Philadelphia, Here We Come

Day two, we hit the road after breakfast to start our 7 hour drive across Ohio and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia.  We were quite surprised by the scenic beauty of the Pennsylvania countryside.  It is heavily wooded with rolling hills, rivers and mountain passes.  The girls were surprised to be driving up hills for a change.  Dave and I couldn't remember the last time we saw runaway truck ramps----they definitely don't have those in the flatlands of Illinois.

This was a pretty uneventful day.  We stopped for lunch in a small town outside of State College, PA that looked like it was straight out of the movie, Deer Hunter, steep streets with rows of historic homes, it was really interesting.

We pulled into Philadelphia about 6pm that night and were greeted by my sister Debby and her boyfriend Sameer.  We stayed with them at their downtown condo in the Ritz-Carlton Residences, as hotel rooms were scarce due to a huge medical and nurses convention in town.  The girls were happy to take advantage of the swimming pool and hot tub!

Philadelphia is really a charming city, probably a tad under-rated.  It really is an interesting blend of big city, historical charm, and architectural creativity.  I was also very impressed by the city's commitment to public art.  Sculptures and public works of art are all over the place.

The day after we arrived, our family took a tour of the city on a double decker bus.  This really is a great way to see the whole city and learn about it's history, etc.  There are a total of 21 points of interest or stops on the tour and you can get on and off at any time.  The whole time you have a tour guide giving you information and explaining stuff such as "cheese whiz on your steak sandwich is a tourist thing, real Philadelphians eat real cheese, whiz is a gut bomb." 

We basically got off at two places: the Museum of Art and Indepedence Hall.

The Museum was a must, I mean you HAVE to run the stairs!



Our next stopping point was Old Town for lunch and some history.  We ate in a cute little place called Soho that had the best pizza and coolest atmosphere (I love exposed brick!)



After lunch we then walked up the street to do what we came for: see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall!  The girls learned a lot and once again, you are amazed to be walking in the footsteps of people like George Washington, James Madison, and Ben Franklin.

Ashley and 1st amendment

The Liberty Bell



In front of Independence Hall



Inside the very room where the Continental Congress met



George Washington's desk and original chair up front



Independence Hall



After our day of sightseeing we headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner.  Debby, who is in serious contention for "favorite aunt" gave the girls make-overs which included doing their nails, hair and make-up.  They loved it!