Day Eight: Philadelphia and Fun with the Founding Fathers

So, day eight got off to a rocky start. We got up late, took longer to get ready than we anticipated and were on a pretty tight schedule. There were a lot of things that I wanted to see in Philadelphia and a long drive to get to any of them. From the moment we got in the car we knew we had to cut somethings - like the penitentiary tour, which I would imagine to have been pretty interesting. In any case, the trees were gorgeous!

And, we drove through part of New York. I had no idea we would be so close to New York City, but as we crossed of the George Washington Bridge we could see the city in the distance. Unfortunately it went by too quickly to get any good pictures. I did like the bridge. I have way too many pictures of it...

When we got to Philadelphia we got tickets to tour Independence Hall (we were too late to take the tour we had already made reservations for), and then headed to the Constitution Center.

I really enjoyed the presentation at the beginning of the Constitution Center tour. It is hard to describe, but it centered around a woman who told the story of the constitution and its progress throughout history. The seating was stadium like and the woman stood on the floor in the center. As she told the stories they used lights to highlight passages from the constitution and photographs that were on the walls around the seating area. I am sure I cannot do it justice, but it was really compelling.

The actual museum was smaller than I would have thought, but it had a variety of displays about the freedoms guaranteed in the constitution, and about the presidents. Here are Bryan and I as Ronald Reagan.

And here we are debating the issues of the day.

And practicing being president.

The best part of the Center was the final room - a replica of the constitutional convention, with life-sized bronze statues of those involved. Bryan was excited to be taller than someone!

This is Independence Hall.

The first room that we went through in Independence Hall was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber. The box in the center is where defendants would stand while their case was being tried - a setup which gives us the term "standing trial."

There is a coat of arms on the back wall which the tour guide (who was GREAT) pointed out had been changed when the colonies declared independence. A replica of the original coat of arms is pictured below - it represents Great Britain.

This is me.

Across the hall is the Assembly Room. For those of you who watched John Adams, you will recognize this as the room where the second continental congress met in May 1775 to write the Declaration of Independence. It is also where the constitution was written in 1787 - each colonial delegation has a table. It is also worth noting that when the British invaded they used the state house to house their soldiers.

This chair is the only original piece to the Assembly Room. The other items are original to the period, but not the room. This was George Washington's chair.

We have a lot of pictures in front low-rising railing.

I thought this stairway was awesome. I would like to have it in my house. I would stand atop it and make declarations everyday.

This guy looked like Benjamin Franklin!

I like the clock.

I could not use a flash to take pictures of the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but I was able to use the video function of my camera to get short, somewhat readable videos of them. This video is a compilation of those. Please feel free the annoying museum worker who would not stop complaining about his last job to some woman who looked trapped.

The next stop was Congress Hall, a tour led by the Benjamin Franklin look-alike. Congress met at Congress Hall when the nations capital was in Philadelphia. This was also the site of George Washington's swearing in ceremony at the start of his second term, and of the swearing in ceremony of John Adams.

Benjamin Franklin died before the Congress met for the first time, so they put a bust of him above the entry way in hopes that he would watch over them.

Again the furniture is all from the right period, but is not original to the chamber, with the exception of the chair behind podium.

The Congressional seating area is largely the same setup as it is today (minus the laptops and other conveniences). It is remarkable that things still operate much in the way it was designed so many years ago.

This is the gallery where the public could gather.

Somehow the Liberty Bell made its way onto the list of things we had to cross of our list due to time constraints. I was able to take pictures through the glass. Better than nothing!

The final stop on the Independence Mall was the Old State House, which was the home to the first United States Supreme Court. The Second Continental Congress met here, the Articles of Confederation were drafted and ratified here and sessions of the Constitutional Convention were also held here.

You will not beleive it, but here we are in front of a railing.

The city, much like Boston, has a balance of old and new buildings that make the street views very impressive.

Again we could not settle on a place to eat! Everything was crowded, loud or closed, and we wanted to have a quiet dinner (I know, we are old). Also, Bryan wanted a philly in Philly. We ended up at The Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant, which boasted on its outside sign a South Philly Pork Sandwich.

As with most breweries, this one served only beers crafted in house, and I did not like any of them - Bryan found one that was okay. For dinner I got a half sandwich and a salad with house dressing, which ended up being a beer dressing, made from the beer that I did not like. Bryan ordered the Philly, only to find that they did not have it anymore. All in all, not the best choice for dinner.

We got a great deal on our hotel just outside of the city, and it had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I wanted to stay!

Tomorrow is Amish country and Hershey! Stay tuned.