The City of Brotherly Love (and a Few Other Places)

Thomas is attending a Leadership Workshop in Philadelphia and we decided to make a trip of it. I will have a few days on my own to explore the area and then Thomas and I will have a few days together to explore the city.
July 23 - 29, 2012

Our Last Day in Philly

Well, it's our last day in Philadelphia and it started off with alarming excitement. I am not kidding - we were woken up by the fire alarm at 5:11am. It took me a few minutes to realize what was going on. So we put shoes on, grabbed room keys, wallets and phones and headed out the door. We crossed the street and stood against the wall of the Convention Center. The fire trucks showed up about 20 minutes later. Then about 30 minutes later they had us go through the convention center tunnel to the other side and away from the hotel. Thomas and I decided to walk a couple of blocks away and see if we could find some coffee. We found a Dunkin Donuts and had some breakfast and coffee. We then returned to the Convention Center and sat on some steps and waited. I was a little put off since we were all standing outside this huge 1 million square foot Convention Center and no one thought of opening the building so we could go in. We met a nice family (husband, wife, daughter and two sons) and talked to them while waiting. They are in the process of moving from Connecticut to Virginia and were just staying two nights at the hotel. After about two hours had passed someone finally opened the Convention Center and we all went in there and found a spot to sit and wait. One woman was on the phone talking to her sister and there were already news reports and they were reporting that a Meth Lab was found in a room on the third floor. Another woman googled and found a similar report.

Independence Hall

Finally around 8:05am they let us back into the hotel. They only had two elevators open and the line waiting to use them was long so we decided to walk the seven flights to our room. We felt lucky because the people on the third floor weren't allowed up until later in the day. So back in the room we showered and dressed and headed out for our last day in Philadelphia. Incidentally not one hotel employee or fireman even bothered to inquire if were were okay or did anyone even try to explain what was going on. Yesterday we tried to tour Independence Hall but didn't have tickets so this morning we headed straight for the Independence Visitor Center and picked up tickets which were for a 9:15am tour. So with tickets in hand we went straight over to Independence Hall and had to go through major security and have our bags checked before we could enter the grounds. Then we waited in line for about 20 minutes until our tour started. We were ushered into the East Wing of the building where we took seats and listened to a ranger talk about the building and the beginning of our country. Then we went into the main building in the Vestibule and made our way in to the Supreme Court Room and listened to another little spiel. Then we crossed the Vestibule and entered the Assembly Room and listened to another short talk. We then left the building through the Tower Stair Hall. All in all the tour last about 30 minutes. I was totally disappointed in the whole tour. I didn't learn anything I didn't know and wished we could have seen the second floor and the bell tower. It really wasn't worth my time except now I can say I was in the same building where the Founding Fathers shaped our country.

Dream Garden

Liberty Bell

We decided to walk around the area and make our way to the Liberty Bell. As we approached the sidewalk I noticed the building across the street It was The Curtis Center. When researching this trip I came across something called Dream Garden. This is a 15' x 49' glass mosaic made through the collaboration of Louis Tiffany and Maxfield Parrish. This incredible art piece has over 100,000 pieces of glass in it. So we went into the building just to see it. It was amazing! It has to be one of the most incredible pieces of art I have ever seen and I am glad we took the detour to see it. After leaving the building we made our way to the Liberty Bell Center. We didn't need tickets to see the Bell we just needed to wait in line. It didn't take long and we had to go through the security thing again. The Liberty Bell is housed in a very big building with exhibits telling the history of the bell and at the end the Bell stands alone and is roped off. Behind the Bell are windows and you can see Independence Hall in the background which I thought was a perfect setting. The Liberty Bell was just what I expected  - the size, shape, color and intensity. I think standing in front of the Bell was the most emotional and enjoyable of the trip.

