08.09.16 A day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

20160807_110035 Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – On Sunday we arrived mid afternoon at Quakerwoods Campground in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. On Monday we toured Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We first went to the Independence Visitors Center where we picked up our tour tickets for Independence Hall. It is located on Independence Mall at 6th and Market streets. The tickets were free but since they say they sell out fast I went online and purchased them for a $1.50 each fee. Still feels almost free. Instead of parking in the garage there Roy parked on the side of the building and I ran in to pick up our tickets.

We then went to Independence Hall (about a block or two away). Independence Hall holds monumental significance to the development of our nation. In 1776, the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in the building’s Assembly Room. Just 11 years later, representatives from a dozen states met here to lay the framework for the U.S. Constitution.

First you go through the security tent where your pocket and purse contents are x-rayed.

Photos of the exterior of Independence Hall. Check out my new red shirt, I’ll write more about that later!

Before the tour we entered the East Wing where we were told all about what we were going to see. The painting below is a recent reproduction of the original scene.

Silver inkstand used for the signings.

The original Declaration of Independence is in Washington. This one is one of the 100 copies made from the original when it was first signed. It is under very dim light and no flash is allowed

This is the room where the Declaration of Independence was put together and signed. The objects on the table were actually used by the signers. This room is the background on the 2 dollar bill. Roy had one in his wallet and brought it out for all to see!

This courtroom is across the hall. The first photo is where the accused or the prisoner stood during the trial. This is where the term “standing trial” came from. Cool!

The room itself is beautiful and very symmetrical. We also toured Congress Hall (next door) where the first House of Representatives and first Senate met. It’s a smaller version of the current halls of Congress. We saw the House of Representatives side, not the Senate side because that area was being worked on.

There are plenty of opportunities for touring the area. Two of them are Ride the Duck and horse drawn carriage rides. If you’ve never done “Ride the Duck” I highly recommend it. We did it a few years back and loved it! We still have our duck quacker!

Down the street was the Liberty Bell, originally used to call the Pennsylvania Assembly to meetings. It was later adopted by abolitionists, suffragists and Civil Rights advocates, making it a symbol used by many today. The bell, which is free to visit year-round, draws people from around the nation to snag a photo in front of the soaring glass walls overlooking Independence Hall.

The front of the bell with the famous crack.

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The other side of the bell without a crack.

The beautiful flowery view behind the Liberty Bell looking towards Independence Hall.

We originally planned to visit next the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky made his triumphant run! Then we planned to eat some real Philly Cheesesteak at a local restaurant. HOWEVER, right after I took the photo below Roy said “Honey, look at your left side.” I did and saw that the entire left side of my brand new shirt (the one in the photos above) had burst open and there it all was!!! I grabbed a hand full of shirt to cover up some and we changed all our plans.

All of these streets in this area are like this or with small round stones in the street. Guess they are both considered cobblestones. Sure makes the cars bounce around!

Next came the shock of finding out that the two hours we were there cost us $24 to park. I was not a happy camper. The name of the parking garage was Curtis something. DO NOT STAY THERE unless you are rich!

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We found a Rite Aid where Roy bought safety pins for my torn blouse and hooked me all up. A little tacky but I was no longer exposed! We ate at Wendy’s and Roy was able to get a hair cut on our way home.

The home in Philadelphia in the areas we rode through were unique and I got photo shots of some of them.

Lots looked like these two. Rows after rows of these narrow two story homes.

That’s it for our time in Philadelphia – it was a great day!

Now on to Gettysburg Battlefield Resort where we will live for two weeks. Lots to see and do around there, can’t wait to get started!! A little of the sights on the road to Gettysburg. Lots of farmland and we passed by the exit to Hershey, Pa!!! Yum!!