December 8, 2004

Christmas in Rittenhouse Park

Tuesday night was beautiful. A little rain, a lot of fog, and the perfect backdrop to take pictures in the park. Every year in December, the trees in Rittenhouse Park, now stripped of their colorful leaves, get decked out with a colorful assortment of gigantic Christmas balls. Some are the size of a fist, some the size of a basketball. I have always wanted to do a series of photos from the park when it’s like this… luckily the night was perfect. The photos do little to evoke Christmas cheer, but I think the mood they do evoke is powerful; cold and misty, a harbinger of the winter chill to come. Have a gander at Christmas in Rittenhouse Park.

Commentary (13):

1. Matt says… dec 9, 2004 | 2:22 am

Very nice indeed. Too bad you don’t get snow. That usually makes for great pictures as well.

2. Mike Stenhouse says… dec 9, 2004 | 5:20 am

Looking proper Christmassy… Walking round my local park at night with expensive-looking camera equiptment is a slightly less popular pass-time!

3. Dean says… dec 9, 2004 | 7:08 am

Nice shots! Here’s one I took from last year - but in the daylight.

Rittenhouse By Day

4. Vinnie Garcia says… dec 9, 2004 | 7:38 am

Very nice shots. I think I need to make a ten-minute walk tonight after work and check it out.

5. wayne says… dec 9, 2004 | 9:27 am

i agree, vinnie. i think i’ll go to the slightly farther away wachovia to deposit my check just so i can stroll by the park. philly rocks.

6. Peter Santa Maria says… dec 9, 2004 | 10:07 am

Very, very cool!

Love the color of the sky!

7. RJ Hampden says… dec 9, 2004 | 10:38 am

See, that’s nice. It’s subtly festive. Philly does it up right.
Here, in Baltimore, they go absolutely apeshit. There’s an entire block a couple streets down that has gained noteriety for being the tackiest place in the city around this time of year. Coming complete with a tree made of old hubcaps and people’s front porches transformed into goddam winter wonderlands. Traffic is usually backed up for a good mile around my neighborhood come the last week before Christmas.

8. Jason Beaird says… dec 9, 2004 | 11:01 am

Great photos Jason! Any chance you could post a wallpaper size version of #12? Say…1600x1200? I could use a good wintery wallpaper here at work.

9. nif says… dec 9, 2004 | 1:15 pm

you know i love them.

soo insane. so sweet. so stanalicious.

10. Beerzie Yoink says… dec 10, 2004 | 12:00 pm

Good work.

11. Vinnie Garcia says… dec 13, 2004 | 11:21 am
i agree, vinnie. i think i’ll go to the slightly farther away wachovia to deposit my check just so i can stroll by the park. philly rocks.
Ten branches in Center City and only one is open on Saturday. I hate Wachovia sometimes. ;)

Anyway, I went to the park this Saturday night after dinner. It was awesome. Also check out City Hall if you’re in the area. It’s not as nice as Rittenhouse, but it’s still nicely decorated.

12. Laura says… dec 13, 2004 | 2:35 pm

Loverley! The photos are so yummy. Any idea where they get their lights? I’m looking for some different, funkified Christmas lights this year and haven’t found any to suit my picky taste… I know it’s a bit late, but…

13. Chris J. Davis says… dec 14, 2004 | 8:19 am

Wonderful images, and allow me to say Gah! Your link to the slideshow kinda renders the one I have been working on kinda moot at this point, doesn’t it? Bah! Bah! I say.