*Sorry this blog breaks the pattern & doesn't start with a quote about Philadelphia. I tried looking for one but they were all so negative (this is a lovely place so no idea where they were!) So I settled with a quote by Franklin instead!
Tuesday 27th May - Friday 30th May; Philadelphia seems like a nice place to sign some documents...
Tuesday (27th) - I haven't had any sleep. My flight from Seattle was 11:59pm and I arrived in Philadelphia at 12pm; so 12 hours of travelling later complete with the fact I couldn't sleep means a sleepy Sophie. Regardless, I didn't do much on my first afternoon in Philly. I found a cool dessert shop called Happily Ever After. It was decorated how I would do so if I owned a dessert shop; lots of fandom pictures on the wall like Disney, there were Star Wars cookies and Anastasia was playing. I had a nutella brownie & it was awesome. I then went to find some groceries and the nice guy behind the counter gave me a discount! In the evening the hostel put on a Ghost Tour; it may have been my first look at historical Philadelphia but I enjoyed it none-the-less. I couldn't wait to see the city the following day!!
Wednesday (28th) - After a late start of 11am (I can forgive myself, I didn't sleep the night before), it was time to see what Philly had to offer in the daytime. I got lost for an hour. In my defence, the map I was using was a poor excuse for a map which missed out every single side road so with that as my guide, no wonder I couldn't find my way. However, I did stumble across Washington Park.
Here lay the tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War. Creepily so, the pavement is over the bones of soldiers who died..
After this, the heavens decided to open. Not knowing how long the rain would last, I took refuge in the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Since volunteering at the Benjamin Franklin House last year, I'm more interested in all things Franklin so it felt appropriate considering where I am. The museum was good - interactive and modern.
The only remaining house is obviously in London but the structure here is in the place Franklin's house would have stood and what it would have looked like.
The rain continued while I took a lunch break but luckily it had stopped post-eating. I decided to visit the Presidential House which I assumed would be a house but turned out just to be just a structure. It's a shame that all these old historic buildings have been lost especially in a country that is relatively young. Right by here was Benjamin Franklin's grave.
The coins are there for two reasons; the first for luck as Franklin famously said "a penny saved is a penny earned" and the second according to last night's ghost tour is because the cemetary is haunted and the ghost likes to play with the coins!
My day continues - I went to Independence Hall and then to see the Liberty Bell, where I arrived 5 minutes before closing. All day there were HUGE queues outside & I just walked straight in, took a photograph and went! I ended the day by going to the National Museum of American Jewish History. Not sure why I like Jewish history so much, but I find it fascinating and the museum was enjoyable. It was 'pay what you like' which was redundant on me because I am too polite not to pay the full price. The lady behind the desk was grateful about it and the place was worth the $11 anyway!
I learnt a lot of cool stuff - I didn't realise so many of the major Hollywood Studios were created by Jewish men; Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers, Fox and Universal! On a seperate note, I find it both shocking and sad that out of all the museums I've been to in this country, and there have been many, there is such a high level of security for Jewish History museums.
My day ended with pasta evening in the hostel - I spoke to a fellow Londoner & a Bostonian!
Thursday (29th) - Another late start (but this time I was skyping with mum so it's a better excuse than sleeping!), I met up with a familiar looking human by the name of Abi (who was with Hannah & a WashU friend) and we went to Penn's Landing. Poor William Penn; if he'd arrived today, he would have just been met with a view of a run down looking car park! We also went to Elfreth's Alley which is the oldest residential street in America.
Here it is. I liked the house with the Union flag...for obvious reasons.
I bailed after that because I didn't fancy going to Starbucks (I refuse to give the corporate machine my money) and realised...I've been in Philly since Tuesday and not had a cheesesteak!! I corrected this mistake; it was glorious. Who knew putting steak with cheese would create such magic?!
This concludes my time in Philadelphia. I LOVE it here; granted, I only stayed within the historical district but it was the only reason I came here! I've found it really pretty and reaffirmed my love for American History. Now on to the penultimate stop on my travels - New York City.
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