Gritty Old Philly

Oh No...Here we go...cheesy vacation pics. Guess who was excited to Ride the Ducks and who wasn't?? Doesn't this picture sum up our entire relationship? Actually, I liked the duck experience as it gave us a good overview of the city making it easier to figure out where everything was located. Not to mention the fact that it seemed complete American craziness to be on a city tour in an amphibious vehicle used in WWII to transport cargo from ships at the shoreline to land. But I digress.

We spent a fun and sticky 24 hours in Philadelphia. First question in the subway on the way to our hotel - "Where's the white people?". It's a very cool subway line with modern trains and stainless steel underground stations, but it seems reserved for the have-nots. In CT/NY, everyone rides the train because about nobody wants to drive in the City. So, where are all the white people, you ask? Well, we found them in great numbers at where else but the Independence Visitors Center, where a kindly white grey-haired NPS lady filled us in on the best sites to see. They, like us, were getting their history fix on this American holiday.

We skipped the usual tours to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, opting instead to walk down the oldest continous residential street in America (Elfreth's Alley) and through Christ Church (http://www.oldchristchurch.org/history/) where John Penn, George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Francis Hopkinson worshipped, among others of note, and services are still held. The historic part of Philly also has a good modern arts scene, so we toured a few galleries and shops and had the lucky experience of wondering into a bar serving their own delicous microbrewed beer, and tasty treats. Why was this lucky? Because within a 1/2 hour of sitting down, the skies turned dark grey and opened up with a deluge of heavy rainfall. Ohhh, to be stuck in a cozy bar on a rainy afternoon whilst on vacation.... From there, we did a little shopping and bar-hopping along South Street, the gritty-hip urban street in Philly. Larry Fine is from this area in Philadelphia and there's even a bar dedicated to his memory, as you can see.

We tramped back to our hotel on uneven cobble-stone streets, passing historic building after building, and were graced with the most amazing night-skyline view from our hotel room.

I think we were on about the 27th floor, high enough to see miles of the city skyline, a perfect way to cap off the evening.

Next morning found us at the Reading Terminal Market, which occupies the old Reading Railroad train shed (farmers market started here in 1892!) with fresh fish, meat, cheeses, and tons of to-go temptations. The best place to visit in Philly by far....you can see why.

This ended our tour of Philly, and off we were with full tummies, on the Have Not Subway to DC to catch a pleasant train ride to DC. And that story will come in a few days....

So, simply put, I found Philly very cool. Definitely a place for history nerds like me. The U.S. is young and there isn't much history yet, but alot of what there is, is located in Philly and many smart, curious people who share their knowledge with clever stories and lots of excitement. Lance, please add your comments and anything I've missed. And don't get mad at me for posting this picture of you :-)!!!