By the early 1900s, the solitary system was abandoned, and the prison became more like we are used to seeing today.
The walls are some 30 feet tall.
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How tall is that? That is a standard sized door at the base of the wall.
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A restored cell.
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The original cell blocks were single-story buildings, with high, vaulted ceilings, and individual outside exercise areas for each cell, allowing the prisoners to leave their cells without interacting with one another. Later blocks were two story buildings, as seen here.
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An unrestored cell.
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One of the original cell block buildings.
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Entrance to an unrestored wing (closed to the public).
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Al Capone spent about a year in ESP in 1931, his cell was a bit "non-standard":
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After leaving ESP, I bopped around the city for a while. This is the Museum of Art up on top of the hill.
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If you've seen the original Rocky movie, you are probably familiar with this view of the museum
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And yes, almost everybody does a Rocky imitation at the top...
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Down on the Delaware River waterfront, the old liner SS United States is tied to a pier, awaiting a decision on her fate.
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The museum after sunset.
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From the steps of the museum, the George Washington statue and City Hall in the distance.
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The retired battleship USS New Jersey is just across the river in Camden, NJ.
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Yo, Adrian!
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