M/V Nearly Perfect: July 6-8, 2017

Since neither one of us had ever been to Philadelphia, and we were only 4 hours away, we decided to take a quick 4-day side trip. We had light rains the entire way up. Most of our trip was through an industrial area and we had to maneuver around several barges. We docked at Penn's Landing Marina around 12:30 which was only about six blocks from the historical district. Once settled, we headed into town for some lunch and a history tour (still in the rain). First up was the Liberty Bell and the museum. After hearing and reading about the Liberty Bell, it was very moving to finally see it in person. What really impressed me was that there was a blind lady in the crowd and the guards let her inside the roped area to actually put her hands on the bell. We then headed to Independence Hall for a tour of the rooms and a brief history of the parties involved in the signing of the Declaration of Independence. After that it was an Uber ride to famous Geno's for Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. We took two sandwiches back to the boat for dinner, but neither of us liked ours so most of it went into the trash. Oh well, at least we tried.

Friday we woke up to rain - again, but that didn't stop our sightseeing adventures. We boarded a double-decker bus (only we sat downstairs) and headed to the Eastern State Penitentiary. It was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world but is now crumbling. It once housed Slick Willie Sutton and Al Capone. When we finished our tour, the sun was out and we sat on the top of the bus for the rest of the tour. We got off at the United States Mint and toured that building. It was very interesting to see all the steps involved in making each coin. We watched quarters and pennies filling several conveyor belts. After that, of course, was our stop for ice cream at the Franklin Fountain.

Saturday we woke up to sunshine, so we hopped the Phlash (the city bus) and went to Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul. The cornerstone was laid in 1846. Our next stop was the Museum of Art - or better known as the Rocky stairs - and then across the street to the Washington Monument. We then hit the One Liberty Observation Deck and viewed Philadelphia from 57 stories high. After a stroll around a downtown park, we headed back to the boat. It was an exhausting three days but we enjoyed sightseeing around the city and looking at all the historic buildings mixed in with newer, modern buildings. The waterfront area is filled with playgrounds (including many hammocks tied to all the trees), an outdoor roller skating rink (that is turned into an ice rink in the winter), and many activities for everyone.