We're Finally Here!

Arrived in Philly yesterday afternoon and the weather was pleasant - not the hot humid heat I expected. We%26#39;re staying at the Holiday Inn in the historic district and its a great location. If you like to walk like we do, you can get anywhere from here.

Our first night%26#39;s dinner was at a pizza place named Soho on Market Street. The food was more like take out but the kids were hungry and tired so it was good enough. That street has a row of restaurants that had casual sidewalk dining.

Today, we went (walking)straight to the visitor%26#39;s center to get our tickets for Independence Hall and we had our pick of times. If the kids had been with us, we could%26#39;ve been in early but we chose 11:00. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we went to Ind. Hall. The tours were very informative and well organized. We even got to see the second floor which isn%26#39;t usually open to the public.

We got to the Liberty Bell at noon and the line was long (and it was getting hot.) So we decided to return later and get lunch first. Well, we hoofed it to Reading Terminal (6 blocks up) and the place was packed. Well, duh, it was the lunch hour. Just 30 minutes later, the crowd had thinned out considerably. It was still worth the inconvenience for the great pretzels!

After a break at the hotel for some pool time, we set out walking again to see more sights - Christ%26#39;s Church, Betsy Ross%26#39;s home and Carpenter%26#39;s Hall. We returned to the Liberty Bell - at 7:00 P.M. and there was no line and maybe a handful of people inside. What luck!

Tomorrow, we%26#39;ll be in search of Tony Luke%26#39;s for cheesesteak and then on to DC for the 4th. I kind of wished we were staying here!

What an awesome city - I hope to return again soon as there is so much more to see!

Thanks to TA for all of the info

We're Finally Here!

Thanks for the great report. Good tip for avoiding the crowds at the Liberty Bell. If you can%26#39;t be in Philly for the fourth, DC is a pretty good substitute. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

We're Finally Here!

Too bad you can%26#39;t stay longer, the show for the 4th will be spectacular on the waterfront. The art museum is great, lots of stuff for the kids too. It%26#39;ll be crowded there for the 4th. Don%26#39;t miss out on a Phillie Hoagie, when my son comes home for a visit, it%26#39;s on his must eat list. Hope you enjoyed our city, come back sometime for our theater district, we have a lot to offer.I didn%26#39;t check the date on the post, but these are always good things to do while here. Enjoy Washington, the traffic will be insane, but worth the trip. Happy travels.

Nice to hear someone call us awesome, we really are !