Philly for the day

On Saturday, we headed to spend the day in Philly. It was a smooth 2.5hr drive from home through our previous surroundings in New Jersey. We parked in a garage within walking distance from the historic district and headed to the visitor center. It was grand building which seemed new as most tourists that I chatted with couldn't recall its existence from previous visits a few years ago. Upon seeing the long line to get tickets for the Independence Hall tour, I was glad that I had reserved it online for $1.50 per person. Then we headed to Reading Terminal Market which was a few blocks away to grab lunch.

For a while we were engrossed in the petting zoo outside the market that featured adorable farm animals such as sheep, baby cows, goats etc. There were free horse rides being offered as well. One of historic farmers markets (now an indoor market), it featured a great selection of food and desserts. Nelson enjoyed a Philly steak and I was satisfied with just desserts. We were especially drawn to the Amish specialties. The freshly made doughnuts were simply amazing. We also purchased some fudge to go.

Our first stop on the sight seeing tour was at the Liberty bell. Though there was along line it moved pretty quickly. Then we did our own walking tour of various historic buildings such as the Carpenter Hall (where the first Congress met),the City Hall (where the first supreme court was held), a marine museum and finally did the official Independence Hall tour. Learning about the founding of this country was an interesting experience for as I'm not very familiar with American history.

We drove around the city by car admiring the architecture.The Philadelphia Museum of Art was a spectacular building. On our way back we stopped in New Jersey for dinner at one our favorite places. The Singapore food was as good as we remembered even though the ownership had changed. Exactly 12hrs later we were back home after a fun day trip.

On Sunday we had an easy day and had a great visit from a couple of our dear friends. Nelson did a great BBQ and we spent the evening away amidst fabulous company.