We left Monday morning and things went pretty smoothly. I was actually really excited because we were going to pass through Delaware to get to Pennsylvania....one of the states I have not really seen. It was pretty much the same as Maryland, green and beautiful! We did stop and have some food there, so I can officially say that I have been to Delaware, though I want to go again and actually see some of the beautiful sights! Anyways, we got to Philly and it was just about perfect timing because the parade had just ended, so we could drive on the streets that google maps had planned out for us! Phew!
It is the best shot I could get....
Look hard at the street name - yep, Reed St. !Pennsylvania is not any different than DC in one respect - lack of parking! Ugh! That is so annoying! We finally gave up and went into a parking garage that was ultra-expensive....still something that I miss about the West (Las Vegas specifically)- free and ample parking!
We went to the Visitor's Center to pick up our tickets for our Independence Hall tour and looked around the place. It was actually very informative and a really nice resource to have for people who are there for just a short period of time. We missed the movie they had playing, but decided to walk around what is known as Independence Square.
There were stones with people's names on them, and then I came to discover that it was the names of some of the people who had lived on that block during the time of the Constitutional Convention and when Philadelphia was known as the Capital. We also walked into the Constitution building (not sure if that is the specific name), but didn't actually go into the museum due to lack of time.
We ate some lunch at a random restaurant that had really awesome stone-cooked pizza which Reed even enjoyed, then hurried back to go on our tour. The tour was actually really informative, but I didn't catch a lot of it because Reed wanted to run around or be loud....but, ah well. One of the rooms was where trials were held and it was the belief that someone was innocent until proven guilty (adopted from the British). The other room was where the Constitutional Conventions were actually held. There were a few of those meetings to try and figure things out. There was a lot of controversy of what should be done and amidst of this, the Declaration of Independence was written. One thing I didn't know or had forgotten was that the signers of the Declaration did not do it all on the same document at first. They circulated many copies of the Declaration with some signatures on it and some were actually just typeset onto the document. Then, someone got the idea that everyone should sign one document, to make more of a statement of unity and so forth. Interesting....
The trial room
Where the conventions were held
Top of Independence HallWe walked of to the, oh, I think it was called something similar to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but not exactly.....that is the one in DC. Well, it was neat because they had a statue of George Washington with some powerful inscriptions on the side, along with an eternal flame. It just hit me again that freedom is definitely not free. So many people fought and died for freedoms that I have taken for granted all my life.
We walked over to the 2nd Bank of the United States and saw some other buildings having to do with Philosophy. We walked back to the Visitor's Center and saw, last, but not least.....the Liberty Bell! For some reason I have very fond memories of the Liberty Bell from when I was about 6 and we took a family trip across the country. I think I got a L.B. pencil sharpener or something. I don't know why I remember that, but I do. Funny the childhood memories that stick with you :)
2nd Bank of the United States
Independence Hall...again :)
The Liberty Bell!!!!Overall, Philly was fun! Sadly, we did not get a Philly cheese steak, but next time, I will get one - when we have a little bit more time. We drove back to Northern Virginia and collapsed in bed after a fun-filled day!