Carpenters Hall

We decided that we were hungry and found a nice little place called Honey Restaurant. We had a nice little meal and talked about what we wanted to do next. After eating we headed to the American Jewish History Museum to find a letterbox - Hop On, Hop Off Philly: American Jewish History Museum. It took me a little while to retrieve the box because it is hidden right in the middle of things and the place was busy. Finally I got the box, stamped in and got it back in place. From here we walked the area and visited lots of places including - Carpenters Hall, a replica of an 18th century garden, Dolley Todd Madison's house, First Bank of the US, Merchant Exchange Building and City Tavern, We then took a beautiful pedestrian bridge (continuation of Walnut) over I95 to the waterfront area. We walked along Columbus Blvd. and arrived at Penn's Landing. Here I found two letterboxes. Hop On, Hop Off Philly: Penn's Landing and Hop On, Hop Off Philly: Waterfront. After stamping in and replacing the boxes we go something cold to drink and found a bench in the shade to sit and relax. The entire trip has been really hot (everyday in the '90s) and very humid. We are not used to this kind of weather and by afternoon we were tired, damp and hot. We talked while enjoying the river views and decided to call it a day. We walked back to the hotel to get things packed and get a little rest since we had been jolted awake so early this morning.

After a little nap and some organization we felt ready for our flight tomorrow and we were now hungry. So we ventured out to the Reading Terminal Market and had dinner at the Dutch Eating Place. We decided while eating that we had a great trip and saw most everything we wanted to see. We did miss on thing and that was the US Mint - oh well, another trip. And we could have done without the hotel evacuation but the trip as a whole was great. I saw four new state Capitols and added four new states to my letterboxing map - now I have letterboxed in 38 states and in 3 other countries.

Hop On, Hop Off Philadelphia!

Today we are staying in the Center City area of Philadelphia and we are going to do the typical tourist sight seeing.

The Thinker

We slept in and the had breakfast at the hotel before setting out to see the city. We walked about three blocks to the Reading Terminal Market at the corner of Filbert and 12th to start our tour of the city. We decided to do the Big Bus Tour today for two reasons. One - to get a tour of the city and be able to get on and off at various stops in the city without having to walk all over and Two - to get some letterboxes at the stops associated with the bus route.We were a little early for the bus so we took a little walk through the Reading Terminal Market and just loved all the different shops and restaurants. After about a half hour we returned to the bus stop to begin the tour. After boarding the bus we headed down 12th Street and turned on to Market Street. We drove around City Hall and the around Love Park. We didn't stop at either of these places because we had been there yesterday afternoon. The bus then headed down Benjamin Franklin Parkway and made a stop at the Rodin Museum. We got off the bus here and took some pictures of The Thinker and then entered the gates of the museum yard. We stopped to look for a letterbox but didn't find it. I was a little nervous looking for it since there were people putting up tents and cameras on the light post near where the box was supposedly hidden. So we abandoned our search and went into the museum. We walked around and enjoyed all the sculptures and after 25 minutes we were ready to continue our journey.

View from Museum to City Hall

We went out to the bus stop and waited for 10 minutes but no bus so we walked the short distance to the Philadelphia Musuem of Art. Our first stop was the Rocky Statue. We took the requisite pictures with the statue and then we went in search of a letterbox. We found this one - Hop On, Hop Off Philly: Rocky Statue. I stamped in and put the box back into place. We then thought we would go into the museum but felt it was too expensive and we have seen tons of museums so we stood on the steps and took a picture looking up Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards City Hall. Then we walked down the steps that Rocky ran up and went to the bus stop. We hopped on to the bus and it took us back down the Parkway and around City Hall again and then made its way down Broad Street to Pine. It made a stop along Antique Row and we hopped off here. We then walked to South Street and made our way to the Magic Garden. This is a large scale mosaic art piece described as follows . . .

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG) is a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves, interprets, and provides access to Isaiah Zagar's unique mosaic art environment and his public murals.

