Don Quijote de la Mancha
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This statue (actual spelling) an exact replica of the original by Spanish sculptor Joaquin Garcia Donaire, depicts Cervante's Don Quixote.
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The 7,000-pound bronze sculpture was a gift to Philadelphia from Ciudad Real (``Royal City'') in the La Mancha region of Spain, where author Miguel de Cervantes set Quixote's lavish misadventures
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"The sight is jarring, if only for being so unexpected. The nearly 14-foot tribute to the literary hero stands at Second Street and Girard Avenue...Just a glance away is a decaying reminder of the neighborhood's past - the old abandoned Schmidt's brewery."
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In 1997,around the time of the statue's installation, a passer-by is said to have exclaimed, "Soon everyone will know that the barrio has its own guardian angel, its own good luck charm. Soon, they will know he is Don Quixote."
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This is for Bill.
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Uploaded on June 30, 2013