Fall Break in Philadelphia

Amid a busy fall semester, we decided to venture north to Pennsylvania for a few days during Clark's fall break.  We stayed in New Jersey at night, explored Philadelphia during the day and then spent a couple of nights in York with our friends, the Weekes.


We saw many of the Philadelphia sites, though the government shutdown did put a damper on some of the most traditional sites.  The visitor's center, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were all closed.  A little glimpse through a window was all we got to see of the Liberty Bell.  Even though that was a bit of a disappointment, we had many other places to explore.  We did lots and lots of walking and saw and ate at least a little of what Philly had to offer.

Highlights:
• Amy's first time to Philadephia!
• Spending time with the Weekes family
• Reading Terminal
• Eating all of Ruth Tolman's recommendations.  The Amish-made sour cream cheesecake was amazing!
• The comforts and hospitality of Jared and Janae's home.
• Emmett being semi-traumatized by the rocket the boys launched.
• The fabulous orchard where we got a generous half-bushel of delicious fresh-picked apples for $7 and large pumpkins for $1-2.

Lowlights:
• Traveling for many hours in a car with a grumpy, tired 2-year-old.
• Sleeping in a pretty ghetto hotel
• Sharing a hotel room with a toddler who cried "I have a yucky nose!" for 3 hours straight before falling asleep.
• Government Shutdown--no Independence Hall, Liberty Bell or Visitor's Center for us.

Sites:

Good ole Benjamin Franklin

A peak at Liberty Bell 

Benjamin Franklin's gravesite

So strong!

Chinatown

A windy evening at Penn's Landing

Masonic Temple

On a tour of the Masonic Temple--lots of interesting rooms

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens--Isaiah Zagar's unique mosaic art environment and public murals.  A very interesting place!

Naps sometimes happened...

Gorgeous Sunday afternoon in downtown Philadelphia.  Franklin Square was a hit with the kids.

Emmett's first carousel ride

Burgers and shakes at SquareBurger

The afternoon was so lovely, we opted out of our plans to be inside at the Franklin Institute and hung out around the Museum of Art instead.  Here we are at the Rocky Statue.

Shot taken by Emmett

Budding photographers...

Eats:

Reading Terminal delighted us with Amish desserts and XX sandwich.

Ruth's Jersey recommendation for a philly cheese steak

The orchards alone could convince me to live in Pennsylvania.  This is just minutes away from Jared and Janae's house in York.  Seriously delicious apples for so cheap.

We enjoyed more fall fun at a local farm.  Bails of hay and boxes of beans were a hit.

We so enjoyed our time with the Weekes family.  They were fabulous hosts and are wonderful friends.