Day Five: Food in Philly

We did laundry for a few hours this morning! Very exciting stuff.

With clean clothes, we headed off towards Philadelphia. We saw the Liberty bell and learned that it was first called that by the Abolitionists to point out the discrepancy between those who were free and those who weren’t. Next, we headed off to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. It was surreal to think of being in the same room where George Washington and Ben Franklin once stood. For the first time, I really thought about the impact of these events. I read about them in school and discussed them with my kids but had really only focused on timelines and facts. I hadn’t stopped to consider the fear and excitement the men must have felt as well as how difficult it must have been to come to a consensus on so many of the issues they faced. In fact, they had even discussed abolishing slavery at that time but were unable to come to an agreement.

Once we were done our sightseeing, we headed off to Mike’s favorite destination: Jim’s Steaks. This is considered one of the best places to get a cheese steak in Philly. They were excellent. The staff left much to be desired but Mike said that’s probably part of the charm…..? Sure. Our last stop was a cool frozen yogurt place where you served yourself your own flavor, choosing from over a dozen. Then you added whatever you wanted from a bar of toppings that included fresh fruit, syrup, nuts and candy. Then they weighed it and you paid by the ounce. It was a really neat place and the kids had a blast. We drove on towards NJ and set up our camp site surrounded by dozens and dozens of ducks and wild turkeys.

Today, we’re off to explore Jersey.

Indepence Hall

Where George Washington sat during the signing of the Consitution.