An Inside Look Into Rare Co. Vintage

One of the advantages of living in or visiting a city is finding local gems like Rare Co. Vintage. Located on a side street in Queen Village, Rare Co. is a carefully curated antique furniture store. While I was exploring Rare Co. I couldn’t help but think that it felt like going through someones attic. The feeling of intrigue while looking over objects from the past, later followed by the thrill in finding a potential treasure. An interesting fact about Rare Co. is that the space is divided in sections where each section features a unique interior perspective. At first glance, everything might seem as though it is placed in a random order but that is not the case at all! Instead, the owner puts thought into the placement and selection of each object and furniture piece in each section. Unfortunately, when I was exploring the store and taking these photos it was during the time of the transition and setting up of the sections. Therefore, the finalized set ups are not featured in the photos on this post. Although everything was being moved around, the store was still fun to explore!

Although Rare Co. is mostly a furniture store, it does offer plenty of small trinkets, books and other miscellaneous objects. I found various books, vintage clothing, globes and figurines etc. I really liked the Black and White framed photograph pictured in the photograph below.

The store window of Rare Co.

Grabbed a shameless mirror selfie, notice the B&W edit (trying to be vintage here folks!).

But did you notice the flying pig though?

The check out counter of the store.

Yes, that is me in the reflection, again!

Address and Instagram info.

Another great thing about Rare Co. is that it joined to Moon + Arrow, a socially-responsible and environmentally conscious boutique for handmade and vintage jewelry, clothing, accessories, decor etc. The staff in both Rare Co. and Moon + Arrow are friendly, knowledgeable and willing to assist anyone that comes in. This place is a must for antique lovers and anyone who enjoys exploring thrift shops!

The street view of Rare Co.

The Philadelphia Flower Show 2016 Recap

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Every early spring, Philadelphia is home to one of the the biggest flower exhibits in the world. This years theme was “Explore America”, featuring displays inspired by the various national parks found throughout the United States.

A fox constructed out of plants.

“In the Flower Show’s acres of trails, exhibits and attractions, guests will discover the range of horticulture in the national landscape, including the rainbow of wildflowers, desert blooms, coastal flora, verdant meadows, fragrant pinelands, and ancient redwoods”, PHS Philadelphia Flower Show stated as their purpose for this year’s exhibit. There were even park rangers walking around answering questions! One of the reasons why I liked this year’s theme was because it reminded me of my USA cross country roadtrip.

Throwback to last summer at Yellowstone National Park.

Another favorite display of mine was the was the ‘Chandelier Tree’ created by the Philadelphia-based American Institute of Floral Designers. This particular exhibit was inspired by the Redwoods found in California. When a person walked into the ‘tree’, they would be able to view a series of red chandeliers hanging inside its bark.

Another favorite was Lisa Fedon’s “A Gratitude Map USA,” which celebrates the history and culture of our country through a state-by-state display of gifts donated by residents of each state.

Here are some other pictures I took while roaming through the displays.

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The week of the exhibit went by so quickly and I am glad that I found time to go. The Philadelphia Flower Show is always a pleasure to visit and I already can’t wait for next years!

The Navy Yard Instameet

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Instagrammers gather at the rendezvous point.

This weekend, I was part of the 50 instagrammers that were invited to take a sneak peak at the new park located in the Navy Yard. Instagrammer @UrPhillyPal (aka Albert Lee), was the organizer and leader of this meet. I really love how Al is always so passionate about Philadelphia. He always works so incredibly hard in order to gather like-minded individuals for the sake of the community.

Let me tell you about my fail moment of the day. I arrived to the meet half an hour early (can’t trust 95 to be without traffic, though miraculously that day it was). Deciding to take advantage of being early I started setting up my camera to take some bomb photos in the grey weather. Unfortunately, I realized that although I remembered to bring the camera, I forgot to grab the battery which was still charging at home. Of course this would happen to me on the day I really needed my camera! Classic Irina fail. Thankfully, we live in a time where smartphones take pretty decent photos. Therefore, I was spared.

The moment when Oscar Hernandez (@oskernandez) caught me shamelessly taking a selfie…

What I really liked about the Central Green park was the bright yellow colors and the hammocks! The whole space is very modern and comfortable. Also, the ping pong tables are bound to be a hit!

