Philly Dilly
One of the first things we found out when learning about Keansburg, was that it was only a 1.5 hour drive away from Philadelphia. This put this adventure on our list of things to do. We got so busy with doing all of our other exploring, that we realized we were running out of time to make it happen. With our last weekend in New Jersey coming up quickly, we had to make the trip over to Philly for several reasons. First off, we had to check out the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Then Amity had a couple other historical landmarks she wanted to see, and I wanted to watch a Philadelphia Eagles football game at an Eagle’s bar with my fellow fans! So our last Sunday in New Jersey was set for us to go check out Philly Dilly!
Mile: 51,232
Quote of the Blog: “I once spent a year in Philadelphia, I think it was on a Sunday.” - W.C. Fields
Song of the Blog: “Streets of Philadelphia” - Bruce Springsteen
The drive to Philadelphia from Keansburg was really smooth and easy. We didn’t have much of a set plan, so we started by parking the car as close to the Liberty Bell we could. Little did we know, we found a great parking spot, right new to the building in which Thomas Jefferson had drafted the Declaration of Independence. The building looked so simple from the side that we parked on, but as you waked around it, the windows were filled with video screens of eyeballs looking out at the city. It was super cool, and a very surprising way to start our day.
The Liberty Bell was only a couple short blocks away from where we started. The bell itself is housed inside of a building that is controlled and upkept by the National Park Services. Outside of the building was a large glass case covering some excavated ground. We learned this was a former slave quarters for President George Washington, who lived on the property in which the bell is located. The display said it perfectly, “History is dirty.” That is the truth! The line to get into the building was not very long. While we were standing in line, it sank in where we were and how significant of a place we were standing! Pretty exciting to be in Philadelphia; even if it’s just for a couple hours! The line moved relatively quick. Once we got inside the building, we skipped a lot of the museum stuff and went straight to the bell. It was funny, because with all the people looking at everything else, there was no one at the actual Liberty Bell. We were able to get a couple great photos and continue on with our exploration.
Across the street from the bell is Independence Hall. At first, it’s just another old building, but then you realize this is the very first capital building of the United States of American where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We have now been to the National Archives in Washington D.C. to see the actual document, and now we are here were they drafted it and signed it into reality. Pretty amazing if you ask me! We walked around the court yard at the hall for a while checking out the different statues and information about the area. We then found a park that was next to the courtyard where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is. This monument is dedicated to those Revolutionary War Soldiers who lost their lives and could not be identified.
Not far from where the monument was, Amity had a spot she wanted to see. While on our way we walked past the very first National Bank in the United States, and we found a funny little colonial reenactment of a market happening. We laughed at the British Red Coat Soldier with his bayonet standing next to a Tesla. It was only a little over a mile to the spot Amity was taking us. This area is called Elfreth’s Alley. This alley is over 300 years old; dating back to 1703. The craziest part is that people still live here! It is recognized as the oldest continuously inhabited residence in the entire country. The coblestone road and the architecture took us both back in time. It was a cool place to check out. On our way back to the car, we stopped at Sonny’s Famous Steaks for a classic Philadelphia Cheesesteak Sandwich. With all the Cheese Whiz they could put on our sandwiches, they were the best Philly’s we have had!
Once we got back to the car we made our way over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or better known as The Rocky Steps. Trying to park around here was a little crazier than we expected. We quickly found out there was a Rocky Half Marathon going on that day, so this whole area was a packed with people. We made our way to the steps and made our way to the top for some pictures and some laughs. When we got to the top, Amity realized that no one actually goes into the museum, they just pretend to be Rocky and then leave. Kind of comical, but we had to get our tourist’ing in while we were here!
We ended our day in Philly by heading into the Green Room. This was a dive bar close to where we had parked. It was a great spot to settle up and watch the Philadelphia Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys. I have been an Eagles fan since I was a teenager, and this was one of the most enjoyable games to watch. Getting to cheer along with other Philly fans, sing the Eagles fight song and watch the Eagles put the smack down on the Cowboys was awesome! Fly Eagles Fly!! Amity also got to quietly watch her Chiefs play. Somehow, they were able to miraculously block a field goal at the last second to win the game. I blame it on the Bronco’s fan who was already celebrating the win before the play had started. Sucks for that guy!
All in all, it was a fantastic day in Philadelphia! We wish we had more time, but our time in New Jersey is coming to an end. We are so close to saying goodbye, but we still have some time to fit something fun in!!! Live Rad & GO BIRDS!