After breakfast, it was about an hour drive to Runnemede, NJ through rolling hills and farmland that looked a lot like Wisconsin. We took a little jog into Delaware so we could catch the Pennsylvania welcome station and get some Philadelphia maps and information. (And it also added another state to my list.)
We're staying in New Joisey (sorry Lenny!) because the hotel keepers in Lancaster helped us find this nice Travelodge across the river from Philly for less money and just as convenient as the northern suburbs where we'd planned to stay. We were also told that gas in NJ is about 30 cents cheaper than PA, and in NJ it's illegal to pump your gas - probably the only state in the union where attendants still do it for you. Anyone under 40 probably doesn't even remember they used to do that!!
It was too early to check in so we left our car in the parking lot and caught a bus downtown. First stop was the Independence Visitor Center in Independence National Historical Park to get a ticket to visit Independence Hall. It's free to visit but you have to get a ticket with your tour time. Then we went to the National Constitution Center which was really amazing.
First they had a live and audio visual 30 minute show of the history of the Constitution - it was really moving and informative and brought a lump to my throat. Then we walked around the upper level with a lot of information about the Constitution and the country. One fun thing was a voting booth where you could go in and choose between, say, George Washington and Richard Nixon, or Harry Truman and George H.W.Bush. They had displays of various combinations and who won.
Then into the Hall of the Signers, life sized statues of all the signers, I think based on a famous painting, but you could walk around them and have your picture made with them. Here's Armando with Thomas and Ben and others.
Finally we went in and saw one of the original copies of the Bill of Rights. Where I learned some things I didn't know (or learned in grade school and forgot). There were 14 copies of the Bill of Rights - one for each state plus one for Washington - since each state had to radify it. Four states lost their copies. The copy displayed is owned by New York, but this a lost copy and it's unknown which copy it actually is. The other thing that really surprised me is that the document contained 12 amendments, not 10. The first two were not ratified by enough states. The original First Amendment stated a formula for determining the size of the House of Representatives based on the population of the United States in 1789. The original Second Amendment was about determining when Congress can change its pay and became the 27th Amendment when it was ratified in 1992.
Then we visited the Liberty Bell and finally Independence Hall. It was amazing to be in the building and in the room where those documents were debated, written and signed.
Next we walked down toward the river past several other historical buildings and the old tavern. The riverfront has a museum and some tall ships and a submarine that can be toured but we didn't.
We stopped in a pub for a beer
(you can see us in the reflection in the mirror - I'm the one with the hat and the camera!), and then walked up Elfreth's Alley, built between 1728 and 1836, is one of only 3 streetscapes in the country and is supposedly has been lived in the longest of any neighborhood in the country.
We stumbled upon Betsy Ross's house - we didn't go in but took some photos.
Then a stop at the Benjamin Franklin museum. This was the most delightful stop of the day. What a guy!!! The museum talked about all the things he did in his life - writer, printer, postmaster, statesman, inventor, and a whole bunch of other things. I left there wishing I could meet him. If you are ever in Philly at Independence Park, make sure to go to this museum....it is only a couple blocks away and well worth the $5 entry fee.
Day 6 - Lancaster to Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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Comments

2025-02-15
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Romy
2015-05-07
Lots of cool history in that part of the country. Harpers Ferry was really pretty. I loved the trip I took the summer before my senior year of high school and we did lots of historical stops. Would love to go do it again.