Review: Van Gogh Exhibit @ The Philadelphia Museum of Art and a fun day in Philly

Van Gogh has been a long running favorite artist of mine and quite likely my favorite "Master" artist.
I had attempted to see the exhibit several weeks ago, had a tough time parking and did not pre-purchase tickets. Result: my family was in a long line and ended up at the nearby Franklin Institute instead.

Yesterday, refusing to pay an extra $3.50 per ticket to buy ticket in advance, we purchased tickets in person at the museum (10:30 this time) for a later afternoon tour. *Great*

We explored Philly for most of the afternoon in the Rittenhouse area and ate at a great restaurant called Marathon. The weather was beautiful and Philly was fairly quiet but with a comfortable bustle.
St. Patrick's Day the day before was most likely the culprit.

The Van Gogh: Up Close exhibit was incredible. Showcased were paintings focusing on landscapes that he created over a four year period.
His famous 'Sunflowers' took a backseat to numerous other paintings that were so alive with color and his incredible brushstrokes. The paint on those canvasses was so thick in places I wish that I could have seen him painting them.

Here's the personal bonus: My FAVORITE Asian artist, HIROSHIGE, had several of his woodcuts on display inside the Van Gogh exhibit because Van Gogh was a collector of his work. Oh my, they were soooo beautiful!