Jeff and Serena US Road Trip: Philadelphia

Blog #10 - Philadelphia & New Jersey

Thursday, 10/11

Today was mostly driving in the rain. That’s not a lot of fun but probably better than sight seeing in the rain. And it wasn’t raining ALL the time and we weren’t really driving ALL day. We ended up in Plainfield, NJ with a friend of ours who used to live in California. We had a nice visit and got to see one of his two coffee shops in the area. Y’all are welcome to order his coffee online. https://www.ahrre.com/

Friday, 10/12

We had smooth traffic to Philadelphia and got a parking space exactly where we thought we would which was only a few blocks away from Independence Park. After a brief stop at the Visitor Center we went over to see the Liberty Bell. Seeing the actual bell was great. It was also cool that there was a casting made from the bell that we could touch.

The Liberty Bell

The part of the bell with the words is what was used to make the mold for the piece people are allowed to touch.

We had enough time to go visit the Philadelphia Mint and learn how coinage and numismatic (in this mint that means medals and collector items) items are made. It was interesting to see rolls of metal get turned into money. Sorry, no photos allowed. Penny blanks (the flat discs of metal that will become money) are purchased but the other coin blanks are made on site. Each denomination has its own assembly line.

Serena cheated and took this picture at the mint. They had these posters in a few places.

We got caught in commute traffic heading for our camp but it was mostly well behaved so it was better than Boston. We did get to our “campground” before dark. Campground is in quotes because while we and many other RVs are camped here (with hookups and a restroom/shower) it is NOT a campground. In fact, it is a gated park & ride lot with some designated RV spots along the edges. There is a 24-hour shuttle between here and the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. From there we catch a local bus right to all the historical museums downtown. It’s weird but convenient. Seems to be 15-20 RV spots which were all full the four nights we were there. The parking lot filled completely on the weekdays.

The perimeter of our park and ride “campground” is a Department of Homeland Security building.

Saturday, 10/13

Today was mostly spent at the National Constitution Center (NCC). The theatrical show was reasonably good and everything was interesting - very multimedia and lots of interactive displays. Really that’s probably what’s needed to engage people about the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the three branches of power that were established by the Constitution.

Alexander Hamilton was already an acknowledged and influential historical figure before Hamilton the musical, but now the museums are highlighting him. At NCC there was a small but specific gallery about him as well as a twice-daily short talk about his early life and ideas for how to structure the government (ask us why we should be glad his ideas didn’t end up in the US Constitution). And throughout the main galleries there were places where info about him had always been included but now they have special signage for easy identification.

Us with Hamilton in the Signer’s Hall at NCC.

We enjoyed this room with life-size bronzes of all the men who were present at the signing of the US Constitution (including 3 that chose to not sign).

At the end of the day we went to Independence Hall. Almost nothing in the room is original to the time when the 2nd Continental Congress met there to craft and sign the Declaration of Independence.

Independence Hall exterior

Making our way toward our bus stop we went through Washington Park which has possibly thousands of people buried there. It also has the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary Soldier.

The inscription on the casket is “Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington’s Army who died to give you liberty”.

Sunday, 10/14

Today was largely spent inside the Museum of the American Revolution. Unlike yesterday’s museum this one tells a pretty linear story in a more traditional history museum fashion. We enjoyed it and we are finding it helpful that we have already been to some of the historical sites that are part of this story; it helps us remember and make connections. The museum has the actual tent that George Washington used as his office and quarters during the Revolutionary War. No photos allowed due to the fragility of the artifact.

This museum is also attempting to capitalize on Hamilton. They have a new exhibit opening in a couple of weeks and just in the last month got a pair of life-size bronzes depicting the fateful Burr/Hamilton duel.

Jeff is getting a bit of attention with his souvenir A. Ham hat.

Notably, young people say they like it and old guys ask what it means then look perplexed when they hear the answer.

More A. Ham at the National Constitution Center

We finished the day wandering around the City Hall building and park.

Philadelphia’s City Hall is massive. It is the largest unreinforced masonry building in the world. You can pay to take a tour but we didn’t make the time to do so (and the weather was poor).

Monday, 10/15

We didn’t really have a plan for today but we had a lot of options. Though it was a bit damp, it wasn’t cold. We weren’t really interested in a lot more history so we wandered (saw a Franklin era printing press demonstration) and did a little shopping. We had lunch at the Reading Terminal Market which is 98% things you can eat (cheese, meat and fish, prepared food, fresh produce, candy, spices, seasonings, coffee, ice cream, baked goods and desserts); the rest sell stuff (jewelry, textiles, etc). From there we walked the entirety of Benjamin Franklin Parkway which ended us at Philadelphia’s monument to George Washington and the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

We really enjoyed our time in the City of Brotherly Love. There is so much to do here and we barely scratched the surface.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway looking toward City Hall (we didn’t have this weather so this picture came from the internet). The flags represent country-of-origin of Philadelphia’s population.