Philadephia

Philadelphia is just a short bus ride (2 hours) from New York. For the history buffs amongst you, you'll already know that it was the original capital of the US (before Washington DC) and hence it has quite a bit of history. Visiting it would mean that I had covered all of the American 'capitals' having previously been to DC and Williamsburg (the old colonial capital). I had another more personal reason to visit as well, having talked to a girl from Philly whilst I was travelling around Australia a few years ago.

Unfortunately the city itself was a bit of a letdown, probably not helped by the guy trying to scam me as soon as I got off the Greyhound and the hostel being closed until 4:30pm and it being 1:00pm. This meant a trek back to the Visitor Centre to sit down for a bit (still carrying around my main pack and my day sack). Still it gave me a chance to have a wander around the Visitor Centre, pick up some maps and watch a couple of videos on the historical background of the area. I also grabbed a bite to eat - a Philly Cheesesteak, very very messy! Once I got to the hostel and dropped off my kit I have a wander around the riverfront, looking across at New Jersey. After a quick listen to the jazz concert that was going on, I had a look around 2nd Street. It's meant to be one of the centres for eating and drinking in Philly but was a bit of a let down. Still I expect anything after the New York nightlife is going to be a bit of a disappointment!

Saturday was spent taking a walk down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is the main road through Philly. Most of it was closed off as they were setting up for a concert (there seems to be a lot of open air and free concerts over here). At the end of the Parkway is the Art Museum. If you've seen 'Rocky' then you already know about the steps leading up to the museum, so I did what everyone else does and ran up them. At the top there is a plaque commemorating the film. Apparently there used to be a statue as well but the mayor had that taken down after a couple of years because it was too tacky! I also had a look around the Water Works which are behind the museum after a tip off from a waitress earlier in the day. Unfortunately whilst it was OK, it wasn't what I was expecting (I was expecting to see loads of polished copper pipes and the like). I had wanted to have a look around the Eastern State Penitentary, which is shaped like the hub and spokes of a wheel. However, by the time I got there it was about to close so I decided to give it a miss.

That pretty much sums up my time in Philadelphia. I guess there was more that I could have done but I didn't really meet up with anyone in the hostel (which was a bit small and didn't have much of a communal area) so I kind of got bored quite quickly. So it's off to St. Louis next - nice 18 hour bus journey to look forward to!