Vacation - day 4

July 4

Independence Day!  One of our most historic cities.  Recipe for vacation disaster and huge crowds?  Well maybe but we had a plan:  go early and leave early.  That was our plan and it worked well.  We left early for the train station and caught an early train into town.  Downtown, we found out that everything that usually cost money was free on the fourth of July!  Score! 

We got in line to see the liberty bell just as the building opened.  I think we were the only non-asian family in there - very strange.  The lines looked long but weren't really all that bad plus since they have a special building just to house the bell now, it was inside and cool for the entire thing.  We had to enter through some airport-style security facilities but after that, it was no problem.  We walked right up and took our photos and ogled the famous bell.  From there we walked over to Independence Hall.

We discovered that we had the misfortune to arrive at more or less the same time as Elton John.  He was apparently there to recieve the key to the city or something.  Whatever it was, his motorcade came blasting up to Independence Hall just when we were trying to get over there.  A large stage had been set up for the usual fourth of July concert and fireworks that night and Mr John was first on the agenda.  It was kind of weird to have him receiving an award on one side and us taking a tour on the other side.  We could hear the proceedings clearly and later on, we could hear the symphony orchestra doing their thing; playing Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" and what-not.  We just went on with our tour of the place as well as Congress Hall next door.  Then we walked over to the visitor's center itself and browsed through there.  We watched their little patriotic movie but that's about all there was to do in there.  It is very nice but a bit thin on actual content.

We left there in search of Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.  They weren't hard to find.  Then we found a shop and bought some T-shirts to commemorate the cheesesteaks.  From there, we went to Benjamin Franklin's grave and Christ Church.  The church was fascinating in that it has been an active congregation since the late 1700's and so they have records of all the founding fathers who attended services there.  They showed us Franklin's pew and the ones that other revolutinary luminaries sat in.  Apparently, in those days, the church raised money by selling the pews like we sell box seats at stadiums these days.  Oddly, Franklin did not have the very best location. 

On the way back to the train, we stopped at the mall which surrounds the train station where Erin somehow managed to buy a pair of shoes; the first of three on this vacation. 

From there we went back home.  It wasn't too late and I wanted to spend some time with our host.  We all went out to dinner at a local restaurant in Newtown and then walked up to a new ice cream place called the Zebra Striped Whale.  It is one of those places like the Cold Stone Creamery that mixes up the exact ice cream you want while you watch.  We all ordered something unique and then walked it off by browsing up and down the streets of Newtown.  It's old-fashioned with a few places left over from the 1700's which I always find amazing.  Around Oklahoma I think the termites would get to any building that old long before the conservationist's but in Newtown, it's a different matter entirely. 

One thing we completely ignored was fireworks.  Normally I'd go out of my way to see some but there were just too many other things to do and see.  It turns out that several of their neighbors had some pretty good fireworks of their own so we just watched theirs.  They have many fireflies also so those added their own little fireworks to the evening.