Iconic Food and Iconic History In Philadelphia

Philadelphia was up next! Lucky Dragon has been asking to see the Liberty Bell ever since he read a book about it. So we wanted to make sure that we stopped by Philadelphia on our whirlwind tour. It was a cold day and the further south we drove from NYC, the colder it seemed to get! But we still made it a fun experience. 

They have done really well cleaning up downtown Philadelphia. I liked that it did not have the weed smell like NYC did. However, outside the city center, Philadelphia is not a clean city. It was shocking to see the amounts of trash just billowing everywhere as we drove in and out of the city. 

We parked at the Independence National Park and explored the city on foot. It is amazing to see the amount of history in such a small area. It felt like every few feet there was a plaque or monument honoring an event or person that shaped our growing nation. Most notable among those were Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross.  

As we walked around the National Park, we were enthralled with learning more about our Nation's earliest triumphs and growing pains. The museum curators have strived to tell the story with reality. They were especially open about slavery and the experiences of the slaves during the early part of the US history. I am glad that they did not just try to gloss over it or make it seem like it was not a big deal. It saddens me to think that people could rationalize that level of treatment of another human. I am thankful we are trying to address the racial divide that stems across generations. We are no where near perfect, so much more we can do, but through open communication and everyone being willing to see the injustice, it can improve. 

We stopped at the Liberty Bell. It was cool to go in and read more about the symbol of the bell and see how they have preserved the bell over the years. 

Lady Hiva is practicing the great advice of Benjamin Franklin. 

We drove through the historical neighborhoods nearby, then ventured into the eclectic and diverse neighborhoods near that. It was fun to see the diversity Philadelphia has. You could find any type of food you wanted! As we drove passed the Philadelphia City Hall to see the famous LOVE statue, we stopped at Reading Terminal Market. It was full of life and plenty of fun. We ate Philly Cheesesteaks (complete with CheezWhiz), ate chocolate, watched them make fresh cannelloni's, and explored all that there was to offer. 

We made a stop at Betsy Ross' home. It was well preserved and was another stop to honor a small part of history. Betsy was credited with making the first flag of the United States, and several other flags after that. We learned that Betsy had a hard life as a founding member of the United States. She outlived 3 different husbands. 

We made a stop by the Philadelphia Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is always a special time when we get to see a temple.