Philadelphia

Philadelphia captured my heart.

We arrived in Philly the afternoon of July 4th. Our hotel, Society Hill Hotel, was located at the intersection of 3rd & Chestnut and although parking was at a premium, we did find one spot nearby. Check-in took place in the bar/restaurant below the hotel, then we made our way to the second floor.

This hotel is the oldest bed & breakfast in Philly. It has plenty of charm and the location is absolutely perfect. The condition is not so great, but I met the manager as we were checking out and he asked how we liked our stay, what they could do to improve and told me they were in the process of renovations. As long as they don't demolish the character of the place, it will remain one of our favorites of all the places we've ever stayed.

We were within walking distance of EVERYTHING! Two blocks from the Liberty Bell, 1/2 block from Ben Franklin's courtyard, printing press and post office, 4 blocks from the Visitor's Center, 2 blocks from the Delaware River. We walked everywhere, including down to South Street to try a cheesesteak at Jim's.

Ok - we tried all three major cheesesteak houses and our favorite was....(drumroll please)... Pat's. Just thinking about that cheesesteak makes me want to drive the 3 hours to get one!!! Neither of us could tell you what the difference was between Geno's, Jim's and Pat's, but Pat's was definitely the best in our book. Jim's had a great atmosphere - it was fun reading all the celebrity autographs on the walls as we waited in line.

Our tour of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall was unforgettable. The staff of the National Park Service were knowledgeable, friendly and flexible - we saw several of them in a variety of places and jobs in our three days in town.

As we exited a security gate at Independence Hall, I asked the security guard about the fencing. It looked fairly new, and even temporary. She said the extra security had been in place since 9/11; before that time, the park was open to just roam the grounds like a city park. It's sad that terrorists forced this upon us, but I'm so thankful we can preserve such a beautiful site.

We studied Benjamin Franklin in depth while I homeschooled my son, so it was very emotional and heartwarming to walk in his footsteps and see his life in "action." The printing press, the underground museum and the courtyard offered tremendous insights to his genius, and glimpses into his personal life that we had not discovered in our studies. Then, to meet "Benjamin Franklin" in person, well, it felt like I had stepped back in time!

The streets we walked were safe and beautiful. I've said numerous times since our visit that if I ever have to live in the north, Philly is my city of choice!

David surprised me our last night there. He had noticed a specialty shops in our walking and after a pizza he took me to this shop for dessert. Gelato! Since our trip to Venice years ago, we have searched high and low for gelato in the States that was comparable to what we had in Italy. Until Philadelphia, we had not found any to compare. Cafe Toscano even had Frutti di Bosco - my very favorite flavor. Of course, over here, the cost is ten times as high as in Italy, but if you factor the airline ticket into it....

I was remiss at getting the name of the place. I was so overwhelmed to find this delectable delight in what seemed an unlikely place that I never paid attention to the name. As we walked out the door, we met Benjamin Franklin. Immediately I was transported back in time and just stood there grinning at him as he walked by us. Then I turned and said, "Excuse me, can I take your picture?" He graciously smiled and nodded, and I snapped.

When we had the pictures developed, we realized he was standing next to the door of the gelateria and we could read the name in the picture. What fun!

We drove through Chinatown and snapped a few pictures; we passed Reading Terminal, but ran out of time to visit.

Philadelphia, we'll hopefully see you again one day!