Philadelphia

Hi everyone,

We’ve had another great, sunny day with Maria. Unfortunately her and Eric’s dog was unwell overnight, so Eric stayed behind today to keep an eye on him. He’s doing a bit better which is great! So Maria, Rob and I set off about 9.30am and stopped first at a local cafe called Food Studio that Maria and Eric like for coffee and breakfast including some scones and breakfast rolls.

Then we drove to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There was a bit of traffic around as it’s a long weekend and the weather is nice, so it took three hours instead of two but we chatted the time away. I visited here as well on my 2017 trip and stayed two nights, but the weather was foul due to a winter storm and the temperature was a top of -5 degrees celcius. My hostel when I stayed was also really uncomfortable. So despite seeing some amazing things last time, I think both of those dampened my visit a bit.

We parked the car and set off. The weather could not have been more different to last time. It was 26 degrees and despite a forecast of cloud it was gorgeous and sunny. We walked through Chinatown and then arrived at the Reading Terminal Market. Last time I was here I used this as a refuge and a break from the awful weather, today the air conditioning was on inside as it was so busy and warm. We shared some delicious donuts and then continued on.

We next passed the City Hall, the largest municipal building in the USA. I toured it last time and ascended to the tower up top beneath the statue adorning the building of William Penn, a Quaker who founded Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. The city is so named by him as it’s a combination of two Greek words: love (phileo) and brother (adelphos). He believed in religious tolerance and kindness to your fellow man. As a result, the next thing we passed was a park across the street containing the famous “love” sign placed here in 1976. From here there was a nice view down the Ben Franklin Parkway towards the Rocky Steps and Art Museum.

We continued on and poked our heads in at the venue Maria and Eric got married at in July 2018 which was beautiful, and then arrived at Independence Hall. Though the weather was great today, winter definitely has its pros. In 2017 I walked straight in here and had a look. From March to December you have to log on the day prior to your visit and book a tour time. You then have to arrive 30 minutes early and wait around for your time. Maria had a rest while Rob and I went in and joined the tour, seeing the room in which the Second Continental Congress took place and in which the Declaration of Independence was discussed, amended and signed. The original chair in which George Washington sat is still there. Though the tour group was 40 people, I knew which door we would be going through from last time so we hung at the back and I was able to take Rob’s photo with no one in it! The guide spoke at the start about how the revolution came about due to the British government taxing citizens over here on everything to pay for the Seven Years War. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between our current government announcing many new upcoming taxes to pay off their many lockdowns……! (The ‘Seven Years Lockdown’? That’s sure how it felt….!) If we don’t laugh we will cry.

Whilst we were in here, Maria went and jumped in the Liberty Bell queue. Again last time I walked straight in here, but today there was a 20 minute queue. We met her there and walked in. The bell used to sit atop Independence Hall when the USA became independent.

We walked past Ben Franklin’s grave after this (it was covered in snow last time!) and then went back to the car. We drove to Little Italy and parked, but had sadly missed out on tickets for the day to ‘The Magic Garden’, an area full of mosaic artwork that reminded Rob and I of Fusterlandia in Cuba. We did, however, get to enjoy some similar artwork in the street. Then we went to a bakery called Isgro where we enjoyed some delicious treats including ricotta cookies and a ricotta stuffed cannoli. They had run out of these but the lady filled one of these just for us to try, and it was so light and delicious. Maria and Eric had these from Isgro at their wedding! We then had a Philly cheese steak from Angelo’s (one with Cheez Whiz and one with provolone) and they were DELICIOUS! I had one when I was last here but I think the place I chose used cheap ingredients as I remember it not being very good.

Our final stop for the day was the Art Museum steps as seen in the movie ‘Rocky III’ where he runs up them. I filmed Rob running up them and recreated my photo from last time. Less layers and no snow this time, and lots more people!!

Afterwards we drove home, seeing the Delaware River en route. We stopped at a rest stop in Delaware too. It's crazy how quickly you drive through different states in some parts of the USA. We explained to Maria that to get to another state from Melbourne you have to drive at least four hours! Once we got home, the four of us watched the '60 Minutes' special on Mason Cox. All four of us are getting up to watch North vs Collingwood on delay together as Maria and Eric want to see what a game is like.

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox