I Heart Benjamin Franklin

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Sunday, June 1, 2008

OK, my first trip on Greyhound.  Thought I'd do a short one, ease my self in gentle like.  New York to Philly = 2 hours.  It went OK.  No weirdos...this time!  My bus driver was LaVerne, and she looked exactly how you would imagine a LaVerne to look!  It was all going swimmingly until...the windscreen wiper broke, and it was raining.  LaVerne couldn't fix it so we had to wait for a relief bus.  But that was OK I was in no hurry.

The Streets of Philadephia

Then I landed in Philadelphia and it was another one of those 'what the heck do I do now' moments.  So I did what I always do, went to find food.  I stocked up good because I knew my hostel was a bus and walk away, way out from any shops.

It should be called the bus ride of terror.  Sure, the bus was fine, but the area we were going through...I'd have preferred bullet proof glass!!!

The hostel is very nice though.  An old ante bellum looking mansion.  I had dinner on the porch.  Yes sir, dinner on the porch.

Another day, another bus ride thorough the ghetto to look round Philly, home of my hero, Benjamin Franklin.  And more importantly...ROCKY BALBOA.

The Streets of Philadephia

My first stop was the Philadelphia Art Gallery, where I did what any self-respecting person would do.  I ran up the steps, humming the Rocky music, jumped up ad down with my hands in the air yelling "Adrian" for I am ROCKY BALBOA!!!  (The real version:  I walked up the stairs, head-humming the music, and half-heartedly raised my hands at the top.  It just looks weird if you're on your own, even if every other person there is doing the same!)

Man, I'm so infused with American history right now.  Went to look at the Constitution Centre, the place where the Constitution was signed, the Liberty Centre (cue life size children made of jelly beans - a kind of different but the same theme) and finally, The Liberty Bell.  I know I'm probably going to sound like a terrible, mis-informed tourist but a) I didn't even know about the Liberty Bell before arriving in Philadelphia and b) it's just a bell.  A cracked bell.  That was cracked before it was even used (made in England).  Surely it can't just be me?!

The Streets of Philadephia

Back at the hostel, post Benny F love in, I watched the original Turtles film with an Australian dude.  Here endeth the lesson!  Peace out and...TURTLE POWER!