The Hyphen House

I'll pick up where Eric left off... Wednesday night we were very lucky to attend the Target-sponsored free night at the Franklin Institute. Target's always saying they do things for the community, so it was nice to see that. Once a month the Franklin lets folks wander in after 5:00, which was great for us since I was working during the day. This renowned science museum features a Giant Heart, which you can walk through all the ventricles and other parts, a plane exhibit, a train exhibit, a weather room, and lots of other cool stuff. We also got to go in the Narnia exhibit, which featured props from the two movies and offered lessons on ecology. We geeked out a little b/c we actually got to walk from a living room, through a wardrobe with coats, and into the wintry wonderland (complete with falling snow). It was pretty cool.

We topped off the night with a romantic walk through Love Park and dinner at the Kite and Key pub (yep, everything is an homage to Franklin in Philly).

Thursday I finished my work early so we went shopping. OK, I went shopping and Eric walked along with me. Of course it was raining and cold, but we had great weather until then so I can't complain. We hoofed it from our B&B to the train station, about a 25 minute walk with our bags in tow, caught a train to the airport and waited for our late plane.

We tend to dream about what it would be like to live different places we visit, so we created a few scenarios to live in Philadelphia. Of course, we'd buy the house on Elfreth's Alley. I'd work at one of the many universities (hopefully the Quaker one, how cool would that be?), and Eric could work at the boarding school for at risk kids. And on the weekends we'd dress up like historical figures and conduct historical/literary tours.

I never said we weren't cheesy.

This morning while my wife worked, I went to visit Independence National Historical Park, home of Philly's most popular tourist attractions, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Every American should have the privilege of visiting the place where our nation was born, and I felt awed by the great weight of history, standing in the very rooms where Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and the other founding fathers forged the documents that have guided our nation.

I went to see the Liberty Bell first. The most striking aspect is its utter imperfection. The crack is certainly its most recognizable aspect, but the reality is that the bell just was not very well forged. It is full of imperfections, flaws, and dents. That is the beauty of it. It reminds us that liberty is not perfect, that Americans have been striving for true liberty but have not yet found its perfect fulfillment. There are still millions of people enslaved worldwide (some within our borders). There are still many struggling for equality. Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of our visit here to Philadelphia is that all of the monuments to freedom here are also reminders of how far we have come as a country since the early days when only white men were free. They are also sobering reminders of how far we still have to go to establish universal freedom and equality.

After viewing the Liberty Bell, I walked across the street for my tour of Independence Hall. I was in the same group as a bunch of elementary school students, which really made the tour even more fun because they relished every opportunity to answer the guides questions, and as hard as she tried, she couldn't stump them. She explained to us the brief history of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, both of which were drafted and signed in Independence Hall (formerly the Pennsylvania State House). We toured the room where the documents were signed as well as the old Court Room, where the Declaration was first read publicly.

The tour was very inspiring. It is hard for us to imagine just how revolutionary the founding of America really was. Brilliant and extraordinary people debated ideas and initiated the principles that have now become hallmarks of democracy. Ideas like division of power and checks and balances originated here. These people founded something that had never been seen before, a nation based on the principles of freedom and equality, and though America was still in its infancy, still imperfect in the application of these principles, this event changed the history of the world. At the end of the tour, the school group recited the Preamble for us. It was a wonderful conclusion.

I also visited Washington Square, the burial ground of the unknown soldiers of the Revolution. A statue of General Washington stands guard over them, and an eternal flame burns in their honor. Now children play there, and people walk their dogs around the grounds. Perhaps one of the other most interesting things about Philly is that every block features some significant historical landmark mixed so seamlessly with modern American life. There is a dog park right next door to Christ Church, where Franklin and Washington worshiped. Businesspeople file past Independence Hall on their lunch breaks. People send mail from the post office Ben Franklin founded. The past and the present coexist effortlessly. That is probably my favorite thing about Philly.

During one of our first days in Philly, a woman taking our picture asked us to say "cheese." I barely restrained myself from saying "cheesesteak" instead. My wife was surprised that I didn't. I can't blame her. I relish every opportunity for a cheesy joke, and what can be cheesier than a cheesesteak joke in Philly?

Well, yesterday was less eventful than our weekend. We spent most of the day working. However, we did get to eat two very tasty meals. The food here has been great so far. We had already eaten in basket chairs at a swanky tapas lounge kind of place. We had already eaten Amish food at the local market, and we had already had ice cream at an old fashioned parlor. For lunch yesterday, we ate at White Dog Cafe. It strangely reminded us of Barnaby's in Houston (one of our favorite restaurants). It was a little more upscale than Barnaby's, but it too featured plenty of dog-kitsch. All of their food was locally grown and organic. My favorite part was that the bathrooms were not labeled by gender. Instead there was one for pointers, one for setters, one for Republicans, and one for Democrats. Seeing that none of these options was a great fit for me, I chose setter, even though the dog on the door had long eyelashes, which I assume means it was female.

