Trip Report- New England Day 1

June 25th-Flight arrived on time 1 p.m.(yeah!), went straight to Independence Mall to pick up pre-purchased Independence Hall tickets for 3:30 p.m. While waiting for the rest of my party to park and meet up with me, I walked down to the B Free Post Office for a stamped postmarked envelope (I am a rusty stamp collector). Once we were all together, we still had time to kill before our scheduled tour, so we went to see the Liberty Bell. The Park Ranger there shared wonderful info re: the crack vs. the repair, and the significance of the words on the bell even today. Went over to Independence Hall still a little early too allow for Security. Still plenty of time, so went on a tour of Congress Hall, where George Washington and John Adams. Finally, time for our tour of Independence Hall. I am a history buff, especially the American Revolution, so I was suprised by my disappointment. It may have been the ranger who led our tour. He was a quirky little guy, but not greatly informative. In my teenager%26#39;s eyes, if I hadn%26#39;t explained what it was ans what happened here, it was just an old building. The ranger did nothing to impress the significance of this building to her. From there, on to the Constitution Center, since it was within the last 45 minutes they were open, we got in for 1/2 price, and had plenty of time to see everything. Unfortunately, we missed the show, but my daughter had a blast with the interactive exhibits. Since everything closes at 5 p.m.(which I really don%26#39;t understand since it%26#39;s light out for many more hours, and the rangers were still posted around the park), we walked down to Campo%26#39;s for cheesesteaks. Following instructions I learned here, I ordered a ';wiz witout'; and ';provolone witout';, without sounding too much like a tourist. With lots of time before our Lights of Liberty tour at 9:15 pm, we wondered around, looking at Benjamin Franklins grave at Christ Church Burial Ground, finally parking ourselves on a bench behind Independence Hall. We walked over for the Lights of Liberty tour a little early and saw someone we thought looked familiar. This year was the first time I watched American Idol, and there he was...the tall guy in the yellow suit with the very deep voice who sang ';Let my people go..';. He was one of the tour guides, but not ours. My daughter had her picture taken with James, then we went on our tour. It was definitely worth the wait. The audio was great, the walking was not strenuous, and it was very informative. Tired after a long day, on to the hotel in Westampton, NJ, right outside Philly.

Trip Report- New England Day 1

Thanks for the report. It looks like you were able to pack a lot into your first day. Sorry your guide at Independence Hall was not up to par. I%26#39;ve been several times and have always been fortunate to have excellent guides who were able to get a lot of information into the short amount of time they%26#39;re allotted.