The Stranger I Met Today

I won some Philly Double Decker bus tour tickets at a charity auction… over a year ago.  Hannah, Kate and I finally picked a day and all vowed to stick to it.  No rescheduling or postponing was allowed, which was what happened with the dozen or so dates we had picked since last summer.  The heat wave, a major concern for me and not-so-much for Hannah or Kate, did not even deter us. 

We, residents of the tri-state area, sometimes take what’s right in our backyard for granted.  Philadelphia – the second largest city on the east coast, the City of Brotherly Love, and the Birthplace of our Nation.  I’ve lived in South Jersey my entire life.  Philly has always been within an hour.  It was good for us to act like tourists and appreciate the city’s rich history and culture.  I encourage you dear reader to do the same.  But try and avoid all day, outdoor sightseeing in a heat wave if possible. 

Lesson Learned

Here are the highlights from what we learned, either through observation or from Maria, our peculiar and enthusiastic tour guide.

1.  Elfreth’s Alley is the oldest residential street in the United States that has been in continuous use.  The street is miniature and perpetually filled with people.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to live there. 

2.  The Friendship Arch in Chinatown is a sign of friendship between Philadelphia and sister city Tianjin.  The gate was constructed by Chinese artisans in 1984.  I’d consider myself lucky if I was able to walk by or underneath something so stunning every day. 

3.  Betsy Ross is most often associated with the American flag, but there is evidence to support that two other men, Charles Weisgerber and Francis Hopkinson, actually had just as much, if not more, to do with the design of our nation’s most recognizable symbol.  I’ll have to look into this further. 

4.  It is entirely possible to be hit by a tree branch on the top of a double decker bus.  I saw it happen. 

5.  Robert Indiana, the artist behind the LOVE sculpture in Love Park, reportedly designed the ‘O’ to be crooked because love is imperfect and he wanted to reflect that sentiment. 

6.  The Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in public on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia.  It’s amazing to think that so much of who we are today, who we are as Americans today, was a direct result of the treason that took place in Philadelphia. 

7.  Even if it’s close to 100 degrees and the humidity is at 458%, people still wait in a huge line at Jim’s Steaks.  I can’t say I’ve ever wanted a cheese steak so badly that I could do that. 

8.  A portion of 12 Monkeys was filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary.  I don’t know exactly why that stuck with me, but it did.    

9.  Jane Golden has been committed to making Philadelphia a more beautiful place for nearly thirty years.  When you view a mural in the city (and there are thousands), it’s likely that Jane and the Mural Arts Program probably had something to with it. 

10.  We only experienced a bit of all that the city has to offer.  We’ll have to return sooner rather than later.