Luckily for UCDC visitors, it was indeed sunny in Philadelphia for our trip last week. There’s so many leaves on the ground there that rain probably turns it into a gross nightmare. THE FOLIAGE IS SO NICE. It was obvious that we weren’t from the East, because we stopped to take photos of random trees, fat squirrels, and other elements of normal life.
Our Saturday began at 6:30am, when we left the Center. It’s around three hours from DC to Philly. For all of the pre-boarding predicting I did about sleeping on the bus, I ended up…. not doing that. We stopped at the Delaware Visitor Center for breakfast at 8ish. It’s entirely possible for that to be the largest shopping area in the state (Delaware is small enough to fill California 68 times). The Popeye’s wasn’t even open, so I stubbornly went back to the bus with my Clif bar. At the Philly Visitor Center, ooooooh’s, laughs, and groans ensued when our walking tour guides showed up: an older man and woman dressed in complete 18th century attire. At this point, some of the most horrified split from the group to do their own exploring. I correctly guessed that the tour was going to be amazing.
I went with the woman named Pat: Pat Stallone. She was quick to point out that she is in fact a member of the Stallone family, though I forget the exact relation. Pat also in her seventies, teaches at UPenn, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, which is the oldest (and best) honor society in the US. She showed us the famous key that all members get. Pat is awesome.
The tour lasted around 2.5 hours and took us to various sites in red-bricked historic Philly. I got to sit in the reserved pew where Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette sat, went inside a printing press, saw a lot of Ben Franklin stuff (his house frames, his post office, statues, etc.), and went inside a lot of original buildings. A common question asked at most of the sites was “So how much of this is original?” Which I understand. Standing in the assumed same location as a monumental event and being inside the building as it was centuries ago are pretty different, though I don’t turn my nose up at the former. But in Philly, many buildings are original, and beyond that, places like Old City Hall (home of the first Supreme Court) and Independence Hall (where the Declaration and Constitution were debated and signed) even possess the original furniture (ex. Washington’s chair).
Carol, my fellow colonial-history-loving friend, summed up both of our feelings quite succinctly as we entered Independence Hall: “Is it weird if I want to cry a bit right now?”
I was shocked at how close one is able to get to the Liberty Bell. Also, that thing looks incredibly fake, like a moulding or casting or something.
For lunch, Pat left us to our own devices but suggested that we stop by Jim’s for cheesesteaks. Okay! We headed the six blocks over. I gave some money to a black guitar busker because he happened to be picking away at Green Day’s When I Come Around. When we showed up at Jim’s just to hop in a half-hour line, the Philly native behind us inferred from our conversation that we were tourists and informed us promptly that we needed to learn how to order a cheesesteak properly before entering the joint, or we’d be removed from the line. Okay! I rolled over the words “one provolone with” for the rest of the half-hour and was able to answer correctly when the worker barked “NEXT!!!!” at me without looking up from his steaks. I watched many other tourists get shunned in shock, and turned around to thank the guy again for saving our lives. The steak was good, but a little dry because I was too scared to try the classic Cheese Whiz topping. Hopefully another time.
Happy Thanksgiving, all! I’m writing this from my relatives’ house in Maryland, where they fed me a wonderful dinner. Two dinners, in fact. I have a 3am train to Boston with Carol and Jessica, where I’ll spend this weekend being the ultimate nerd. Check back soon for a recap of that trip, and happy holidays! If you weren’t aware, Christmas starts now.
City of Magnificent Intentions 