Magic Garden

After visiting the Magic Garden we continued our walk along South Street and decided we were hungry since it was almost 1:00pm. We found an Italian restaurant called La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria and went in. This was a nice break form the heat and humidiity. A nice air conditioned restaurant with good food. So we enjoyed our food and relaxed and talked about what we were going to do next. After lunch we went out in search of a couple of letterboxes. We found Hop On, Hop Off Philly: Antique Row and $@#% Chivalry! letterboxes. After we were done stamping in and rehiding the boxes we made our way back to the bus stop to continue with our tour of the city. The bus continued along Pine St. to Front St. where we had views of the Battleship New Jersey, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the old RCA Records Plant. We drove along the waterfront and arrived at Penn's Landing. We then turned onto Market St. and stopped at the Old Christ Church. Thomas and I hopped off the bus here. We walked the half block to the church and then searched for Hop On, Hop Off Philly: Old City/Christ Church letterbox. The box was an easy find and there was a nearby bench to sit on and stamp in. As I was stamping in a woman on a bike pulled up in front of us. She said, "Are you letterboxers?". We said yes and enjoyed a great conversation with EmcSquared. After stamping in and talking a little we said our goodbyes and continued on our way. From Christ Church we made our way to the First Bank of the US to find Hop On, Hop Off Philly: First Bank of the US letterbox. Another quick and easy find, a quick stamp in and we were good to go.

We next stopped at the Pemberton House Bookstore to collect some National Passport Cancellation Stamps. There aren't stamps at most of the actual sites, the stamps seem to be congregated at either this bookstore or at the Visitor Center. So here I stamped the following . . .

National Passport Cancellation Stamp

Independence National Historic Park
Independence National Historic Park - 25th Anniversary
Schuylkill River National Historic Area
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Underground Railroad Freedom Network
Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site
Germantown White House

After getting all the stamps we continued to Independence Mall. We were going to go and see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Unfortunately we couldn't get in to see Independence Hall because you need a ticket (it is free but you need a ticket with a time on it). So we went to Independence Visitor Center to see about getting tickets but they didn't have any left for today so we were told to come at 8:30am tomorrow and get a ticket early. We looked around the Visitor Center and then decided to get back on the bus and continue on. I was able to get some pictures of Independence Hall and the area before we jumped back on the bus.

Old Christ Church

The bus took us up 5th St. past the National Constitution Center and the US Mint and turned on to Race St. and then down 2nd St. (where the tour guide pointed out Elfreth Alley) and then turned on Arch St. where it stopped in front of Betsy Ross' House. We decided to walk back to Elfreth Alley to walk along "Our nation’s oldest residential street" and find a letterbox - Betsy Ross letterbox. So we walked the alley from 2nd St. to Front St. and then when on Front St. we looked for and found the letterbox. I stamped in and got the box back in place and then we retraced our steps back down the alley. We then returned to the Betsy Ross House and took a quick tour and saw her grave. Did she or did she not sew the first flag - we will probably never know but it is a good story.

We hopped back on the bus and took it down Arch St. back to the corner of Filbert and 12th St. at the Reading Terminal Market where we started our tour this morning. We decided to go into the market and have dinner before we called it a day and head back to the hotel. We ate at Down Home Diner and had a nice dinner and relaxed from our very busy day. We also talked about what we are going to do tomorrow. As we left the market we stopped at Bassets for some ice cream and then headed back to the hotel. It was a great day and I enjoyed seeing all the historical places and things that shaped our country.

New Jersey and Center City, Philadelphia

Today was Thomas' last day of class - he finished at around 3:00pm and then we were on our own for the next three days. So while Thomas was in class today I made my way to visit my fourth Capitol of this visit.

New Jersey Capitol

We had to check out of the hotel before Thomas started his class today. So I went and got the car from the parking garage and we got all the luggage into the trunk. Thomas then went to class and I headed to Trenton. It was a quick trip and in about 35 minutes I arrived at the Capitol. I walked around and took some pictures of the building and of a War Memorial across the street. I then went into the building to do a self guided tour. When I entered there were four security guards and I had to enter a small room with the x-ray machine and the metal detector. One of the guards asked me why I was there. I told him to view the building. He told me that they only did guided tours and they didn't start for an hour and a half. This is the only Capitol so far that I have visited that doesn't let you walk around on your own - just a touch of paranoia. Well I decided it wasn't that important to wait that long so I decided to move on with my day.
I had a clue for a letterbox at a park in Hamilton just 10 minutes from where I was so I headed there.

