After City Tavern we traveled to Christ Church and I sat in the Pew where George Washington sat.  It is an incredible church, check out the web link to learn more.

The weather was chilly today but sunny.  We ended up walking quite a distance.  We walked to the Ben Franklin Bridge, which takes you to New Jersey.  As we continued to walk we found the oldest street in America.  It still has cobblestone streets and the houses are designed to look like they were from the 1700’s.  It was very interesting.

Well this morning I attempted to find the Poe National Center, but unfortunately I was unable to do so.  It was quite a walk and some of the areas were not so safe.  So I went back to the Reading Market for breakfast.  It was great!  I had Dutch blueberry pancakes and some fresh milk.

My mother in law and I around noon decided to walk to City Tavern.  This is the meeting site for many of the Declaration of Independence writers.  When we arrived the tavern had many servers dressed in period clothing?  This is a picture of Ed, he was great and brought us bread from the 1700's (baked this morning :).  We drank water and apple cider from real goblets.  I thought my tongue was going to stick to the class it was so cold. 

By now we are getting to the end of the day and I am getting hungry. My mother in law recommends we eat at a French restaurant called the Caribou Café. It was rather tasty but I could not pronounce the items on the menu. The bread was soft and crusty with homemade butter. I had pork cheeks with truffle (mushroom) sauce that was rich and creamy. After dinner we walked around town. It felt like a summer evening, warm and the streets were bathed in soft white lights that twinkled. City Hall was illuminated and the statue of William Penn that stands on top of the dome seemed almost alive. Amazing the feeling of being in an unknown city during the evening when everyone is calm and restaurants have open doors, you can hear people enjoying themselves. I can’t put into words. I am happy to have the opportunity to share it with all of you; it makes me appreciate it more.

Caribou Cafe Website

After prison I went to the Philadelphia Zoo.  Here I was able to see exotic animals such as giraffes and zebras, along with Lions and leopards.  I also made a stop at the penguin area and took some pictures.  That’s for you Dan!

Tuesday- I purchased a city pass.  A city pass is a booklet that allows you into many different locations without paying a huge fee for each museum or park.  Yesterday I woke up early and went to Liberty Hall and saw the Liberty Bell.  Liberty Hall was smaller than I expected.  As most of you already know this is where the constitution was created.  The weather was warm but rainy and it smelled musty in the building.  Our tour guide was very interesting and explained that most of the items and woodwork were from the 1700’s so to be very careful when touching.  After Independence Hall we walked over to see the liberty bell.  Both locations required us to go through security where they checked our bags.  Please check out the websites I have attached for both locations.  They are filled with information and wonderful pictures. 

http://www.easternstate.org

Tuesday afternoon I decided to take a trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary.  I had heard that it is one of the creepiest places in all of Philadelphia and that it was something I had to see.  It was warm and rainy and when we pulled up in front of the prison a chill ran down my back.  The outside of the building looks like a castle with 30 ft walls made of large square stones.  As you step inside the building you have to duck your head down.  The doorway is small and the steps leading down are narrow.  When you enter you are given an audio player that will guide you through your tour.  Once the tour begins you are led to a courtyard and told to step up onto a raised platform.  From this platform you can see the stone guard tower and you feel alone…actually I was alone, which may explain the feeling.  Anyway you walk into a cold long corridor from the courtyard, when I stepped in my footsteps echoed and the temperature was much colder.  I could see my breath and hear the dripping of water.  A smile crossed my face because I am excited to get back and tell all of you about this experience using very descriptive words.  As you walk through the narrator explains that people were sent here early on for crimes such as horse thievery and other offenses.  Inmates were not allowed to talk and this caused some to go mad.  Some even had to wear hoods when they were brought into the prison to guarantee they could not escape. 

The prison was built in the early 1800’s and was used until the 1970’s.  Many prisoners were housed here but the most famous prisoner is Al Capone who had the only carpeted cell and his own cook.  I took a picture of this cell and the others. It’s interesting to compare the two very different accommodations.  Overall this was quite the experience and I enjoyed touring this unique building.
 

The flames are rising above my bed.

By the morning my family will surely be dead.

Where will I live?

What do I do?

All these questions are going through my head.

Smoke is filling the room,

i crawl to my window and open it up.

i try to crawl out but my pants are stuck.

i pull and i pull.

i just cant do it.

the flares are on my pants!

They are burning up.

My legs are on fire and i cant get out!

I hear screaming from close by.

its my friend who was spending the night.

thank god she made it out!

i grabbed her hand and got out of my burning home.

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