It's tough to beat our fun-filled day exploring Reading & Amish country,
but we tried to top it with a visit to Philadelphia!
Independence Hall (currently under repair) is known as one of America's most important landmarks because the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed there!
They give out free tickets to tour the inside of the building each day, but it's a limited number and since it was a holiday weekend, the tickets were all distributed prior to our arrival.
Thankfully, they let anybody into the Liberty Center where the Liberty Bell (from 1752) is housed.
We learned several things about the history of the bell, including:
--the flaw on the bell is now technically a "gap" not a crack.
(Crack would be a cosmetic flaw; now pieces have broken away leaving a gap.)
--It has been re-cast twice, and each time the new bell is first rung it cracked. Paraphrasing Brent: this proves there was "shoddy workmanship in the 1700's"!
--The bell weighs over 2,000 lbs and has a circumference of 12 feet.
View of the "Old City" section in Philadelphia.
Lots of monuments & buildings and many are free--reminds me of Washington, D.C.
In order to experience an authentic 18th century culinary adventure, we dined at City Tavern. (Complete with waitstaff in period attire and cast iron cups & bowls!)
I decided to try "Martha Washington Style Colonial Turkey Pot Pie" (left) with an accompaniment of egg noodles and gravy (right).
Both were good, but a little heavy for lunch and an afternoon of walking around the city!!
The meal made us all a little sleepy, but we fought it off by taking a walk down to the riverfront to explore Penn's Landing.
Here we found the Irish Memorial monument educating us on the Irish Potato Famine (in 1845-1850), which led to the greatest single loss of life in Europe.
Over 1 million Irish starved to death over the 5 year period and another 1 million were forced to leave their homeland in order to find food.
Because of this more than 20% of Philadelphia's population was from Ireland.
Philadelphia sits on the Delaware River, and the Ben Franklin Bridge connects it with Camden, New Jersey. The color of the bridge is officially known as "Ben Franklin Blue" and is sold at Ben Franklin craft stores!
Shannon, Billie, Brent, and Kerri at Penn's Landing.
We stop for a cool DQ ice cream treat in Independence National Historic Park.
Before boarding the bus/boat and going on a "Ride the Ducks" tour Philly-style!!
You may recall a news story from last year where a Duck boat/buses in Philly hit a barge and capsized in the Delaware River causing several injuries and two people went missing (presumably drowned). Well, no worries, they amped up water safety, and we had a simply delightful tour.
Our tour guide took us on a 70-minute land & water ride and sprinkled us with historical nuggets and "quacktacular" wit.
For example:
--Did you know that Francis Hopkinson designed the first U.S. flag?
Most people mistakenly believe Betsy Ross designed it, but she merely made the first one based on Francis's design!
--Many tourists toss money on Ben Franklin's grave, but wasn't he also the same man who is known for coining the phrase "A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned"?
--The Duck boat/buses were all made for World War II (DUKW 353 Amphibian Truck to be exact).
The vessels are considered to be one of the most successful amphibious vehicles ever made, and most interestedly, by a workforce consisting mainly of women working during the war effort!
--We also motored by a condo on the Delaware River owned by Will Smith. His father lives there permanently, but the locals say that the whole family stays there when Will and Jada are in town. (Remember the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? "In West Philadelphia born and raised..." He really did grow up in the area!!)
--Finally, there was one swanky residential area of the City Center that we drove through, and the tour guide had to whisper on the loudspeaker. Apparently the residents have complained about the noise from the tours! This also means that now they don't give out the obnoxious quacker whistles until the END of the tour :(
The "Ride the Ducks" virgins and their crazy quacker whistles at the end of the day!!
(I've been on the Duck tour in many cities and never come away disappointed! In fact, there is even one in my neck of the woods in Newport, KY!)
