Philadelphia, PA

I don't know what I was expecting. It certainly wasn't what we found.

Driving along the highway on our way to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall was nothing like I had anticipated. Trees and shrubs densely lined the road on both sides like guardians of bright green and dappled sunshine. There are no billboards, no signs of life beyond the leaves and branches.

We left the hotel at 11:30, aiming to miss the morning traffic and make it into the city for lunch. Traffic was light and the sky a bright blue behind fluffy clouds of light grey. It was going to be a wonderful day to explore.

We found parking (Independence Hall parking garage is only $17 for the whole day!!) and made our way to the big ticket items, the Liberty Bell as it was housed in its protective enclosure and memorial hall in front of Independence Hall.



Both buildings surrounded by grass, trees, flowers and artfully arranged park benches. A beautiful and surprising arrangement. I imagine it's what the city planners in Boston are aiming for with the construction of the new Rose Kennedy Greenway.



Now, this next part may sound really touristy to some, because it is. We hopped aboard the Big Red Tour Bus. You know the ones I'm talking about, the double decker buses that hall tourists around the city while a guide provides plenty of delightful commentary about the important happenings around town.



We saw and learned a lot about the city of Brotherly Love... except why it's called the city of Brotherly Love...

Anyway...

The entrance to Chinatown was simply AMAZING! The guide said that in exchange for this ornate and beautiful gateway, Philadelphia sent its sister city in China a replica of the liberty bell. Yeah, it seemed like the Chinese were a little short changed in the deal.



Another of the hugely popular sites outlined along the tour was the Philadelphia Museum of Art (also frequently referred to as the "Rocky Steps"). There used to be a statue of Rocky at the top of the steps but was removed because it was a movie prop and not actually art. The statue was placed somewhere in the 'burbs but relocated to a grassy area just to the right of the steps because tourists kept asking for it.



After taking the tour (on which we met a lovely group of tourists from Kentucky, one of which was a State Representative. He seemed a little less than thrilled to learn that his beloved Blue Grass State was not on our touring agenda. His wife did explain at length that while the grass was NOT actually blue it did have a blue tinge if the landscaping was maintained at the highest standards).



We also saw some kids along Penn Landing (kids being a subjective term) on Rollerblades apparently attempting to disfigure or dismember themselves by jumping over guardrails they had moved to stairways. They had quite a following including a videographer, so the whole thing may be on YouTube or something.



Also? There are signs all along the river saying 'No Swimming'. Why they are necessary when the water is this brownish-puke color is beyond me.

So, that is Philadelphia in a nutshell.

Now on to DC.........