Bicycle Repairs and the Art Museum

As much as I hate to say it, it looks like my extended stay in Philadelphia is nearing an end. It’s not that I don’t want to get back on the road, it’s just that I really like Philadelphia. That said, I also really enjoyed being back on the road during my Atlantic City excursion – flat tires notwithstanding.

As for those flat tires, I headed over to the local bike shop to address the issue – only to get a flat tire along the way. Ok, that’s not true. But I think it’s a good sign that I can laugh at the situation. After a lengthy chat with Kyler at Fairmount Bicycle, it was decided that in addition to a new rear tire that I would also replace the front tire as well. The front tire isn’t in too bad of condition but, since I still have a fairly long set of rides ahead of me, it would probably need replacing anyway. Plus, this way I can keep the old front tire as a spare in case something drastic happens along the way. Although, I’d really like to avoid that. Anyway, there were a few other maintenance items that needed to be taken care so I left the bike with them and will pick it up tomorrow morning. I’m hoping the flat tire endemic that I’ve been suffering through of late will no longer be a factor.

After returning from Atlantic City, I was planning on hitting the road again on Saturday. However, with the bike in the shop I figured I would use that as an excuse to stay a couple of more days – fortunately, my friends haven’t threatened to kick me out yet. So, the plan is to continue my ride south on Monday. Between now and then I can figure out what route I’m going to take and maybe find some accommodation through WarmShowers.org.

As for the rest of my day, I can honestly say I’ve never had a day quite like it. But in a good way. In the afternoon I went with my friend to an Upper School Declamation where 16 students (Grades five through eight) were … uh, well … declaiming. Gage’s youngest son was one of the 16 with the poem “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. As you might imagine, I’ve never been to something like that and it brought back memories of my fear of public speaking oh so many years ago. You know, long before I decided to give up everything and cycle the world. They all did a much better job than I ever did at that age!

Not long after returning from the declamation, I was walking over to the Art Museum (with Gage and Jack) for Art After 5. As per their website, Art After 5 is “a unique blend of entertainment from 5:00–8:45 p.m. With an eclectic mix of international music on the first Friday of each month, and recognized and emerging jazz artists performing all other Fridays.”

I’m not exactly sure how to describe the dance performance that we witnessed. I’m not really up on my dance knowledge so I’m not sure how good or bad it was. It was certainly odd at times. And the music selection throughout was more than a little varied and included excerpts ranging from the 1812 Overture to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart to a dance version of Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule the World (no, I’m not kidding).

I’m not sure how long we watched the performance before deciding to wander around the Art Museum – inside. I specify “inside” because, after all my trips to Philadelphia over the past 15 years, this was the first time I’d ever actually stepped foot inside.

As you might expect from the exterior photos I’ve posted previously, the Art Museum is huge. I don’t know why I was surprised by that, but I was. Of course, I really didn’t have much insight to offer regarding the art we looked at – although, I was surprised to see that I knew more artists’ names than I would’ve thought. In the end, my two favourites were probably Salvadore Dali’s “Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War)” (I still generally find titles of art to be odd) and “Agony” by Richard Pousette-Dart (no, that wasn’t a name with which I was familiar). Anyway, I think the main reason I liked the latter piece was it looked like I felt after my second flat tire yesterday.

While it’s safe to say that I’m still nowhere close to becoming an art aficionado, it was still a good experience. Despite all the great art that I couldn’t fully appreciate, what I really enjoyed was the building itself. The giant halls, galleries, and high ceilings were spectacular. And I’m not going to lie, it also really made me want to watch The Thomas Crown Affair again (yes, the remake) and plan some sort of heist.

One final note for the day. After three months and 5,800km (3,600 miles) I finally decided to weigh myself as there have been more than a few comments on my seemingly slimmer stature. When I departed Toronto I weighed in at 76kg (168 lbs). And now? Well, I think the picture says it all – including that I could really use some new shoes! There are a couple of theories circulating to explain this unexpected result. It could be the binge eating I’ve been doing at times while in Philadelphia – not to mention the display of gluttony at Golden Nugget’s buffet – has allowed me to regain some weight. Or perhaps any missing weight from my upper body has just relocated to my legs. Either way, it looks like I’m not quite on the brink of withering away.