Dec 14 – Dec 22, 2021

If I haven't told anyone I have the best vacation planner I'll tell you now. I have the best vacation planner. Yes... Better than yours... Sorry.

What large feet you have...

One of my favorite things about traveling on vacation is chit chatting with the locals. Phily has been no exception. Nothing but good peeps so far.

ITS TIME! Let's do this! Phily Cheesesteak battle royale...

My opinion: Between these two I enjoyed the Geno's best. The flavor was better (this can be a result of the cheese and the meat). The bread wasn't squishy. The Pat's one had more meat and more onions but wasn't as flavorful. The Campo's one we had earlier in the week was better than the Pat's one as well in my opinion. There's my $0.02 on the matter.

Lol... Philly has mobile parties

First stop on the Philly cheese steak train.

Yo Adrian!

Representing in Delaware...

First meal at the bed & breakfast in Odessa, DE. Super delicious! Ready to take on the day. This super sweet couple (Deb & Bob) were very eager to make our stay the very best. Probably the best B&B we've been to.

Oh yeah, and they took a shot at some Ted Lasso biscuits. A good shot...they were a delicious addition to a wonderful meal.

Today's phenomenal breakfast provided by Bob & Deb at the Miller-Dunham House.

Another outstanding breakfast from Bob and Debbie at Miller-Dunham House Bed and Breakfast. Since I'm not really into the eggy weggys Bob loaded me up with extra ham. I'm down! Love some ham! The polenta was yummy too. Can't recommend them enough.

Stopping for tour fuel. Purdy and delicious! (Julie is the purdy. The coffee is delicious 😋)

More touring fuel. This time Longwood Cherry Stout.

One of the must-see attractions in the area we visited was Longwood Gardens located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The gardens consist of over 1000 acres of displays including fountains, plants, trees, and a fantastic conservatory. During the holiday season, the gardens put on a top-notch light display.

Historically, the gardens were a farm throughout the 18th and 19th century with many of the farmers having interest in preserving the forest and other plants. Eventually, Pierre S du Pont purchased the farm and to preserve the trees. After some time, he created his horticulture display to entertain family and friends. The gardens were open to the public in 1921. Hailed as one of the world’s premier gardens…it was truly magical to walk through.

We arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon to take in the gardens during the day. The conservatory had a beautiful display of winter plants and a light display themed “Fire and Ice”. Then…when the sun went down, the entire park lit up in Christmas lights. We walked the entire parked and were in awe around every corner we turned. The park had a dancing water fountain display and dancing lights in the fountain display area both set to music.

Top notch afternoon and worth the drive out of the city to see this amazing place. Located in Kennett Square, PA, take the morning to shop in the downtown area then make reservations at one of their many restaurants after walking the gardens. https://longwoodgardens.org/

Enjoy the pictures! We wish there was a scratch N sniff option…lol!

This is Part 1 of 2 parts.

This is Part 2 of our Longwood Gardens post.

When you have to work with Southwest airlines on your delayed flight while you're in the executive officer stateroom of the USS New Jersey lol...

USS New Jersey (BB-62) is the most decorated battleship in Navy history, earning distinction in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and conflicts in the Middle East. Julie and I had the opportunity to tour this beautiful and menacing piece of history during our trip to the Philadelphia area. What a great experience. The tour guides were very informative and seeing how the sailors/marines on board lived and fought is something that will stick with us.

This is Part 1 of 2 parts.

Part 2 of my USS New Jersey post.

Betsy Ross House…the house that wasn’t really hers!

She rented space there for many years after her husband passed away, but the legend continues that it was “her house”.

The other legend was regarding who the creator of the US Flag was.

From the story we were told there, she was the seamstress that probably sewed the first flag, but not the creator of the actual flag. Her family had many ties to George Washington and the family was on the Revolutionary side of the political spectrum. The Revolutionaries wanted to make sure the flag was sewed by the right person. This right person was Betsy Ross (possibly) which gives a little validation to why she is credited to the first US flag.

