While the days I have remaining on the East Coast are slowly dwindling, I am quickly working through my list of the many things I want to do before I leave. When I am not doing fun sites/eateries/etc, I am busy packing and trying to sell off my stuff. My current problem is working out the easiest way to get all these big boxes to the PO. Keep in mind, I don't have a car...and they are big and heavy. It's not as easy as it sounds. To top it off, I am using moving boxes to pack up my stuff and therefore have to wrap them in paper to mail them to Seattle. As a wise woman (me) once said, "Wrapping heavy moving boxes in paper is like trying to put an elephant in pants".
Taking a short break from that fun, I have decided to take a minute to tell you about my most resent trip - Philadelphia PA.
While the first and foremost thought when one thinks of Philly is that it's the birthplace of this great nation, Heather and I really wanted to go to see the King Tut exhibit and the Franklin Institute. Historical sites were a bonus really. So, when Greyhound offered $20 round trip tickets, we decided it was time!
Our day tour of Philly started with getting refused entrance at the US Mint.
Apparently they expect tourists to be free of makeup, liquids, pastes (including lotion and chapstick), bags or backpacks, shopping bags, cameras, cell phones with cameras, medications, umbrellas, strollers...the list goes on and on, but I think you get it. Undeterred, we headed to Christ Church cemetery and saw Ben Franklin's grave. As the sign so aptly stated "4 other signers of the Constitution are also buried here". The big deal is Ben though.
Down the street, we took a tour of Betsy Ross' house.
Next came Christ Church where George Washington, Ben and Betsy worshiped in their day.
The Free Quaker House was where Betsy was one of the last two congregates.
The Arch Street Meeting House (Quaker too) is the oldest in PA and the biggest in the world. Go Quakers!
Then we got some Philly award winning gelato to really get a feel for the city. Next came The Bourse which is stock exchange and the first in the world to house a stock exchange, maritime exchange, and a grain-trading center. (ooohhh, ahhhh)
Tickets to Independence Hall are free, but apparently they are also only in limited quantity so we missed getting tickets to go into it. IH was the PA State House where The Declaration of Independence was adopted and where the Constitution was debated, drafted, and signed. old City Hall and Congress Hall are there too, but you can't go into them either without a ticket.
Thankfully, no tickets were needed to see the Liberty Bell (my pics). We got to see the dig happening at the site of what use to the The President's House before the White House and where they have discovered evidence that Washington had slaves. The original house was torn down in 1800 and the site had been a public restroom site for the last 48 years.
In our trip to South Street to get Philly Cheese Steaks for lunch, we saw Library Hall. Had we known better, we would have gone in. Apparently they have the original journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, a copy of the Declaration of Independence in Jefferson's own handwriting, a first edition of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia and last but not least, a first edition of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species. Crap! The American Philosophical Society is just across the street and its members have included Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, Madame Curie, Albert Einstein, John James Audubon, over a dozen Presidents, and over 200 Nobel prize winners. Otherwise, it's just a building. We made a quick stop into the Curtis Publishing House to check out a huge mosaic in their lobby from 1916 made by Tiffany and Parrish. (my pics)
We went through Washington Square and saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Mother Bethel AME Church was a stop on the underground railroad, the 2nd oldest black congregation in the country, and the land it's on is the oldest parcel of real estate continuously owed by African Americans in the US. We were invited to go in, but in where we were use to seeing the main part of the church was a table with coffee and treats and a small gathering of people. We left without seeing much and no refreshments.
After waiting in line for close to 30 minutes, we got the best Philly Chesse Steak sandwiches ever. Granted, its the first I have ever had, but who can argue with steak and metly cheese?! Heading back into the Historic area, we went by the Physick House which was the home of "The Doctor of American Surgery" Phillip Syng Physick lived.
He also apparently made the first soda, which they have for sale, so we tried. Black Cherry and tasty!
Old St. Mary's Church was where Washington worshiped and where the Continental Congress came to pray together and where they held religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Next was Carpenters' Hall where the First Continental Congress was held.
Franklin Court was where we saw his printing shop and bindery, his old tenant houses, remains of his original house, and a museum of some of this inventions.
After all that, it was time to get to the Franklin to see Tut and his stuff. Granted, Tut himself isn't there, they have a lot of stuff from his family members and there are 5 artifacts that were taken from his actual mummy. At the very end, there is a gold skull (my pics) they have made from CT scans they took of his mummy in '05. Being the only thing we could take pictures of, its what you get!
On the way back to the bus station, I got to see City Hall
and the amazing Grand Lodge of the Free Masons.
Considering the only things in "1000 Places to See Before You Die" for Philly are food, Independence Hall, and some rando flower show that is 1 weekend in March, I would say Heather and I got way more than we bargained for! Now, back home, we have discovered there is plenty that we didn't see too! I'll just have to save it for my next trip there.
If you want to check out my pics, click on the album below. All of the other pics you have seen here were "borrowed".
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