For Jane Golden, founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, city life is like a large quilt.

The fabric of Philadelphia, she said, is pieced together by the people and communities that make up the region, and public art is the thread that best illuminates its beauty.

Every time Golden steps outside her home in Spring Garden, she’s reminded of its impact and grandeur. “I pay attention to all the stories our city has to tell, and the way art can help us see each other differently,” she said.

Next month, Golden will be moving into less familiar terrain.

After 30 years building Mural Arts into an international arts organization, the Fairmount resident is stepping down as executive director. The search for her successor begins this fall.

For now, Golden is focused on rolling out Mural Arts’ semiquincentennial plans, and is still carving out time to hunt for new walls in need of a makeover.

“I can’t help myself,” she joked.

In a perfect Philly day, Golden visits iconic murals, grabs dinner in Chinatown, and checks out new exhibitions sprawled throughout the city.

I’m always an early riser, so I wake up at 5 a.m. and walk my dog, Cleo.

Sometimes I sleep until 7 a.m., but that’s a luxury. My cat Bella is one of the reasons I get up so early. She will take her paw, and go up and down on the blinds in my bedroom to get me up, or purr really loudly by my head. That’s better than an alarm.

I walk from my place to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I like to push myself, so I walk up the Rocky Steps and around the museum because I think it’s really pretty. Then I come back down by the Rodin Museum, and then we go to Twisted Grounds for coffee and a pastry because I have a sweet tooth.

If me and my husband Tony are really feeling energetic, we walk up to Lemon Hill.

Tony and I go to Bartram’s Garden and walk around. I go to where FloatLab is at 56th Street, and if anybody is standing around, I tell them it’s there. And if we are energized, we will kayak. I’m always a little bit like the caboose, but he’s a good kayaker.

For lunch, I go to Frieda in Old City. I like Frieda because there are artists’ events there, and there’s always really interesting art on display. It’s good food, but also a delightful environment.

Then I walk through Old City because wherever I am, I always like to check out great walls, murals, or murals in process.

There’s a new mural going up right next to Elfreth’s Alley by an artist named Sean Martorana. And I can’t help but visit Paradigm Gallery + Studio. I love the artists they show like Nazeer Sabree, Eustace Mamba, and there was even a Cornbread exhibition.

At around 3 p.m., I’m going to Fishtown. There’s a new mural I have to see by Miriam Singer on the side of Mural City Cellars. They are great partners of Mural Arts. Then I’m going to walk over to 25 Oxford Street to see the new Matthew Henning mural because that’s fantastic. It’s joyful and captures the spirit of Fishtown.

Then I go to Cake Life Bake Shop. It has delicious sweets, and then I’m going to look at the mural there that’s a tribute to the trans community called We Are Universal by Kah Yangni.

Next, I’m going back to PMA to see Paul Farber’s “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” exhibition. I will zip through it because I’ve seen it a few times, but I want to see it a few more times before it goes away.

Then I’ll go to the painting created by the artists at the State Correctional Institution – Phoenix. There used to be a three-story mural of Bernard Hopkins at SCI Graterford. But after SCI Graterford closed, we weren’t able to recreate it at SCI Phoenix because it’s a very different prison. So, we had the men recreate it, and now it’s on display at PMA with all their names listed, which is great. I look at that and get really inspired.

I walk down the Parkway, and walk around the Swann Memorial Fountain. It’s just lovely. Then, I’ll slow up to look at the wall of the Sheraton, where we’re going to have a mural there soon. It’s a good wall.

Then, I’m going by the Free Library of Philadelphia to look at the big banners.

I cut through the City Hall courtyard to go to the Fabric Workshop and Museum. I think it’s a gem in our city. I’m going to see the exhibit Elegy Quilts by Jesse Krimes, and then I’ll go see other exhibits, too.

I may not buy anything, but I’m going to go in their gift shop because I love it.

After the gift shop, I’m going to meet with some friends for dinner at EMei in Chinatown. It’s really lovely food there.

In the evening, I’m going to the Ministry of Awe to see Meg Saligman, who’s been a longtime colleague. I’m really proud of her for transforming an old bank building into an immersive art experience.

I always cheer people on who give work and opportunity to artists, and she commissioned like 100 artists to do work at [Ministry of Awe]. I just love the fact that I’ve seen her career grow and thrive, and now she’s running an institution.

Oh, and because I still like sweets, I’m going over to Franklin Fountain for ice cream.

At around 9 p.m., I’ll go home to watch British mystery movies and series like Karen Pirie and Broadchurch with my husband.

The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.