Another fun fact we learned…George Washington wanted 6-point stars on the first flag. Betsy Ross demonstrated to him why a 5-point star was easier to cut and sew.

This also helped her in construction…how many stars did Miss Ross make on the first US Flag?

Good and quick stop on our historical tour!

Our first stop on our first full day in Philadelphia was to the Liberty Bell Center which is part of the Independence National Historical Park. Free to enter and a quick stop before heading over to Independence Hall.

The center had a special display set out commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which was last year. Due to COVID, the center had to close but since reopening, they decided to keep the exhibit up.

After spending a short time at the Liberty Bell Center, we set out for Independence Hall.

Historically one of the most significant buildings in the US, in our opinion. The building was built in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House. The Second Congressional Congress met there and established our government. The Declaration of Independence was signed there in 1776 and the US Constitution was signed there in 1787.

FYI…timed tickets are required to enter and can be found here: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/234639/ticket/90. There is a $1.00 processing fee to get your timed entry.

Right next to Independence Hall was Congress Hall.

Congress Hall served as the first seat of the US Congress from 1790 to 1800 when Philadelphia was the United States temporary capitol. George Washington’s second inauguration was held there as well as John Adams first term. According to the guide, John Adams swearing in was quick because they wanted to get it done and over with. There had not been a lot of precedent for a leader to simply turn over the government willingly to the next person. Congress and the House of Representatives wanted to make sure it was done and so did the President! Not the full day ceremony that we have now.

Free to enter even if you don’t have tickets to Independence Hall.

The Carpenter’s Company, established in 1724, which is one of the oldest craft guilds in the US, built Carpenter’s Hall in 1770.

Carpenter’s Hall, located down the street but within the Independence National Historical Park, was historically significant as it was the meeting place of the First Continental Congress in 1774. This set the events in motion that would allow Pennsylvania to become its own state and declare independence from British rule.

From Carpenter’s Hall, there is a walking tour of the historic area that takes you by all kinds of amazing landmarks (https://www.carpentershall.org/walking-tour ). We did most of the tour but stopped short due to needing to find a public restroom. None of the buildings we visited had facilities. So…before venturing out for the morning to see the Historic District, try to limit the amount of coffee you drink…lol!

The surprise stop of the day was the Museum of the American Revolution. It wasn’t on our agenda but due to a lack of public restrooms in the area, we decided to pay the entry fee and tour the museum. We were so happy that we made this decision as the museum was amazing!

There was a great introductory film that talked a lot about what freedom and independence meant as written in the Declaration of Independence and how it meant different things for different populations that were living in the US then and now.

We then went upstairs to watch another film and to see what the prize possession of the museum was. They kept bragging about it, but we didn’t really know what they were speaking of. OMG…It was amazing. It was the tent that George Washington used during the Revolutionary War! After visiting Yorktown last year and seeing his encampment, it was amazing to see the command center for the operation. This was the first Oval Office! Over the years, it had been packed up and stored by Robert E Lee, handed down to other family members. Then purchased by others until it finally found it’s home at this museum.

The rest of the museum had many different exhibits that had some great pieces from the era. We spent a couple of hours here and glad that they had clean bathrooms in the middle of the Historic area!

No pictures of the tent could be taken but we did get pictures of the rest of the museum. If you google “Washington’s Tent” you can see pictures of what it looks like! https://www.amrevmuseum.org/

This is Part 2 of our Museum of the American Revolution post.

On Day 2 in Philadelphia, we had three things on the agenda before heading out to Delaware. First…Rocky Statue. Second…Philadelphia Museum of Art. Third…Eastern State Penitentiary.

We decided to skip the Museum of Art due to its massive size and a feeling that if we spent the money to go in, it would take a very long time to make the most of our money. Instead, we saw the Rocky Statue, walked up the famous stairs, went around the museum building, and headed down the street to the Eastern State Penitentiary.

