I went to Philadelphia in July of 1999 during Independence Weekend. My best friend and I travelled together, and we met my brother there. Our trip was designed to be a business trip, but also incorporated a whole bunch of fun activities as well... we had plenty of time to explore the city. We learned a little about the history of this great nation, toured a number of historic sites, ventured through city, and relaxed under the spotlight of freedom.
It all started when Jacky and I went to the airport. We boarded a plane headed for Baltimore, Maryland. Since it was freedom weekend, we were unable to catch a direct flight into Philly. However, we took the more exciting method of transportation... slower, but more stimulating. We jumped on a bus from Baltimore to Philadelphia. It allowed to take the scenic route and plan our activities, anticipating the adventure before us.
When we arrived, the bus dropped us off at the bus station only two blocks from the Marriot. We grabbed our luggage and strolled down the street. After signing in, we were ready to eat. Our first stop was Chinatown. Philadelphia's chinatown welcomes the eastern influence into the heart of an all-american city. We enjoyed the food. We found great deals on jewelry in the chinatown shops.
It was really a lot of fun. They have an indoor market near the Marriot. We weaved our way through the market looking for my brother and some of the other people in our organization, not to mention we were trying to find the perfect breakfast- and from so much to choose from, that was no easy chore.
In any event, we had gone to Philadelphia to attend a business convention. The convention centered around the theme of freedom. It tied in nicely with the whole weekend. We spent quite a bit of time at the convention. It was not at all boring. In fact, it was quite inspiring. However, the memorable events surrounding the convention make it unforgetable in many ways.
Prior to departing on the trip, we had decided on some of the sites we wanted to see. On Sunday the 4th, Jacky, my brother Peter, and I set out on a historic tour. We visited the US Mint, then made our way to the Betsy Ross House. What a kewl home. After exploring the home, the three of us hit the gift shop, where I suggested we buy these goofy tri-cornered hats. How appropriate though. With our magic hats, we journeyed onward through the city. Of course we stopped by the Liberty Bell pavillion. We toured Independence Hall and the nearby areas.
During the evening of July 4th, the three of us went to this outstanding restaurant- the Moshulu. The Moshulu is the oldest and largest four-masted sailing ship in the world. The ship was originally built in 1904, and is now permanently moored as a turn-of-the-century restaurant on Pier 34. It provides a wonderful view of the cityscape, as well as a relaxing deck to lounge around. The restaurant itself offers remarkable entrees which are slightly pricy, but worth every penny. As you can tell by our photographs, we spent a substantial amount of time on the deck after dinner. We tooks lots of pictures, talked, enjoyed the view, etc. ... we took time away from the city, escaped our real lives for a while, then decided to return to the hotel so we could change before the fireworks.
Well, would you believe we waited several hours to get a taxi. Apparently they were stuck in traffic. We had gone back into the ship's lounge to escape the dampening evening heat. Of course our suits didn't help matters. As it turns out, we got carried away talking to two other couples, one of which was also waiting for a taxi. We completely missed the fireworks on account of the taxi. That was the only thing that I sorta regretted, but the time we spent on the ship was worth the loss.
...My brother left Philadelphia before Jacky and I. The two of us had the opportunity to explore the Philadelphia Museum of Art on a side venture. The museum looks awesome on the outside. I love architecture, so I could have stared at the building for hours... but then Jacky made me go inside (hehe). Inside, we found a number of attractions that interested us. I personally prefer non-traditional museum layouts- things like replica tombs and chambers, villages beneath a skylight (which adds an element of realism), armored knights in a battle scene... there were only a few of those displays, but there were a lot of wall-mountings and display cases (boring). Overall, it was very interesting...
Oh, did I tell you about Luigi?
This is Luigi in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He cooks an awesome Philly Cheese Steak. If you see him around, tell him you saw his picture on the internet...
See if he remembers the three tacky tourists on July 4 th 1999, who took his picture. Make sure you tell him that we thought the food was fantastic. That's what Philadelphia is famous for after all- the best cheese steaks on Earth. Next time we are there, we will have to stop and visit him again...