Another great day - this time in Philadelphia. We woke up early and headed out. We had planned to just do a couple hours in Philly and then stop at Mount Vernon on our way to Colonial Williamsburg. Our Liberty Hall tickets ended up not being until 1:40 p.m. so we had to choose which to do. We decided to stay in Philadelphia, which I have no doubt was the right choice.
Arriving in Philly.
The last time I was in Philadelphia was before I got married, probably about 20 years ago. Back then, I was able to just walk up to the Liberty Bell and walk in to Independence Hall. That doesn't happen anymore! We went to the Independence Visitor Center to get our tickets and got a picture with Ben Franklin.
Then we went to Ben Franklin's gravesite at Christ Church Burial Ground. Four other signers of The Declaration of Independence are also buried here. We threw a penny on his grave for good luck in remembrance of his quote "A penny saved is a penny earned." I later read that doing so damages the marker. Wish I had read that sooner.
A block down the street is the Arch Street Friends Meeting House, a Quaker meeting house built in 1804 on land donated by William Penn. It is still in use today.
Next was Betsy Ross's house.
Down the street and around the corner is Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously occupied residential street in the U.S. It has been occupied since 1713!
A peek behind the houses.
Throughout the historical sites they had storytelling stations. This one was located at the end of a little alley off of Elfreth's Alley.
Baylie got to help tell the story.
Christ Church has been an active parish since 1695. The church was built in the 1700's. It is where Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and George Washington worshipped. The steeple was financed by a lottery organized by Benjamin Franklin and was the tallest structure in the U.S. for 83 years.
This is the only Colonial themed post office in the U.S. It is the only one that doesn't fly the flag because when Benjamin Franklin was appointed postmaster in 1775, there was no flag.
We had wanted to buy a pastry at this little bakery which was originally used to bake bread for Revolutionary soldiers, but it wasn't open yet.
So we found another one. The pastries were delicious!
We decided not to wait in the massive line for the Liberty Bell. We looked at it from outside the window instead.
We met Ona Judge, a slave owned by Martha Washington that escaped while the family was living in Philadelphia. She finished her life as a free woman in New Hampshire.
Our tour of Independence Hall did not disappoint.
The first room is a courtroom.
The term "stand trial" comes from the prisoner having to stand in this box while on trial.
The jury box was actually a box of benches.
The is the amazing room where all the history happened - Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc. It's so incredible to stand there and think of all the things that happened in that room.
The chair is original and is where George Washington sat. How amazing is that??
Stairway to upper level.
Two clocks (pretty sure there is something in the movie National Treasure that has to do with these clocks).
Next we visited Congress Hall, home to Congress from 1790 to 1800 when Philadelphia was the nation's capital. The House of Representatives met downstairs and the Senate upstairs. That's why the Senate is still called the "upper chamber".
The Senate room is upstairs. George Washington and John Adams were inaugurated here.
Twenty-three of these desks are original.
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette gave self portraits to the colonies as gifts to recognize their independence.
The kids could have been conscripted, but we didn't have time.
Second Bank of the United States, completed in 1824.
Jalen wanted a picture with the cannons.
Brass relief of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Washington crossing the Delaware.
Other views of Philly.
Once we were finished with the historical section, we decided to find the LDS temple. It was beautiful! Even the parking lot was bright and clean. (And once again, a great place to go to the bathroom!)
We had a long drive to our next stop. Plus, the weather was horrible. David has done all the driving, which has been great for me.
We are in a little hotel just outside Colonial Williamsburg. We will spend some time here and then head on to our final stop - Outer Banks, North Carolina. I'm a little worried about that part because apparently they have had flooding and they are recommending we don't swim in the ocean because of bacteria. Unfortunately, our hotel had to be cancelled 72 hours in advance so we will be going anyway. We may just be swimming in a pool instead of the ocean.
The best thing for now is that we get to sleep in tomorrow!
P.S. One tender mercy I should mention is that the past two days it was forcasted to rain, but it didn't! We stayed dry in NYC and Philly and only hit the rain once we were in the car. We are so grateful for that.
P.S. One tender mercy I should mention is that the past two days it was forcasted to rain, but it didn't! We stayed dry in NYC and Philly and only hit the rain once we were in the car. We are so grateful for that.
1 comment:
This trip looks amazing!!
Post a Comment