So Today was Kaleb’s big history lesson on the birthplace of our nation. The tour guide at Independent Hall gave a very good synopsis of the precursors to the American Revolution and the formation of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. I even learned a few things, and hopefully, Kaleb was paying attention. (Photos below were taking inside Independence Hall where those documents were signed. The chair below, up against the wall, is the actual one sat in by George Washington - ooooh, ahhhh.)
There weren’t many tourists hanging out in the historic blocks of Philadelphia today because I’m sure most people are heading out of Dodge. We couldn’t see the downtown skyline from where we were and by day’s end Kaleb said, “I’m so surprised Philadelphia is such a sleeply, slow-paced city. I always thought it was a major city like New York.” I later had to point out the other part of town with skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle, as we drove past. His impressions were totally off, but I guess what we experienced was the calm before the storm.
I’m sure on any other day, even the historic district is all a flutter with activity, as it’s now necessary to purchase tickets for a tour of Independence Hall (below) because they can’t handle the sheer number of visitors, but you’d never know that by today’s turnout. We were thankful for that, as well as the comfortable temperature we enjoyed, and lack of rain. It was near perfect in every way.
Connie introduced me to Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches the first time I came for a visit in the 1980s so we had to have one of those for lunch today. Kaleb was unimpressed as he said it tastes a lot like a French Dip, without the dipping sauce, which he enjoys. I was surprised he was able to eat the whole thing.
We took a tour of the Betsy Ross house (below), Carpenter’s Hall (bottom photo) and visited Ben Franklin’s grave as we mozied our way around town. We also took a tour of the Philadelphia Mint, by request from Kaleb. He toured the Denver Mint last year so he thought it would be too cool to see the one in Philly, too, but he was disappointed there was no action going on in the press room. He likes watching all the conveyor belts working, but that wasn’t happening today.
As we walked around the outskirts of the historic district we happened upon a museum dedicated just to the history of chemistry (below). Kaleb thought he’d died and gone to heaven. We spent quite a bit of time in that place as it was one heck of a place. I even learned a few things, and thankfully, they had one display that showed the down side to adding all those chemicals to our food.
The GPS we so heavily rely upon for getting around town, failed me a few times today so I’m losing confidence in it and not nearly as excited about it’s magical powers as I used to be. Uff. Once we circled a few blocks before it figured out where we were, another time it said we were back at Connie’s when we were half a mile away, and when freeways split, the directions aren’t the clearest, so we haven’t been without a few wrong turns and stress driving in the traffic here, but overall, we would have no freedom without it so I shouldn’t complain.
On our way back to Connie’s tonight we saw the biggest traffic jam I’ve ever seen in my life, as everyone is heading west to get away from the hurricane. It was an incredible sight and made me think twice about driving East. We were hoping to go to the shore tomorrow to see Atlantic City and Cape May, but that’s certainly not going to happen. All the roads are blocked and mandatory evacuations are underway. Even Battery Park, where we were yesterday in New York, is expected to be under six feet of water by the end of the weekend and lower Manhattan is being evacuated. I hope it’s all overkill, but it’s prudent to be on the side of caution. All the subways in New York are shutting down at noon tomorrow and New Yorkers are holding on for dear life as the eye of the storm is supposed to pass right over them.
Connie went out and bought water today and she said the stores were insane with people stocking up. She had to go to four places just to find 10 gallons of water. We stopped at Target on our way home to buy a card game and some snacks for tomorrow night, figuring we’ll lose power and need something to do. I think we’ll need to batten down the hatches for Connie a bit more as they are expecting record flooding and she’s just not prepared for that. Even the power company called everyone today with a recorded message telling them to expect several days without power and to start taking precautions now. I trust God all will be well, but at least we’ll be together. This weekend should be interesting.
We've had much discussion if we should try to outrun the hurricane coming toward us, by heading west out of harms way, or hunker down at Connie’s house and ride it out. Kory thought it best to stay put in case we need to help Connie get through it and pick up afterwards (we offered to take her with us, though). Kaleb wants to experience a hurricane, so, it seems, we are staying put. Prayers are appreciated. I’m only worried about the rental car and any damage it may incur since we opted out of their insurance. The storm may pass right over where Connie lives, just 45 miles from the Jersey Shore. We’ll probably be out of electricity for a few days – maybe even the whole area will. Massive flooding is almost guaranteed. It’s all abuzz here as people are heading west and jamming the roads, the trains are shutting down, and businesses are planning to be closed. The storm should start Saturday and last until early afternoon Sunday. I’ll post what I can when I can but I do believe we’ll be fine.
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