Today was predicted to be warmer but very wet, with rain all day...
Thankfully the rain wasn't too bad as this was scheduled to be our one day without a tour bus. Instead we were spending the whole day exploring Philadelphia by foot & using public transport.
After a busy breakfast (with at least 2 other student groups staying at our hotel) we departed our hotel to find wet streets but no actual rain. We walked to a nearby bus stop & a few minutes later boarded the city bus to our first stop.
Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison, one of the most important prisons in history due to its revolutionary design & (intended) rehabilitation of prisoners. We split into 2 smaller groups to tour the crumbling ruins of the prison, learning about the building of the prison, life inside, some of the former inmates (such as Al Capone), escape attempts, etc. It was very cold as we toured the hallways & cells but a very interesting & fun visit nevertheless.
As we exited the prison it was began during with rain, but thankfully lasted just a few minutes before stopping. So we walked to our next stop, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Although we didn't go inside we stopped here because it is one of the most recognizable locations in the city - the location of the steps that Rocky ran up in the original movie. So we all ran up the steps & jumped, arms aloft at the top!
Next stop, after a long walk along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was colorful Reading Terminal Market, where the students could purchase lunch from one of dozens of different stalls offering al kinds of different foods.
After passing by Chinatown we arrived at our last 2 sightseeing stops, the Liberty Bell & the National Constitution Center. Both these sights celebrate the founding of the United States, the focus of much of our sightseeing in Philadelphia already.
Our final group stop today was for dinner.
No visit to Philadelphia would be complete without sampling a cheesesteak, so we ate tonight at Campo's Deli, renowned as having one of the best cheesesteaks in the city. Mot of the students certainly seemed to enjoy theirs!
Thankfully the rain wasn't too bad as this was scheduled to be our one day without a tour bus. Instead we were spending the whole day exploring Philadelphia by foot & using public transport.
After a busy breakfast (with at least 2 other student groups staying at our hotel) we departed our hotel to find wet streets but no actual rain. We walked to a nearby bus stop & a few minutes later boarded the city bus to our first stop.
Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison, one of the most important prisons in history due to its revolutionary design & (intended) rehabilitation of prisoners. We split into 2 smaller groups to tour the crumbling ruins of the prison, learning about the building of the prison, life inside, some of the former inmates (such as Al Capone), escape attempts, etc. It was very cold as we toured the hallways & cells but a very interesting & fun visit nevertheless.
As we exited the prison it was began during with rain, but thankfully lasted just a few minutes before stopping. So we walked to our next stop, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Although we didn't go inside we stopped here because it is one of the most recognizable locations in the city - the location of the steps that Rocky ran up in the original movie. So we all ran up the steps & jumped, arms aloft at the top!
Next stop, after a long walk along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was colorful Reading Terminal Market, where the students could purchase lunch from one of dozens of different stalls offering al kinds of different foods.
After passing by Chinatown we arrived at our last 2 sightseeing stops, the Liberty Bell & the National Constitution Center. Both these sights celebrate the founding of the United States, the focus of much of our sightseeing in Philadelphia already.
Our final group stop today was for dinner.
No visit to Philadelphia would be complete without sampling a cheesesteak, so we ate tonight at Campo's Deli, renowned as having one of the best cheesesteaks in the city. Mot of the students certainly seemed to enjoy theirs!
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