Dinosaurs

I arrived at Veterans Park and followed the clues to the box. The park was pretty quiet so I didn't have to worry about anyone seeing me and I quickly found You Want Me to do What? letterbox. I found a nice bench to stamp in on and then replaced the box. There really wasn't anything in this area I wanted to see so I decided to head south to the Camden area. Now I was watching the clock as well because I needed to pick Thomas up around 3:00pm. It was still early so I went in search of more letterboxes. I first stopped in Mt. Laurel. The boxes (a series of two) I looked for first were at Mt. Laurel Library. One was inside hidden in a hollow book in the reference section. I found Steve's Balalaika and took it to a table to stamp in. After I returned the box to the shelf I went outside to the garden and found The Domra. There was a bench nearby and I sat there to stamp in. Now that I was done at the library I headed over to Laurel Acres Park and found Duck, Duck, Fish! letterbox. It was a magnetic box hidden under a bench that was next to a pond. There was also a walking path around the pond. It was a busy place and I had to wait a little while to pull the box. I then stamped in and when I was ready to replace the box it was easier because no one was around the bench where I was sitting. The funny thing about the name of the box was that I didn't see any ducks or fish, there were only geese all around. Anyway, it was time to move on. I next headed to Hadrosaurus Park in Haddonfield. I was looking for Haddonfield Hadrosaurus letterbox. There was a note at the end of the clue stating that a geocacher moved the box and so I looked for it in the new spot but didn't find it.

Walt Whitman

I looked all around the area and still didn't find it so I decided to follow the original clues. I found the bottom of a tupperware container filled with water. When I dumped the water I found a toy and a ziplock bag. In the ziplock bag was a film canister with a small stamp and a logbook. Luckily the contents in the ziplock bag were dry, so I stamped in. I decided to get rid of the baggie, the toy and the tupperware bottom. I put the film canister and the logbook into a new ziplock and found a good hiding spot. I then wrote the clues down so I could email the placer when I got into the hotel tonight. I also found another stamp in the log in box for the park. So I am counting that as a find as well. Time was getting away from me but I wanted to find one more box. This one is called Rev 5: Lion & Lamb and is hidden near Walt Whitman's tomb. I made my way to the Veterans Cemetery in Camden. I stopped at the office and got a map of the cemetery. I quickly found the masoleum and I took a couple of pictures then looked for the box. It was a quick and easy find and I stamped in on a large rock under a tree. After I replaced the box and returned to the car I straightened things up and set the Garmin for The Steinberg Conference Center to go and pick up Thomas. It only took me 10 minutes to get from Camden to the Center and it cost me $5 to cross the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Thomas still hadn't called to let me know he was done so I found a nearby park and read until he called. I then picked him up and we headed over to Center City to check in to our new hotel. We decided we would walk around the city and so we had the car parked by the valet. After getting settled in the room we headed out to explore a little.

Robert Indiana's 'Love'

We are staying at the Hampton Inn on Race St. right across from the Convention Center. We headed east on Race St. to 10th St. (which is Chinatown). We walked through Chinatown going in and out of stores and then continued down 10th St. to Market. We then headed west to City Hall. We stopped at the Visitor Center there and got some info and then walked around the building a little before continuing on our way. We headed north out of City Hall and crossed the street to a building with all these statues of game pieces all over. We took pictures and then continued on over to Love Park. There is a Love statue by Robert Indiana there. So more pictures and a little people watching before continuing on. We continued up Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Race St. and then we followed Race St. back to our hotel. Then we decided we were hungry. There really aren't a lot of restaurants near the hotel but we found a Chili's a block over so we ate there.

It was a busy day and tomorrow we are doing one of those Hop On, Hop Off buses to see the city. So it is time to get some rest so that we can enjoy ourselves tomorrow.

Another State Capitol and A Revolutionary War Encampment

Today I stayed in Pennsylvania but ventured out of Philadelphia. I left early to avoid traffic and headed west on I76 to Harrisburg. The drive was uneventful but nice. Beautiful scenery and not a lot of traffic made for a relaxing and enjoyable trip. I arrived in Harrisburg around 8:00am and made my way straight to the Capitol.

