Back to Philly 2014 (USNERT14 Part 3)

On our way to Virginia from Boston we stopped in Philadelphia for a few minutes shy of two hours. After strolling through the relatively quiet streets of Philadelphia on a Tuesday at 2 p.m. and enjoying all the public cart, we saw the Liberty Bell and toured Independence Hall. My kids had just seen National Treasure, and they were interested in spotting symbols made popular in the movie.

One great thing about touring these spots on multiple occasions is that hear different accounts of the same events. Our tour guide at Indpendence Hall taught about what "the pursuit of happiness" was at the time of the Constitution's ratification. He maintains that it was centered in virtue. I found that so interesting.

To tour the upper rooms of Independence Hall, one must go in the off season. We made it by three days. Ascending these stairways is a head-craning experiencing. The details of the moldings, banisters, and architecture are too numerous to document.

This long narrow room is my favorite spot. It is perfectly lit by sunlight, even on this overcast day. It has been the location of a banquet of 300 prior to the revolution. It was been a blood-soaked war hospital. Like the Grand Hall at Ellis Island one senses the people that have come and gone through this space. It's red window coverings offer an especially dramatic hint of that.

I wonder if there was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling at some point. 

My favorite thing on this trip was the wave detail I had never noticed in the moulding around the stairwell on the south side of the hall. 

The kids became rather cheerful as we finished our tour of this area. I had promised a movie in the car and treat if they finished cheerfully. They pulled off a good ending before we loaded up to head south.