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Recent Magellan Circle Programs
2008 - 2009

 
  September 2008. Behind The Scenes Tour - Comcast Center. A visit the brand-new Comcast Center! This exclusive Magellan Circle member-only event took us top to bottom through Philadelphia’s tallest building. Another distinction is its incorporation of eco-friendly technologies, making it the tallest “green” building in the country.

 

October 2008 (Prior to the Argentina Connoisseur Program). Behind The Scenes Tour - The Racquet Club. We toured this historic club including squash courts, majestic third floor indoor pool, hotel rooms and other facilities.

Comcast Center skyline
Comcast Center and the Philadelphia skyline
 

October 2008. Magellan Dinner. Report From The Field - India. Special slide presentation reviewing the Society’s November 2007 trip to India featuring Rajasthan palace hotels and the Pushkar Camel Fair. A festive dinner followed at the acclaimed Lovash Restaurant, 236 South Street. Dinner Charge.

 

January & April, 2009. Receptions before two Travelogue Films at The Academy of Natural Sciences. Attendees met the speakers and other members, and enjoyed wine and a light dinner.

 

May 2009. Athenaeum of Philadelphia Behind The Scenes Tour. Wine and Cheese Reception. A visit to the Athenaeum’s notable Italianate Revival Style building, private library, richly embellished reading rooms, and changing exhibition gallery. We saw treasures from their Travel Collection archives and toured this jewel in Philadelphia’s historic crown.

 

June 2009. Picnic at historic Laurel Hill Cemetery. Wine and a picnic near the Elisha Kent Kane mausoleum, built into a cave overlooking the Schuylkill River. The Society’s most coveted gold medal is named for this famous Polar Explorer. Laurel Hill (also called the “Underground Museum”) is a National Historic Landmark.

Pushkar Camel Fair
Pushkar Camel Fair
  2007 - 2008  
  October & November 2007, and April 2008. Receptions before three Travelogue Films at The Academy of Natural Sciences. Attendees met the speakers and other members, and enjoyed wine and a light buffet.  
 

December 2007. Explorers Dinner at The Franklin Inn Club. Attendees explored the world (and skies!) with Dr. Jay Pasachoff, author and authority on solar eclipses. Pasachoff, a veteran of 44 solar eclipses, described recent and upcoming expeditions on seven continents. Locations included Zambia, the Greek islands, French Guiana, Siberia (2008), and China (2009). Pasachoff’s work is supported by the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. Dinner charge.

 
 
Solar eclipse (©2006 Jay Pasachoff, Hana Druckmüllerová, Miloslave Druckmüller)
Solar eclipse (©2006 Jay Pasachoff, Hana Druckmüllerová, Miloslave Druckmüller)
Dr. Jay Pasachoff
Dr. Jay Pasachoff, author and authority on solar eclipses
 
 

January 2008. President’s Cocktail Reception. Attendees learned about “The Role of the Geographical Society in Turn-of-the-Century Exploration” and other achievements. Reception was held at the Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia.

 
 

March 2008. Attendees traveled to a special place, exotic Vietnam. Slide presentation at the Racquet Club exclusively for Magellan Circle members and their guests.

 
 

Spring 2008. Attendees experienced a behind-the-scenes visit to the American Philosophical Society, to see treasures of American exploration, plus historic Geographical Society memorabilia.

 
  2006 - 2007  
  September & October 2006, and March 2007. Receptions before three 7:30 p.m. Travelogue Films at The Academy of Natural Sciences. Attendees met the speakers and other members over wine and a light buffet.  
  November 2006. Explorers Dinner at the Franklin Inn Club. Magellan Circle Members “explored the world” with Ralph E. Ehrenberg, Chief Emeritus of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress, and author of Mapping the World: An Illustrated History of Cartography.
Atlas
  June 2007. Behind-the-Scenes Excursion - “To the Ends of the Earth for Science” - The Academy of Natural Sciences’ Travel and Exploration Collection, led by Academy Fellow Robert McCracken Peck.
 

 

current magellan circle programs