House Chamber

I decided to walk around the building and take a few pictures before going in and touring the inside. Everyone in the Capitol was very nice and they were just starting a tour as I got there. The woman who gave the tour was very animated and knowledgeable. The tour lasted about 40 minutes and was really enjoyable. She took us through the main floor of the building and gave us a history of how Harrisburg and this building came to be the Capital and Capitol. We then went to the fourth floor and viewed the House and Senate Chambers from the galleries. The tour guide gave us information about the murals, stained glass windows, chandeliers and furniture. We next visited the Supreme Court Chamber - it was really nice but didn't compare with the House and Senate Chambers in terms of opulence. When the building was dedicated in 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt was there to do the honors and this is what he had to say about the building . . . "It's the handsomest building I ever saw." I have to agree with him, this is my favorite Capitol so far - I have visited 32 of them. After the tour we could wander on our own. I walked up and down the halls and visited the Governors Reception Room before deciding it was time to move on with my day.

Hershey Street Lights

I originally had plans to do some letterboxing in the area but all the clues I had were at libraries and they weren't open yet so I decided to move on and I headed to Hershey. On the way I stopped in Hummelstown at the library there and found DCLS Letterbox: Green. This was an easy find and I quickly stamped in so I could continue on my way. This box was part of an eight box series at libraries in the Dauphin County Library System and from what I could gather the stamp image was the same for all boxes - just stamped in different colors. So I guess finding one of them was enough and I could of stamped it 8 times in different colors and said I found them all - but I didn't. After the box was hidden again I continued on to Hershey. I made my way to Hershey Park and was planning on visiting Hershey's Chocolate World. But the place was packed and I didn't want to wait in line just for that. So I decided to forgo the park and Thomas and I would make another trip for that sometime in the future. So I drove down Chocolate Avenue enjoying the Hershey Kisses street lights and stopped at the Palmdale Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail to find Kisses from Maine. This was an easy drive-by and I stamped in while sitting in the shade of the tree hiding the box. Now it was time to head back towards Philadelphia.

My next stop was at Valley Forge National Historic Park.

Val·ley Forge
The site on the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Philadelphia, where George Washington's Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–78 in conditions of extreme hardship during the American Revolution.

National Memorial Arch

I began my visit at the Visitor Center where I got my National Passport Cancellation Stamp and a map of the park. I left the Visitor Center and followed the Encampment Tour route. This took me along Outer Line Drive and Inner Line Drive. I didn't have time to stop at every marker along the way but I did stop to see certain things and to find a few letterboxes. Here is how my drive fared. My first stop was the National Memorial Arch, I took pictures and found a letter box here - Memorial Arch. I left this area and made my way to the Wayne Statue. Again I took pictures and found another letterbox - Classic 80's: Atari Logo. Next I stopped at Washington's Headquarters and took a tour and some pictures. I did not look for a letterbox here. I then got off of Outer Line Drive and took Inner Line Drive. This is where the Inner Line Defenses were camped. This is a very nice drive in a heavily wooded area - beautiful. Along this route I found three boxes - Classic 80's: MK Logo, Frogger and Q-Bert. I then arrived at the junction of Outer and Inner Line Drives and stopped at Varnum's Picnic Area. I looked for a box here but didn't have any luck. So I moved on. My next stop was the Washington Memorial Chapel and Churchyard. I drove through the Churchyard and found Resting Places XX: Washington Memorial Chapel Churchyard. After stamping in I drove to the parking area of the Chapel and checked the time. I needed to get back to the hotel to meet Thomas for dinner.

I left Valley Forge NHP at around 4:15pm with the address for the hotel set in the Garmin. It told me my arrival time was 4:44pm. I headed out of the park and soon I merged on to I76 back to Philadelphia. And things moved at a snail's pace from there. The traffic was bumper to bumper and was stop and go all the way to the junction with I676. After that it cleared and I had a quick trip to the hotel for the next two miles I had left to drive. I parked the car at 5:48pm - a good hour later than my original ETA. So a half hour drive turned into an hour and a half drive. When I got to the room I freshened up and Thomas and I went out to dinner and for a walk around the campus. It was a good day but I could have done without the traffic - oh well.

The First State and The Free State

Today started early (as they usually do when I am traveling and letterboxing) as I left Philadelphia around 6:00am and headed south. My plans for today included visiting the Capitals of Delaware and Maryland and finding at least one letterbox in each state as well. It didn't take long (about 25 minutes) and I had already crossed over into Delaware.

