Philly Day 1

Ohhhhh Philadelphia, the city ofBrotherlyLove. Not only is it that, I've learned, but also "Little London" among other sweet terms. Such a rich history here and such beautiful arrchitecture.  I mean, I'd be in heaven if I was an architect or anything of the sort, but alas, I am not. However, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the intricate designs and stoneemasonry that went into building this beautiful city.

Upon getting here, we checked into the hotel to find, unsurprisingly, that our rooms were not ready. Therefore, we left our luggage in storage and headed out. FIrst stop (as it was lunch time) was FOOD! Jake's pizza, located conveniently beside our hotel,was our chosen place and most of us ordered a typical cheesesteak, which was super good actually! Then, we walked. And walked. And did I mention we walked? Haha. It was sooooooo worth it though. We walked to Independence Park and o Ben Franklin's Grave and then to carpenter Hall where me and Elizabeth (YES, I MADE FRIENDS) actuallly talked to Mr. Ben! Well, ya know. The man who was channeling his inner Ben. Anyways, he gave us some advice on places to go and we actually ended up going there next.

First, though, we went to the Second US Customs House which was the Bank of the US and housed a portraitmuseum with paintings of  famous Americans and Revolution heroes. The artist, Johnathan Peale and sons, opened thefirst ever museum in Philly in the late 1700s and the portraits on the wall were the same as the ones all those years ago. It was really interesting to see all the namese and faces and imagine that so many people went into founding this country. Typically, we only see a handful but in reality it took so many to get to where we are today. As we left, we stopped and watched a fully dressed man in colonial garb teach some precious children and their quite willing grandparents how to march in a colonial army. So entertaining!

We continued on and stopped at the Thaddeus Kosciuszko museum who was a truly remarkable person that played a huge part in the Revolution. He actually helped orchestrate Washington'scrossing of theDelaware during the Saratoga battle that turned the tide of the war. So neat! He took the ideals and pride that he learned helping our military back to Poland and tried to rally around their men and push the Russians out. Unfortunately, it ddidn't work and he chose to come back to his "second home" of Phihladelphia where he passed away peacefully.

After, we crossed the street to St. Peter's church and cemetery and wandered the grounds (that Ben told us to see!) and saw Stephen Decatur's grave (SUCH A COOL DUDE AND NAVAL PERSON!) As well as some signers and the architect who built Carpenter's Hall and the top of Independence Hall, Strickland. It was fascinating seeing all the graves that dated back to the 1700s and imagining the lives they lived and the way the city has changed around them. It was just a reminder of how the world has changed, yet people, for thee most part, remain the same.

Next, came my favorite part of the day! (after a coooooool drinkk of water ;)) We walked down to Penn Park and saw the Irish Potato Famine memorial (stunning. As you walked around the statue, it  told the story from famine and death to a new life in AMerica) and then saw the Maritime Museum before fianlly seeing something amazing...DEWEY'S FLAGSHIP DURING THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR. Wowwwwww, the battle of Manila Bay in the Phillipines saw this ship in 1898 and there I was, stepping on the same floor the Admiral did while he made his pact with the Spanish. I saw the room where he negotiated peace and questioned Aguinaldo. It was just truly incredible to imagine the American historical moments that happened, even as the people that caused them to occur didn't even know they were making history. It was beautiful and the captain's and officer quarters looked similar to something seen on the Titanic. I was just amazed at that ship. (named the USS Olympia). Also, a WWII era submarine was there which was something almost as fascinating to me. It was TINY and held 67 crew members plus officers. How they didn't go crazy I'll never know.

We headed back to the hotel on the subway after that and then took out to dinner at a Sports Bar a couple blocks away. A few blisters and sore legs later, I have finished my firsst night in the city. And I couldn't have had a better day or start to the trip! Tomorrow we visit the Penitentiary and I CAN'T WAIT!