Philadelphia- Atlantic City- Brigantine

After settling into the time share, it was really disappointing to see that the weather was still crappy.

The time share room

Still crappy misty weather.

Anyway headed the two or so hours to Phillidelphia, via the toll roads, which in retrospect is cheaper than a trip along any of our toll roads, but must confess that east link and City link In Melbourne are in far greater state of repair.

Once in town, we had to see the central attraction in this town which is the Liberty Bell.  So much fuss over a bell that wasn't properly made and broke...a clanger if you like.  Had to wait in a line for a long time through security, and it was quite a let down that so much fuss over a relatively small broken bell.  What was also surprising was how close we could get to it...

Yep, he's checking for the clapper, and it's cracked!!

Without wanting to sound like a philistine it's not so much the bell, but what it represents in gonging in the Declaration of Independence in what was the then capital of the then USA.

Then off to a ball game.  At the Independence Bell tourist information centre, there was a little kiosk machine to get tickets to a baseball game.  The Philadelphia Phillies (am told it is not short for philistines) were at home, at the Citzens Bank Park, playing the San Fransisco Giants. So we got some $38.00 tickets...( with the assistance of the information centre lady ) and were booked for a 3.05 pm game.

View from our car park

The park...and Nathalie 

Got in and were given a first ever Phillies games certificate, 

and it was quite an atmosphere.  Pre match stuff celebrating the anniversary of D day, and all vetrans since. Which took a while...a long while... Then it rained....

The covers come out

So there was time for a local delicacy, a cheese steak, at Tony Luke's, and some curly fries....

And you can see the covers coming off

The game started and apparently the highlight was a three homer play, where the ball was hit into the crowd and three of the phillies ran around.  The weather got pretty good then, and Ron, our neighbour answered all the questions we had.   And many many we didn't have.  They still lost, not badly, but lost...like our car....which we did finally find.  

Running running

See we were there.

Tolled our way back home and the mist had cleared finally.

Sunday....

We saw something today we hadn't seen since Texas

The sun.

Standing in the Atlantic Ocean, Brigantine NJ

If you squish your eyes up you can see Atlantic City. In the distance.

An outrage to we Australians, however, as of next week it would cost us $8.00 a day to go to the beach.   You have to buy and wear a beach tag in these parts...apparently the money us used to keep the beaches clean...clearly they haven't collected enough money to start yet.  

Anyway back into Philadelphia the first stop being the Mutter museum.  This is quite a macabre place where all things medical and surgical are on display.....somewhat akin to the anatomical and forensic and parasitology museum in Bangkok, but a lot more polished and ordered.  Starting with the two hundred or so skulls from a variety of peoples, conditions, and demises, to civil war surgery, to the 8 ft tall skeleton, to the drawers of collection of more than a thousand items removed from people's airways by doctor from 1910 to 1930.  This museum is run by the Phillidelphia College of physicians.

Then to a local Terminal Food Markey a bit like Queen Vic, but it's been there since 1849.. 

Back to Independence Hall, which used to be the parliament of the US.  A few facts...there are more than two hundred 'original' copies of the Declaration of Independence.   Abraham Lincoln had nothing to do with it.  This one was George Washington's. The signed original, original, is in the Archives in DC.  

 Apparently where it all happened...independence Hall.

Many of the houses inPhillidelphia are really really old going back to the early 1700 s.

 

Then Atlantic City for a wander along the Boardwalk....allegedly named after a bloke in the 1870s called Board, who owned a hotel, and got the other hoteliers inntHe area to get together to fund a wooden walkway along the sand, to stop sand being traipsed into his hotel.   Believe it or not..there are several HUGE casinos here, and due to an absolute ban on smoking inside, they only smell half as bad as the Las Vegas ones....

It goes on and on and on five and a half or so miles. Looking towards Cesar's casino.