Oct 08, 2013

A wet and windy day today and we knew that was coming so instead of going on a circular ride we stayed to explore Philadelphia some more and we managed to stay mainly dry.



Norm and Ken planning the day in the hotel foyer which was decorated with inspiration from one of the homes on Society Hill.



Betsy Ross’s House. Betsy Ross made the first American flag for George Washington and was a very gutsy woman who knew she was risking being tried for treason if the Colonists hadn’t succeeded in winning their independence. It was a great tour.



The city skyline as we approached the city on our hop on hop off bus tour.



And from another direction.



An impressive sign outside the Hard Rock Café, as well as lit up it revolves. Quirky.



The penitentiary where Al Capone was incarcerated … not for his crimes but for tax evasion. Makes you wonder which crimes are considered more serious still I suppose better to have him behind bars than not.



Elfreth’s Alley the oldest inhabited street in Philadelphia. Very picturesque.



A view of more of the Benjamin Franklin bridge (approximately 3kms long) and was the longest suspension bridge in the world for many years.



The Liberty Bell which we took a photo of from outside the facility as we couldn’t get inside due to the Federal Government Shutdown.



And part of the Constitution precinct where the Declaration of Independence and Independence was hatched. Couldn’t get in this either and we couldn’t even go into the park precinct with police guarding entrances. Crazy stuff. A political row is preventing Federal employees from earning an income and private individuals in business from working as well so reduced tax income….and it’s not just us who think this is crazy. People everywhere we run into are seriously ticked off with it.