For dinner, we trekked to South Philly to eat at Pat's, King of Steaks, the original home of the Philly Cheesesteak. We got to take the cool underground trolley part of the way. The part of South Philly where Pat's is located is exactly what you would expect it to be if you have some Rocky based stereotype. It is a tough, but not too rough, neighborhood. As we turned toward our destination, we even got to hear a young woman with a thick Italian accent cussing someone out. Pat's had tourists galore, and I can safely say that although we too were obviously tourists, we were a little more savvy than the rest. We ordered without a hitch. There is an artform, but for newbies, the instructions are pretty easy to follow. The lady behind us messed up by asking for Swiss (a major no-no) and instead received Whiz.

Let me just say that our cheesesteaks were delicious. We have had knockoffs before, but they don't quite compare to the original. Across the street from Pat's is Geno's, the place that claims to have perfected the cheesesteak. It is covered in neon lights, much flashier than Pat's. One of our hosts told us that Pat's was better. Just judging from the outside, I think we made the right choice. Also, Bill Clinton was one of the celebrities featured on Pat's wall of fame. If anyone knows his junkfood, I imagine Bill Clinton does. (For proof check out the old Phil Hartman SNL skits featuring Clinton campaigning at McDonald's.) That pretty much sums up our most stereotypical Philly experience. It was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip although I can never eat a knockoff cheesesteak again.

I get to fill you all in on all things Franklin from our trip.

As most Americans know, Ben Franklin is Philly's most famous citizen, known for his inventions, public service, and witticisms. I must confess that I am a huge fan, and the first thing I said when we started planning our trip was that I wanted to visit his house. Well, his house is no longer standing, but in its place stands Franklin Court, a replica of his original block complete with a sample printer's shop and a museum.

The frame replicas of Franklin's homes are the most unique feature of the court. A museum was built underneath to prevent the place from being bought and developed. The museum features some of Franklin's most famous inventions and maxims, along with information about his life and work. My favorite Franklin invention is definitely the library chair, a chair that doubles as a stepstool when the seat is turned over.

We also visited the mock printer's shop with its Franklin impersonator. He was showing some children how an old printing press works. As a bibliophile, even the most mundane aspects of books, like how they are printed, fascinate me. We also visited the post office next door, which still serves as an official U.S. Post Office. Later this week, I plan to visit the Free Library, another gift from Franklin to America.

For me, Ben Franklin is THE forefather of America. His pragmatism and economy epitomize what is best and worst about our country. As Americans, we can't help but have a little bit of Franklin in all of us. Many of us view our world through an economic lens (time is money). Others live their lives guided by simple maxims. Still others seek innovative ways to make life easier for ourself and others. In all these things, we live in the great shadow of Franklin, and he and Philadelphia will never let us forget that.

Let's be honest, we walked down the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art today. There was no running up them or walking or even pretending to think about it. Tip-there's a back entrance with only a slight incline to get you to the front doors.

We dropped our bags off at the bed and breakfast this morning, a restored 1865 Victorian that's amazing. We planned to walk to the Philadelphia Zoo from there, but the innkeeper told us it would be a 40 minute trek, so he actually drove us himself. Our membership to the Houston Zoo has reciprocity with lots of other zoos, including "America's First Zoo" (just days away from celebrating it's 150th anniversary) here in Philly. So that would have saved us a bundle if either of us had remembered our membership cards. Arggghh! We're considering our entrance fee a charitable contribution to animal preservation...

Since we've been together, we've been to the zoo in Houston, Memphis, San Antonio, and now Philly. It's fun to see how they are laid out and what each zoo prioritizes. Here, there's an award-winning "Big Cat Falls" exhibit with pumas, African lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. The primate exhibit is also impressive, with some very friendly gorillas and orangutans. A rare animal house is home to species I haven't heard of, and naked mole rats, which are not cute. We got to see the Giant River Otters eat their fish and several of the cats came right up to the glass. Pretty good day for a winter visit to the zoo.

We called a cab to pick us up, but due to the St. Patrick's Day parade nobody came for us. Some nice guys from Finland asked us to call a taxi for them b/c they were afraid the dispatcher wouldn't understand their name. Eric joked that they could make up a name. "Yes, I will tell them I am Mr. Smith," one replied, "John Smith." The other wanted to be called Rocky Balboa, and decided he would say he was a wrestler traveling with his wrestling coach. That made us all laugh. We only had 45 minutes total to walk back to the B&B, check-in, and walk to the art museum. So we practically ran and made it in 15 minutes or so, then ran across the river to the museum.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is stunning. We went specifically to see the "Cezanne and Beyond" exhibit, and it was worth the timed ticketing and 30 minute wait in line. Many of Cezanne's paintings were featured, alongside pieces by artists who drew inspiration from him including Ellsworth Kelley, Pabo Picasso, and Braque. The audio tour explained each artist's relationship with Cezanne or his work, and how each interpreted a certain piece. For example, Cezanne's card players were displayed beside Canadian photographer's light box photo or three older women playing cards in a modern dining room. I found it all very inspiring, as it connected art and artist's throughout time.
Since it's the last day of Philly Beer Week and also St. Patrick's Day weekend, we ended the day with some good pub food and dark beer. This little Belgian tavern was tucked in the Fairmount area and clearly a neighborhood favorite. We've loved walking through so many different areas and seeing the architecture and feeling the different aspects of each.

