Independence Hall & Everything Else

Our time in Philly was a combination of pleasant surprise & disappointment. On the plus side, our hotel (Alexander Inn) was great....a beautiful lobby, welcoming staff, very good breakfast, comfortable room, etc.The neighborhood (Washington Square) was mostly gay & has interesting shops, restaurants, etc. It's not far from South Philly, which we drove through & saw the most interesting mural painted on the side of a building. On it were pictures of some of South Philly's most famous sons, many of whom were named Bobby (Rydell, Vinton, Darin, etc.) Oh, yeah, let's not forget Fabian Forte, who is probably really named Bobby.

We stopped for a cheesesteak at Cosmi's, which gets rave reviews on Yelp.  Chris loved his, I hated mine -- it is not "girl food".

Now for the not-so-good part of Philly. Some of the most important sites in US history are located in one small area, including Independence Hall, the site of the signing of both the Declaration of Independence & the Constitution. We know this. The guide seemed a little unsure of his facts & tended to think of them, although separated by 15 years, as kind of the same thing. The visitor center complex, including a large very modern building housing the Liberty Bell, completely dwarfs the 18th century site, & the modern style is so jarring. Mixing the 18th & 21st centuries doesn't work. On the plus side, some of the other things such as Ben Franklin's printing shop & the 18th century streets are well worth visiting.