It was amazing to see. Opened in 1829 and operated until 1971, it was one of the most famous and most expensive prisons ever run in the United States. The prison opened with the Pennsylvania System of incarceration. If sent there, a prisoner was sent to isolation to repent for their crimes. They were given a small room with a door that led out to a private courtyard opened above. The prisoner never saw any other prisoner or guard and spent their days in isolation within their room and courtyard. They spent their entire sentence in silence to reflect on the crime they committed and to try to search within themselves for healing and repentance.

In the early 1900’s the system changed to more of a general population facility like what we have today. In 1971, the prison closed and once vacant, began to fall into ruin until it opened for historical tours in 1994. Many of the rooms could be seen and were left undisturbed and as they were left when it closed in 1971. Fascinating structure…great urban exploration…amazing history inside those walls.

We did a couple of free and extra tours of the facility. The kitchen/dining area and the hospital wing are closed for self-guided exploration due to the deterioration of the spaces. However, a guide gave tours approximately every hour and gave good insight into other parts of the structure. The self-guided tour takes approximately 1-hour ½ and then add extra time for the couple of guided tours and additional exploration. It was fascinating to walk thru and glad that we were let out!

Make sure to purchase tickets ahead of time online (https://www.easternstate.org/) as it saves you $2 per ticket.

This is Part 1. Stand by for Part 2.

This is Part 2 of our tour of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.

Our stay for the weekend was in a little town called Odessa, DE. Our cute bed and breakfast, Miller-Dunham House (https://www.miller-dunham.com/) was very accommodating and the breakfast was fantastic each day.

Odessa, DE was originally called Cantwell’s Bridge due to a toll bridge that was erected over Appoquinimink Creek. The area was a farming community and a home to many tanneries. Eventually the town name changed to Odessa, DE after railroads were trying to be built to connect other small towns in the area. Many of the original houses are still stand including Cantwell’s Tavern (https://www.cantwells-tavern.com/) which was busy during the height of the 19th century as a hotel and tavern for merchants going up and down the river. Now a restaurant, it’s a must to have dinner at while staying in the area. Be sure to make reservations!

The tavern is part of the Odessa Historic Foundation. The foundation has preserved many of the historic homes in the area for tours. During the winter, the foundation hosts the Odessa Country Christmas. They have candlelight tours, food demonstrations, and a themed house. This year was Little Women and had many items for the original home brought in to decorate for the season. One of the homes was also part of the Harriet Tubman Byway (https://harriettubmanbyway.org/) and part of the Underground Railroad National Historic Park.

Located an hour outside of Philadelphia and minutes from Wilmington, DE…it was a great location to spend some relaxing time enjoying a quiet part of Delaware and seeing some of the rich history of the area.

Right outside of Wilmington is a city called New Castle, DE. Their historic New Castle Courthouse Museum is rich in history. Established as one of the first courthouses in the US, the tour here gave us quite an insight into the history of Delaware. https://www.nps.gov/frst/planyourvisit/new-castle-court-house.htm

One of the things we learned was that Delaware was originally part of Pennsylvania when William Penn was granted deed from the King of England. It was called the three lower counties when it was part of Pennsylvania. The three lower counties didn’t necessarily agree with Penn and his views and eventually petitioned to break off from that state and become their own. The state of Delaware was established. Fun fact…the state of Delaware consists to this day of only three counties and has the smallest number of counties even though it’s not the smallest state.

Another thing we didn’t know about Delaware was that the northern border is round. The reason why is complicated, but the center of the circle was said to be the center of the courthouse we visited and has a 12-mile radius. We thought this was interesting.

The city of New Castle was the landing place of William Penn when he arrived in the America’s. There is so much history in this small little town. Shops and historical restaurants, old churches and cemeteries, parks, and wharfs. We didn’t have long enough to explore but what we did learn here was very interesting. https://newcastlecity.delaware.gov/