Yummy... CHIPS!!!
After breakfast on Tuesday morning, we walked to the Philadelphia visitor's center and traded in the CityPass vouchers I had purchased in advance for a booklet that allowed us admission to the Franklin Institute, One Liberty Observation Deck, our choice of the Philadelphia Zoo or Adventure Aquarium, and an all-day pass to the Big Bus tour. We made it just in time to catch the guided tour bus that brought us to the entrance of the Franklin Institute, where we spent the majority of the day. Big sister K had been there the year before on a summer camp trip, so she was very excited to revisit some of her favorite spots.
We made a trip to One Liberty Observation Deck after the Franklin Institute, where we got to see a view of the city from the tallest building in Philadelphia (soon to be the second tallest, outdone by its sister building right next door). At the top of the tower was a statue of Ben Franklin's head... and naturally, at the bottom of the building you will find his feet:
We started off Wednesday with breakfast at IHOP, then checked out of the Doubletree hotel and made our way to the Liberty Bell. There was quite a long line to get inside; with the kids acting up, the 40-minute wait felt more like 40 hours. Even after being separated (big sister K and baby M had to stand on opposite ends with M and I in the middle), they still managed to get back together and start fighting or causing trouble. At one point, all I kept hearing was, "how did the bell get its crack??" The question first came from big sister K, but baby M likes to copy his sister at times, so soon he was asking the same thing, both of them seemingly dissatisfied with our answer of, "you'll find out when you get inside."
After the Liberty Bell, we tried going to Independence Hall, but to our dismay, saw that they had ran out of tickets for the day already (I belatedly remembered reading about getting tickets in advance). We ended up just walking around the area before heading off to Reading Terminal Market for some grub.
Mmmm... what's better than ice cream?? Enjoying some dessert at Bassetts Ice Cream Company, America's oldest ice cream company (created in 1861!).
After devouring two huge cups of ice cream and feeling sick to our stomachs, we had to walk everything off. We took a long stroll around Chinatown before heading home... thus, ending our brief tour of Philly. This was by no means my first time going to Philadelphia, but it never hit me (or maybe I never appreciated) how much of our country's history originated from this city. There are still some sites we haven't hit, so we will be back!
When we got home, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the trip was. Big sister K said the Franklin Institute, which I wasn't surprised about. Baby M, however, said his favorite part was the hotel. When asked why, he said because the entrance had an automated revolving door (he loved going through it). Sigh... typical that this would be the response from my son.
Thursday was pretty low-key... we enjoyed a nice lunch at Olive Garden (one of big sister K's favorites), followed by a movie at the mall. Yesterday, we had given the kids a choice between a movie, Chuck E. Cheese, or bowling. Our only requirement was that they both had to agree on it. I was convinced that baby M would've chosen Chuck E. Cheese, but he surprised me by selecting the movie option instead (and of course baby sister K consented). So we enjoyed a nice afternoon watching Zootopia. I've now been spoiled with stadium seating that I don't think I'd be able to watch a movie any other way.
Tomorrow, we will be off to Adventure Aquarium!
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