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Old 1 May 22, 10:26 PM  
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smithlane
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The BIG American History Road Trip April 22 - Day 1 - Liberty Bell, Independence Hall & HOHO bus

Day 1 - Thursday 7th April

Aaannnnddd I woke up at 4am! Damn it 😩
There was no use me trying to get back to sleep as I was wide awake so I just played on my phone until 5.45 when mum and Hope began to stir.

I figured out how to use the tv so put the news on whilst we very slowly got ourselves showered and ready. There had been a shooting just outside of the city with a police officer injured but thankfully no fatalities apart from the shooter.
The weather forecast for today was rain, rain and even more rain so a nice cheery start to the morning 😞

At 8am we walked back to the Reading Terminal Market to get some breakfast.
It was only drizzling so far but we knew it was going to get heavier later.











We settled on the Dutch Eating Place where I got the 2 egg plate with bacon & toast and mum got the apple cinnamon French toast. Hope the breakfast dodger had nothing.
This soon came out and was just what was needed!





I picked up a Cinnamon muffin and 2 iced donuts from the bakery next door, they bake every product fresh on site.







I wish I could have bottled the smell of this place! If we were here any longer I’d be the size of a house with trying one of everything. Thankfully for my waistline we aren’t! 😂

It was still only 9am and our Independence Hall tour tickets weren’t until 10.40 so we took a slow wander down and started with the Liberty Bell.





It’s housed on the same site as George Washington’s former home that the National Park Service have preserved what is left of the remains.









The bell has since been moved and has had an entire building built around to preserve it as best they can.
It’s free to view it and you don’t need to book but there was a bit of a queue to get in as you have to go through airport style security first.
There’s lots of info dotted around about the history of the bell then the opportunity to take photos.











The bell was actually made in London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1751 to mark the 50 year anniversary of William Penn’s Charter of Privileges, which served as Pennsylvania’s original Constitution.
The last time the bell was rang was in 1846 on Presidents Day, celebrated on George Washington’s Birthday, and was cracked beyond repair so was taken out of service.

It was still only 9.45 when we came out so we wandered over to the Visitor Centre to use the restrooms and take shelter for a while.





We managed to book our hop on hop off bus tickets whilst here and were informed the buses left on the hour every hour and we could use either The Big Bus Company or City Sightseeing Tours.
There was a gift shop so I bought the obligatory magnet and postcard but it was busy with lots of school groups so we went and sat in one of the theatre areas they have to wait until our tour time. The rain was now bouncing down so we didn’t want to be early!
At just before half past we walked over and went through airport security again.





We were still early so gathered with everyone else under the only shelter they had. I’m not gonna lie, it was fairly miserable. We were cold and soaked through to the skin ☹️





At 10.40 a NPS ranger came to scan our tickets and lead us around to the back of the building. Shortly after we were lead inside and into the Assembly Room.





It was in here that the delegates of the Continental Congress nominated George Washington as Commander in Chief and later the Declaration of Independence was written. The true date of which was July 2nd as that is the day it was voted for but Thomas Jefferson who drafted the first copy, signed and dated the written document on 4th.

We were then lead into the room where the Articles of Confederation were revised and the United States Constitution was written.





Our guide Pat, was extremely knowledgeable and we could have listened to her speak for hours!
The whole tour only lasts 20 minutes and we were then lead to exit the hall out of the front entrance.

It was 11.05 and as we had just missed the bus we went over the road into a food hall we passed earlier to have a sit down and grab a drink. This was made up of all sorts of eateries from pizza, to burgers to vegan food to fried chicken.









As Hope hadn’t eaten breakfast I got her some chicken strips and fries, I just got a portion of fries and mum got a coffee and cookie from a bakery place.

We sat in the warm and dry until 12pm when we went outside to get on the bus tour.
It soon arrived and we first of all sat up top but even with the covered shelter it was just too cold and we were being dripped on from the rain coming in through a crack so went downstairs once the bus came to the next stop.



Our guide was Mike and he was very knowledgeable and passionate about the city. This was actually his second job he loved it that much!
As we were downstairs and it was obviously very wet outside, my photos are rubbish and fairly non existent!
We went past Betsy Ross’ house, Franklins Grave and Chinatown.





Interestingly this Friendship Gate was donated by the Chinese and there are no nuts, bolts or screws holding it together. It is erected simply by the design and the way it is balanced. Quite a feat of engineering!



Another fact Mike told us was that every new development in the city has to donate a percentage of its total budget to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. This is to help enhance a new image of Philly with various sculptures and pieces of art dotted throughout the city.

We got up to the Museum of Arts, I really wanted to run up the famous ‘Rocky Steps’ but it was absolutely pelting it down and we didn’t want to get off to then have to wait another hour for the next bus!







It’s a real shame but not much we could do about the weather.
We went back round the South of the city and back to where we started. Even though we didn’t get off the bus to explore some more, it was still enjoyable and we learned quite a lot about Philly. It’s got a fascinating history.
We got off outside the Liberty Bell and made the very wet walk back to the hotel.

We were drenched! Got out of our soaked clothing and into some dry clothes then just chilled for about an hour.