So we just heard that Betsy Ross and Benjamin Franklin impersonators in Philly got married... how cute is that?

Today was a historic whirlwind of Revolutionary America, and I'd loved it. I'm so glad my husband loves historical stuff as much as I do. I'd much rather go to a museum than a bar, so we're perfect travel buddies. We saw most of what the historic district had to offer (except the Liberty Bell b/c I've already been there... Eric will go back later this week) and walked a LOT.

The Reading Terminal Market is a huge indoor food market with lots of fresh goods and fish heads and produce and baked items. We ate at a Rib stand run by an Amish woman (Amish from nearby Lancaster county sell a lot of goods in the market). It was so fun to walk around and see all the tasty, colorful items.

Betsy Ross' house was high on my list, as last time I visited Philly I only saw the outside. The twice-widowed upholstery craftswoman famous for designing the American flag (a historical story with some poetic license) rented this home with another family in her time. She was quite the rebel, making musket balls in her basement, and being read out of the Free Quaker meeting for marrying an Anglican. A Ross impersonator told us she talked George Washington out of six-pointed stars because she could cut five pointed stars with one snip of her scissors (she demonstrated on paper).

Onto Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continually residential street in the country. This was so cool! Row houses line the narrow, cobblestone alley and keep with historical guidelines. For the low, low price of $410,000 (actually way cheaper than I expected), you too could own the only house currently for sale on Elfreth's.

We gave up sugar for Lent, but saved up our Sabbath's to use here. I'm still learning the orthodoxy of the Lenten period, so I'm pretty sure we're not doing it right, but we'll still fast for a total of 40 days so it counts in my book. Anyway, we had to try a sundae at the Franklin Fountain, an old-timey soda shop/ice cream parlor that also sells clear toy candy popular in the Revolutionary period. We had a major sugar crash after that!

Christ Church Cathedral, a still-functioning Anglican church where George Washington, Ben Franklin, William Penn, and others worshiped, offers talks so we got to hear all about it. The curator was excited to tell us all kinds of trivia, which made Eric happy. The clear glass (instead of stained glass) represented Enlightenment-era ideals of being able to clearly see the world and be connected to nature. Also, the church has only had 9 priests, though it hasn't missed services in over 314 years. The curator pointed out that we are only the 11th generation of Americans. Pretty crazy, relatively speaking.

Next, we visited the Constitution Center, which has an amazing presentation called "Freedom Rising" that's part dramatic monologue, part interactive film. The "America I Am: The African American Imprint" exhibition was great, looking at the impact of blacks on American history from slavery to the present. The exhibit began with a quote from W.E.B. Dubois explaining that we can't forget our history's darker parts (like slavery and discrimination). It was quite a moving experience.

Old City nearby seemed to be the best place to eat dinner... it's kind of the Montrose of Philly, only surrounded by historical markers. But it's still the northeast, and therefore out of our budget (valet parking is $18! i complain about free valet b/c it will cost me to tip). We ended up in Chinatown at a Vietnamese Pho restaurant, where we ate some delicious (and cheap) vermicelli.

Two thumbs up for Philly so far. The first couple of days we're staying with a friend's relatives outside the city. We started the day with a train ride from Chestnut Hill, a cute little town that's not quite a suburb. We actually couldn't find the train station at first b/c it looks like a ride at Disneyland. Nonetheless, we joined morning commuters on the trek to 30th and found our way to Hagerty Library.

Eric spent the day close by in coffee shops or exploring, and I spent the day in a room like a closet poring through documents. This is a very welcoming archive, they had actually pulled 10 boxes for me and had a table ready. In my experience, I usually have to wait a while and have people run around trying to find me anything relative to my topic. So far, good finds.

We continually comment on how old everything is. Drexel University adjoins U Penn, and is close to two other universities. The area is aptly referred to as University City. Every building seems to have been something else in the last century, which makes me happy. We walked to Rittenhouse Square for dinner, and had a hard time finding a restaurant we could afford. It's near the Midtown of Philadelphia, and overly trendy. My favorite was an Anthropologie store in a three story corner stone building that had to be 100 years old. Hard to wrap your brain around it. We landed on global tapas at The Continental, where we sat in swing chairs and ate tofu tempura and shrimp fried in chick peas. I'll be turning in early because I haven't slept a full night since daylight savings time.

Tomorrow, we play! Hooray for the archives having short, weekday-only hours. :)

The pic: Puff the Magic Dragon, err, the Drexel mascot.

We leave tomorrow for Philadelphia. I got a travel grant for my dissertation research, so I'll be spending time at the Women in Medicine archive at Drexel University. It's Eric's spring break so he's coming too! We'll have two days to sightsee (the archive is closed on the weekend) and I'll have evenings free. I love to blog on my research trips so I'll try to keep you updated about our adventures.

Also, we're hoping to visit a Quaker meeting (after all, Pennsylvania was a Quaker colony). We'll add that to our Church Tour.