Philadelphia, PA
10:05 AM
I am on the outskirts of the city of Brotherly Love. I’m near Villanova University at my friend Ted’s apartment. He is off to work. I have some clothes in the dryer and will be taking off to Baltimore at some point. I’ll be there for a few days as I have interviews and I’d like to see DC.
Philly has been a good, mellow place. My brain was on overload after Gettysburg and Harrisburg. This was good to clear the head a bit. On Friday Ted, his girlfriend Stef, and I went out to a bar they like. We had a couple and were home by midnight. Saturday was lazy and then we went to Stef’s place. Her roommate was having a BBQ. It turned out to be a nice day and she went all out with the food. It was a Salsa type theme I guess, as there were tacos, fresh pulled pork, all sorts of dips, as well as a lot of beer. There was also a piñata that we got a chance to hit. At first I wasn’t too hip on a piñata, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. The spin, the blindfold, and the old school feeling of trying to crush something. I was one for three on my hits. Ted is the one that brought that thing to it’s knees, sending Starburst Rolo’s, Peanut Butter Cup’s and toys all over the place. We all lost 20 years and went for it. I didn’t know anyone but had a good time.
Yesterday was the day of history. We went to downtown Philly in search of a cheese steak. And we found it. We went to a place called Jim’s. I guess it’s not one of the famous ones, but it was famous enough for there to be a line out the door. Pat’s and Geno’s are the two big ones from what I’m told. I was starving and wolfed down the steak, provolone, mushrooms and onions. We were all happy with the choice.
From there it was off to see the sights. We went down to the Liberty Bell, but the line was a way long. We went to Independence Center and the Constitution Hall. I signed the Constitution so now it is officially complete. It was incredible to be walking the same streets as Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. I was at the place where our country formed and it was incredible. The brick buildings and the cobblestone took you back. We saw a movie that was OK and left to try and do the Liberty Bell. Again, way too long of a line. I decided we should try City Tavern. It was where they used to have pints and talk about things back in the 1700’s. WE went in, ordered beers that were made by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (his was better) and talked. We sat in the place they used to. Again, very cool.
From there we left and I headed down to Wilmington, DE. It was cool to see another state. I tied up some loose ends there, had dinner, and made my way back to Ted’s. Time for bed. I didn’t sleep too well. That’s typical. And here I am. Time to go to the basement and get my shirts.