Got my picture taken by John (@john.p.rodriguez). Enjoying my latte on these new yellow chairs!

Femi (@yabisyab) lookin’ supa fly.

After seeing the park, we continued our tour around the rest of the Navy Yard and Urban Outfitters HQ.

I really like how Tomasz’s (@tomaszrog) hair color is the same as the plants here.

What I really love about instameets is the chance to meet so many creative people! It is so inspiring to see photos of the events afterwards. The coolest part is how differently everyone interprets what they see, making a beautiful collage of personal perspectives of the same event.

@rachman_photography posing with her umbrella.

Peeking into URBN headquarters.

Taken by @mithundas. I love the sequen reflection in the window!

The new 4.5 acre green space, Central Park, will officially be open to the public on June 30. Be sure to stop by and relax!

Future Sensations

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Could this be a look into the future? In honor of their 350th anniversary and celebration of 15 generations of innovators, Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies, featured their Future Sensations global exhibit in Philadelphia. This week long exhibit offered a glimpse into future innovations that would transform the world. Made up of 5 pavilions, Future Sensations is a remarkable exhibit that features science, storytelling and art. Out of the four stops on this exhibition’s tour, Philadelphia was the only U.S. city that was chosen to showcase Future Sensations.

Pavilion 1: A Look Into Progress

Consisting of numerous mirrors inlaid with LEDs, the cube-shaped LOOK pavilion is a tribute to Saint-Gobains tradition of glassmaking. When an individual walks inside the cube, they are blasted with a series of images that flash through the mirrors and are accompanied with LEDs.The music inside the cube conveniently matched the LEDs movement. When I was inside, I felt as though I was being transported through a laser geometric style galaxy. Whenever I looked at the people around me, I couldn’t help but notice their wanderstruck expressions. This was, hands down, my favorite pavilion.

Pavilion 2: A New Sensation

A tribute to the Company’s acoustic performance materials, the cube-shaped LISTEN pavilion is sound insulated and uses sound unique “spatialization” technology to take its visitors on an aural excursion. After spending my time and standing in line for 45 minutes, I found this exhibit not meeting my expectations. Upon entrance, the visitor is greeted with acoustic nature sounds. Just when I started thinking that there is nothing more uninteresting to listen too, I was proved wrong by a series of transportation sounds. The visitors surrounding me first looked confused, then disappointed. Fortunately, as though it was an apparent redemption, a section of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony started playing. As abruptly as it had started, it ended. I left very dissatisfied with the whole ordeal. Should there have been more choral or orchestral pieces added into this installation, then it would have been a much fortifying experience.

Pavilion 3: The Stuff of Dreams

Shaped as a freestanding carousel, the COLOR pavilion is an installation that revolves and transports its visitors into a dreamlike kaleidoscopic world. I enjoyed this exhibit because of the colors involved (I have a sort of ROYGBIV obsession). Whenever the installation would rotate, the different color panels would come together and create an interesting palette effect.

Pavilion 4: The Art of the Matter

Of the five pavilions, the CREATE pavilion was the most architectural. Its spiral staircase shape made it visually appealing to visitors and photographers. Therefore, it was not surprising that it was the most popular throughout social media. This was my second favorite exhibit because of its unique external and internal appeal. When inside, I was welcomed by a laser show accompanied by different genres of music. Starting with acoustic nature sounds, the sound evolved into an operatic aria and then into a classical orchestral piece. Afterwards, it transformed into an 80’s style groove tune until finally transforming into a trance song. I loved the whole presentation, both visual and aural. It was like listening to the evolution of music with a rad laser show to boot!

Pavilion 5: History and Future

The final pavilion, DISCOVER, was a strictly informative exhibit. Exclusively designed for the Philadelphia exhibition, this pavilion offered information on Saint-Gobain and its contribution to the world. Visitors were able to see the different innovations that have impacted everyday Americans. The 70-foot dome shaped pavilion also gave its visitors a 360 degree visual experience. The shape of the pavilion strongly reminded me of an inflated igloo. When inside the dome, visitors saw a short video on Saint-Gobain and its historical and future endeavors.

Overall, I really enjoyed Saint-Gobain’s Future Sensations exhibit. I am very excited that Philadelphia is gaining enough recognition globally to be considered for exhibits such as this. Totally looking forward to future great events in this city!