who would have thought a prison could be so photogenic?
This week’s photo was taken at the eerie Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, USA.
As far as US East Coast destinations go the City of Brotherly Love and home of the cheesesteak often appears to be cast as the poor relation to New York, Boston and Washington DC. There’s no doubting that those are great tourist cities but so too is Philadelphia; offering the history and political intrigue of DC and Boston with some of the grit and excitement of New York (albeit on a much smaller scale and a much more ‘approachable’ character). If you’re touring the East Coast then Philly is handily located between Washington and New York making the former Capital City the perfect stopover for a night or two.
Of all the tourist ‘attractions’ Philly has to offer, Eastern State Penitentiary is a must-see. A former prison seems like a weird place to send a tourist, but I seriously love Eastern State Penitentiary. In fact, on my second visit to Philadelphia I went with the sole intention of photographing the prison’s decaying interior. It’s kinda creepy, kinda haunting and totally photogenic! Located a mere five blocks from the Museum of Art the entrance price includes a narrated tour (with the equally creepy Steve Buscemi narrating – fantastic choice), interactive exhibits and art installations. Even better, and something I’ve been trying to get friends to go to for years, is the prison’s Halloween haunted house. It’s seriously spectacular and set across a number of zones in the different wings of the prison. Check out the website here.
