Philadelphia

We arrived finally in Philadelphia after a lot of traffic & a car chase where he flew by us on the right. Steve saw the cop car flying by & the bad guy rear ended a person. He didn't go far after that probably because of engine damage! That was terrifying!!  

We got our tickets  online for Independence Hall tour, which is what you have to do now. Ours was about 3 hours & you have to go through security for the big ones.

We went on the tour of Congress Hall first. The small  building is where the documents are held. It's very dark. Thank goodness for the phone. The only other copies are in the Library of Congress.

This is the Congress Hall. This is where the D of I & Constitution were worked on in committees.

The Senate rooms upstairs.

The House of Reps. downstairs.

Next on the Agenda was lunch because it was already noon when we got there. Guess what! WE HAD A PHILLY  IN PHILLY!!

We went to Bourse Hall which has a few different things to it. Merino's was great!

We went next to Ben Franklin's Museum & Franklin Square.

Glass Harmonica that has a beautiful sound.

This is a pic of Ben Franklin when he was young.

General Assembly Votes in the House

Ben had a printing business & he was also Deputy Postmaster.

Proposed Institure of Higher Learning for youth.

He founded the first Fire Insurance Co.

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He helped found the first Fire Brigade & made special Fire buckets.

Ben Franklin made the first bifocals.

The Electrical. Apparatus to generate electricity. 

This man did it all. Charting the gulf stream & helping boats be speedier!

He helped draft the Declaration of Independence & other treaties.

The bust of Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin was a great diplomat, urging the French to stand by the Americans & supplying troops & money. He also helped negotiate the treaty in 1781 with Britain so America would have its sovereignty. 

His famous experiment with electricity & lightning grounded.

He designed the first penny.

The last picture known. He was about 85

He had a printing office & was a publisher & a bookbinder. He owned all 3 of these buildings & rented out the one on the left.

Franklin Court was an alleyway where he traveled to his house.

Look closely & you will see the outline of the little house that he had first. They call this the ghost house because no plans were ever found. An  architect built the outline on some measurements he found.

His garden

Betsy Ross House

Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence & the Constitution were debated & signed

We also went to the entry to the Liberty Bell.

It is no longer outside. It is in a museum with a lot of information panels. Steve didn't want to go because he was tired of taking off his belt, & dragging out everything in his pockets. I had to go back a long way. I went in to the bell, but I was too tired to read the panels.

Ben Franklin & Deborah were buried in Christ Church Cemetery. 

We were done with Philadelphia after 6 hours! Traffic was pretty light on our way back.