wsapooh
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 2, 2006
9/4/08-9/11/08
Spirit of America: Philadelphia, PA Washington DC Williamsburg, VA
DH Dan age 38
Me Laurie age 36
This trip was to be a celebration of our 15-year wedding anniversary
Adventure Guides: Karen & Elizabeth
Chapter 1 - Philadelphia
9/4/08
We had been waiting very impatiently for this date to arrive! Our flight from Minneapolis/ St Paul to Philadelphia was uneventful... which is always a good thing. As we descended the escalator on our way to baggage claim, we were met by one of our Adventure Guides, Elizabeth. Also there to greet us was our driver, Andy and another gentleman whose name escapes me, although we never saw him again. They retrieved our luggage and escorted us to a private Lincoln Town Car that Andy would use to drive us to our hotel. Pretty snazzy! Elizabeth snapped a photo of us (the first of many!) and Andy whisked us off to the Hyatt. It was only about a 10-15 minute drive from the airport. On the way, Andy chatted with us about what we should do during our free time. Upon our arrival at the hotel, our second Adventure Guide, Karen, was there to greet us. We had plenty of time to ourselves before the welcome reception so we got Karens suggestions and information on using the Phlash transportation system to get us where we wanted to go. By the time we got to our room, our luggage had already arrived.
We decided to check out the Reading Terminal Market. After getting a little lost on where to find the Phlash trolley bus, we eventually found it. $8.00 total cost round trip for two people and we were on our way. It was a short ride followed by short walk to get to the Market. What an amazing place! Every fruit and vegetable known to man was offered for sale. Lunch counters serving Mexican, Thai, Mediterranean, Italian, BBQ, Indian and numerous other cuisine as well as cheesesteaks, of course. Flowers, spices, honey, coffee, candies, cakes, ice cream and cheeses. Row after row of butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers! Though we werent overly hungry, the baked goods offered by the Pennsylvania Dutch were just too hard to pass up. A slice of apple pie for DH, a slice of cherry pie for me, and a glass of freshly brewed iced tea from a coffee vendor were just the ticket. Delicious! Its a shame we dont have something like this back home offered ever day of the week. We bought a few small snacks for our journey and then headed back to the hotel.
We met our fellow Adventurers at the reception. We numbered 23 adults (1 more joined us half way through the Adventure) and 5 children. Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, California, Florida, Nevada, and Minnesota was represented along with Japan! Introductions were made and conversations began. We made the short walk to the City Tavern for a lovely dinner. The original City Tavern was established in 1773 and became the unofficial meeting place of the first Continental Congress. It was eventually damaged in a fire and subsequently demolished in 1854. In 1976, a replica of the Tavern was built and the cuisine of colonial times recreated on its menu. I recommend the potpie. DH recommends the Thomas Jefferson beer. Our dinner was excellent. Made even more so by the company of Benjamin Franklin himself! He patiently answered all our questions and made us laugh. We all got our photos taken with him too. Darkness fell while we dined on a dessert of apple blueberry cobbler that was simply divine. The seed of friendship had already begun to grow with some fellow Adventurers. But at that point in the day, it was time to head back to the hotel and a cozy bed. So tired!
Spirit of America: Philadelphia, PA Washington DC Williamsburg, VA
DH Dan age 38
Me Laurie age 36
This trip was to be a celebration of our 15-year wedding anniversary
Adventure Guides: Karen & Elizabeth
Chapter 1 - Philadelphia
9/4/08
We had been waiting very impatiently for this date to arrive! Our flight from Minneapolis/ St Paul to Philadelphia was uneventful... which is always a good thing. As we descended the escalator on our way to baggage claim, we were met by one of our Adventure Guides, Elizabeth. Also there to greet us was our driver, Andy and another gentleman whose name escapes me, although we never saw him again. They retrieved our luggage and escorted us to a private Lincoln Town Car that Andy would use to drive us to our hotel. Pretty snazzy! Elizabeth snapped a photo of us (the first of many!) and Andy whisked us off to the Hyatt. It was only about a 10-15 minute drive from the airport. On the way, Andy chatted with us about what we should do during our free time. Upon our arrival at the hotel, our second Adventure Guide, Karen, was there to greet us. We had plenty of time to ourselves before the welcome reception so we got Karens suggestions and information on using the Phlash transportation system to get us where we wanted to go. By the time we got to our room, our luggage had already arrived.
We decided to check out the Reading Terminal Market. After getting a little lost on where to find the Phlash trolley bus, we eventually found it. $8.00 total cost round trip for two people and we were on our way. It was a short ride followed by short walk to get to the Market. What an amazing place! Every fruit and vegetable known to man was offered for sale. Lunch counters serving Mexican, Thai, Mediterranean, Italian, BBQ, Indian and numerous other cuisine as well as cheesesteaks, of course. Flowers, spices, honey, coffee, candies, cakes, ice cream and cheeses. Row after row of butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers! Though we werent overly hungry, the baked goods offered by the Pennsylvania Dutch were just too hard to pass up. A slice of apple pie for DH, a slice of cherry pie for me, and a glass of freshly brewed iced tea from a coffee vendor were just the ticket. Delicious! Its a shame we dont have something like this back home offered ever day of the week. We bought a few small snacks for our journey and then headed back to the hotel.
We met our fellow Adventurers at the reception. We numbered 23 adults (1 more joined us half way through the Adventure) and 5 children. Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, California, Florida, Nevada, and Minnesota was represented along with Japan! Introductions were made and conversations began. We made the short walk to the City Tavern for a lovely dinner. The original City Tavern was established in 1773 and became the unofficial meeting place of the first Continental Congress. It was eventually damaged in a fire and subsequently demolished in 1854. In 1976, a replica of the Tavern was built and the cuisine of colonial times recreated on its menu. I recommend the potpie. DH recommends the Thomas Jefferson beer. Our dinner was excellent. Made even more so by the company of Benjamin Franklin himself! He patiently answered all our questions and made us laugh. We all got our photos taken with him too. Darkness fell while we dined on a dessert of apple blueberry cobbler that was simply divine. The seed of friendship had already begun to grow with some fellow Adventurers. But at that point in the day, it was time to head back to the hotel and a cozy bed. So tired!