May 24: Philadelphia

Tickets to visit Independence Hall were available to those on hand at 8:30 am on Saturday, so there we were to get ours. The tour through Independence Hall was fascinating. It included the Supreme Court chamber with the iron cage where the accused “stood” trial... following the British custom of actually having him stand in a cage during the proceedings. The most interesting was the legislative chamber where the Continental Congress met to discuss independence and to edit and approve our Declaration of Independence on July 4^th, 1776. In this same hall, Thomas Jefferson presented the Constitution for approval in 1787 with George Washington presiding. Benjamin Franklin attended every day of discussion for 40 days and was there to approve the formation of the new constitution and at age 81 was the oldest signer.

At lunch time we made it to the Terminal Market to wander through the stalls of fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables intermixed with Amish goods for sale. We had a Philly steak with mushrooms fresh off the grill at Spataros and then topped it off with ice cream. It was a real treat to watch the man make our waffle cones from scratch.

We also visited the Franklin Court and the underground museum with an imaginative presentation of events in Ben Franklin’s life as an ambassador for America depicted on a sunken stage with scenes presented in audio to the still life poses. We also saw the 18^th century printing press on the site. While we were cycling around the area, we stopped at several “Once upon a Nation” stops where there was a storyteller sharing engaging tales about the early heroes of our nation. At different stops we heard stories about Ben Franklin’s childhood, James Fortin’s time as a black free man in the continental navy, tales of the City Tavern, and the battle of Fort Mifflin defended by the first 3000 pound sea mines packed with gun powder.

For dinner we ate at the City Tavern. When John Adams arrived in Philadelphia in August of 1774, to attend the First Continental Congress, he was greeted by leading citizens and immediately taken to the tavern he would call "the most genteel tavern in America." This was the place that the representatives from the Continental Congress came for dinner and to debate the politics of the day and where they celebrated the night of the 4^th of July. The actual building built in 1773 had been torn down, but was restored in place by the Park Service. For Williamsburg fans, it was as nice as eating at King’s Arms tavern, with antique furnishings and wait staff in colonial dress. Food and service was great.