Delaware Capitol

I continued my drive to Dover (the Capital) taking I495 around Wilmington then changing to US13 before ending up on DE1. Along DE1 I stopped at a rest area (Chauncey O. Simpson Memorial Rest Area) near Smyrna. This is a beautiful rest area with plenty of parking, a welcome center, a dog walking area and a memorial garden for people killed on Delaware highways. Here I stretched my legs and ended up finding two letterboxes here. I found Road Trip in the memorial garden and The Northern Spy in the dog walking area. I enjoyed my walk around the rest area and was happy that I could add two more states to my letterboxing map. After stamping in and rehiding the boxes I went into the welcome center and gathered some brochures and maps before continuing my trip to Dover. When I arrived in Dover I parked at the State Archives Building and then walked to the Capitol. I walked around the outside and took some pictures and then went in. The security guards were really nice and gave me some brochures (it was too early for guided tours) and let me wander around the building. I took more pictures inside and when I finished my tour I returned to the State Archives. There is also a welcome center here and I asked for other things for me to do in town. A very nice lady gave me a map and pointed out a few things. I also walked through a few exhibits they had in the building. I left there and walked around The Green and visited the Old State House. I enjoyed learning about Dover and Delaware but time was slipping away from me and I needed to get back on the road and head to Maryland.

World War II Memorial

Another hour to an hour and a half and I was arriving in Annapolis. From Dover I ended up driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which was wonderful - really great views from the bridge. After crossing the bridge and arriving on the western shore of Maryland I drove a little further on US301 to the Governor Ritchie Highway. I took this road to the World War II Memorial that sits in the median between the lanes of traffic and has a beautiful view of the city of Annapolis. I walked around the memorial and was amazed at the wonderful tribute that Maryland had made to all their citizens that served in World War II. After about 20 minutes of taking pictures and reading plaques I then turned my attentions to finding a letterbox hidden here. I followed the clues and and with a little stealth (some muggles were around) I found the box (Annapolis MD aka 'Crabtown') and took it to a low wall out of the way to stamp in. When I was done it was easier to put it back in place since all the muggles had left. I then returned to my car and headed for Annapolis.

Maryland Capitol

Once in town I headed to the Capitol. Finding a place to park proved challenging and I had to drive around State Circle a few times before I found a spot. I then walked around the building and took a few pictures but because of the way it sits and the trees in front of it and the closeness of all the other buildings nearby it was hard for me to get a good picture. So I decided to go in and have a look. I enjoyed the building (the little that I saw) but was only able to see the first floor which included the House and Senate Chambers and a few rooms with exhibits. The security guard told me they stopped all tours due to budget cuts and only the first floor is open to visitors. Needless to say it only took me about 15 minutes to see the place and then I was on my way. I left the Capitol and walked down to Main Street looking for a restaurant for lunch. Actually I was looking for a restaurant that had crabs on the menu. (Okay, no jokes here!) I found a place that looked to be very local and had crab cakes on there menu. So I went in. The place was packed and very small. Right in front were about four tables (very close together), then turning to the right there was a narrow walkway. On the right along the wall were two booths (only one person could sit on each side) and on the left was a counter and the cash register. Past this was a bar with stools on the left and then more booths on the right (oriented sideways). I took one of the first two booths on the right as you walk in. Later I gleaned that there was an upstairs dining area as well. The place was hopping so I felt like I had made a good choice. The menu showed pictures of crab cakes made with a half pound of lump crab meat. My mouth was watering. So I ordered a crab cake sandwich with onion rings. It was sooooooooooo goood!!! The crab meat just melted in your mouth. The place is called Chick and Ruth's Delly. After stuffing myself I decided I needed a little walk. So I made my way to the end of Main Street and then turned up Randall Street and then onto King George Street. I window shopped and passed by the United States Naval Academy. I wanted to take a tour but I needed to do a little letterboxing and then make my way back to Philly. From King George Street I walked up College Avenue back to State Circle and my car. I decided I had time for two letterboxes but they needed to be drive-bys. So I opted for You've Got Mail and Blue Crab Pickle-Lily. I found both without any problems and stamped in quickly so that I could begin my drive back to Philadelphia. So now I have added two new states to my letterboxing map (three for this trip so far).