At about 3pm Hope and I went out to the shops as there were a few things Hope had seen yesterday but didn’t get.
We left mum in the room as she wanted some rest time.

We first went into Primark to get Hope a gilet as she didn’t have any proper outerwear with a hood.
From here into Ulta where I bought a Morphe lipgloss, Tula primer and eye cream, and an Elf contour brush and creme. Hope bought a lipgloss from the Kylie Jenner range.
Now into Sephora where I bought a blusher and lipstick and Hope another lipgloss from the new Rihanna range called Fenty that I don’t believe you can get in this country.
Next up Nike where Hope bought a pair of joggers, a sports bra and some socks. These were all discounted like in the Outlets then we got a further 15% off by joining up to their Mail club.
Into American Eagle where I found a coral oversized t-shirt which will be nice for the summer and Hope a top and baseball cap.
We now left the shopping centre and headed back in the direction of the hotel.

There was a West Elm up the road from our hotel and I kept seeing this gorgeous gold tray in the window so I popped in to get a better look at it. It wasn’t cheap at nearly $50 but it was so pretty and would look fab styled on my dining table. I decided to leave it which I would later regret….

It was now 5.45pm so we went back up to the room, quickly got changed then walked back the way we had just come for our dinner reservation at The Hard Rock Cafe.
I had booked a table for 6.30 and we were seated straight away.
I really didn’t know what I fancied but decided I couldn’t leave Philadelphia without trying a Philly Cheesesteak! Hope got a burger and mum some chicken tenders and a side salad.
It didn’t take too long in coming out and I’m afraid to say I could only eat about 3 mouthfuls.







Whoever had cooked the steak must have knocked an entire pot of salt onto it, it was inedible!
I never complain about food but I wasn’t going to pay for something I couldn’t eat. The server was very kind and asked if I wanted another one cooked or something else from the menu but to be honest it had kind of culled my appetite so I just ate my fries, which weren’t great either 🥴
To make matters worse we were sitting on the edge of the bar area and the lady serving kept opening the big windows which was causing a huge draft right up my back.
At first we didn’t realise who was opening them and asked our server to shut them twice then she stormed over and threw it open for a third time so I knew then I just wanted to get the check and leave! It was 8 flipping degrees outside 😡
The bill came to $76 including tip, they took off my cheesesteak so really pricey for effectively only 2 meals!
As the rain was still bouncing down I looked to see if we could get an Uber back to the hotel but because of increased demand it was $26! Looks like we’re getting wet again 😩
We made a run for it and 10 minutes later we were back looking like 3 drowned rats. I would have been drier coming out of a shower!
I was absolutely freezing so had a nice hot shower to warm me up. We spent the rest of the evening packing up our bits minus the clothes we’d worn today as they needed to dry out!
I managed to stay up until 9.30 before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.
Thankfully the weather forecast was looking considerably better for tomorrow!
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Old 2 May 22, 09:13 AM  
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Goldia
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Oh no the weather does look appalling. Such a shame as I know how much you love to walk around a city. The bus tour sounds good though and the guide seemed very knowledgeable. I'm disappointed for you that you couldn't run up the Rocky steps. Oh, and that dinner at the Hard Rock doesn't sound good at all.

Oh dear. Surely day 2 has to get better? It can't very well be worse...
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Old 2 May 22, 09:17 AM  
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A shame you had such bad weather We have been lucky on our trips (one was in June so baking hot) and it makes a big difference.
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Old 2 May 22, 09:42 AM  
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Such a shame about the weather - makes it really hard to enjoy outdoor things. Sorry your meal wasn’t great either.

Sounds like a good shopping trip though.
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Old 2 May 22, 01:58 PM  
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NewtoOrlando
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Oh what pants weather! It really can mess up plans! I didn't realise there was so much history in Philly. Shame about the rubbish food too, Hard Rock is usually a safe option! Looking forward to what's next!
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Old 2 May 22, 03:56 PM  
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Oh no, what rubbish weather for your first day. But the tours looked fab with lots of information and good guides. Sorry you never got to run up the steps! Fingers crossed for some sun for Day 2 x
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Old 2 May 22, 05:21 PM  
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What a wash out of a day Alicia
You did well to see as much as you did in that awful weather , did you manage to get your clothes all dried off ?
The bakery in the market looked so good , I never miss breakfast in the US !
Such a shame your dinner was so disappointing as well 🥲 xx
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Old 3 May 22, 11:16 PM  
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Reading with interest as we are visiting new york, philadelphia and Washington this August by train. Looking forward to the next instalment!
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Old 4 May 22, 08:06 PM  
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Absolute Boo to the rain! The Independence Hall tour and bus tour looked great though

Shame about the food at The Hard Rock Cafe but breakfast looked yummy
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Old 4 May 22, 10:49 PM  
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Well at least you got some shopping in?

All Philly Cheesesteaks are salty. The best I've had (least salty) is actually from a vegan place called HipCity Veg. If you get a chance to eat there I would recommend it, even if you don't typically eat vegan food. They have other interesting menu items too and we have always had a good experience there.
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