My original plan was to drive to Baltimore and spend a little time there but as luck would have it time got away from me. So I decided to just retrace my drive and that is what I did. I had a little problem at the Bay Bridge. There is a toll station on the Annapolis side of the bridge and there were quite a few people headed east. So it took me about 30 minutes just to get through the toll and then cross the bridge (a total distance of about four and a half miles. Once on the other side things were great - the drive was uneventful except for a downpour that lasted about fifteen minutes around Middleton, DE. It was raining so hard that the wipers weren't helping and I had to pull into a parking lot and wait it out. I am glad it didn't last long and I was able to get back on the road. Once I was back in Philadelphia and near the hotel I decided to fill the car with gas so that I can head out again in the morning and not have to worry about that.

It was another long day but I enjoyed every minute of it. Even the drive back and forth - I love driving, especially in rural areas - so peaceful. Tomorrow I stay in Pennsylvania but I will be doing a little more driving - I am headed to Harrisburg (another Capitol) and Hershey. Ummm! Chocolate!

We Arrive in Philadelphia

It was another early morning of getting up and making our way to Albuquerque for our flight to Philadelphia. There was no traffic as we made our way to the Sunport and parked the car. It was a quick shuttle and check in and then we had to get through security - which was really busy. It wasn't really a problem just waiting in line. We finally made it to our gate and in less than 20 minutes we were boarding and on our way. We had an uneventful three hour flight to Chicago Midway. Here we had a two and a half hour layover. So we had a quick lunch and did some reading until the next leg of our trip boarded.

Waterfall at Penn

The flight from Chicago to Philadelphia was a little over two hours. Once we landed we made our way to baggage claim and grabbed our luggage and then caught the shuttle to the rental car place. We had lots of luck on our side and we got the car pretty fast and then we were on our way to the hotel. We landed at about 2:25pm and we arrived at the hotel a little before 4:00pm. We are staying at the Steinberg Conference Center at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas got us checked in and then we got the luggage into the room. I then drove two blocks to the parking garage and parked the car. I walked back to the hotel and put some things together to go for a walk on campus, look for a letterbox and take some pictures.

'LOVE' Sculpture

Thomas was getting ready for his reception and I left to go on my exploration of the campus. I stopped at the front desk and got a map of the campus and headed out. The letterbox I wanted to look for was pretty close to the hotel and I quickly reached the area. This box was a series of three boxes and the first one was marked 'retired'. I still followed the clues to that one since the clues for the second box started there. I got to the area which was very quiet and only a couple of people hanging out. It was near a pond with little trails all around. I easily found Box #2 and took it to a nearby bench to stamp in. When it was time to replace it I had to wait a while but I spent my time taking pictures until the coast was clear. After rehiding the box I continued with the clues. These took me to another bench (which was occupied). So I walked around and took pictures waiting for the person to leave so I could look for the box. I ended up waiting about 20 minutes but the guy just sat there - he wasn't doing anything - just sitting. So I decided to forgo this box and head out for a walk around the campus. Oh, I didn't say what box I was looking for because it was a little bit of a mystery - not very hard to solve but I still don't want to give anything away.

Benjamin Franklin

I really enjoyed the campus and had a nice stroll. But I have to say the humidity was kicking my butt. I was sweating and my shirt was really damp after only a 30 minute walk. I didn't let this get to me and I walked all over and took pictures of some of the art work around the campus and of some of the older buildings. I then decided I was hungry when I came upon a building with lots of fast food places in it. I opted for a couple of tacos at Taco Bell and then stopped by the Starbucks for an iced coffee for my return walk to the hotel. I got back to the room and quickly took a shower and ended up standing under the cold water at the end for about ten minutes to cool down. It was a long day and I am a little tired but I need to do a little planning for tomorrow. I am headed to Dover, DE and Annapolis MD to visit the Capitols and hopefully find at least one letter box in each of those states to fill in my map. I will be back tomorrow to let you know how it goes.