We touched town at Reagan National airport in DC, and made our way over to Baltimore just as the sun had set. The thunderstorms had ceased about 30 minutes prior to our arrival.
Thank goodness, as turbulence is not my amigo.
The next morning was the first run we've done since leaving Newort Beach last September where we had to run the boat from the pilot house during the day. Windshield wipers exercising their full force as Lance and Brad chat it out in the pouring rain. We had about 100 miles to cover heading to PA.
It was a cold and rainy day out heading north as we departed Baltimore.
We went under a bridge coming up the Delaware River
and above us was a cargo train that seemed to go on & on.
Below is the Del Monte pineapple freighter. If you like piña coladas... And gettin' caught in the rain...
And right next to it was the Del Monte banana freighter.
Intriguing to see how some of our food supply is transported.
Below is an old Philly power plant. It had a great waterfront presence.
Next to that was an old "ghost ship".
Oh- the grand stories it could tell.
I would have loved to tour this old relic!
Tying up at our slip. Bish at the ready...
The Philly Marina.
Our dear friends Lance and Adrianna were good sports in the pouring rain.
We all were going to have a bad hair day in this weather.
We searched & searched to find the "on/off" bus as that's our fave way to tour a new city.
You can injest some nuggets of history and see what you'd like to go back to and peruse further. However, the bus we were directed to turned out to be more of a commuter bus that slowly packed everyone in like sardines and we got off as fast as we could. Ick!
And finally...The Liberty Bell in all her glory.
It was pouring rain and 55 degrees out... Brad has his "this isn't the tropics!" look on.
I was excited to see that there was an Avedon exhibition in town. Definitely would have checked that out, but it doesn't start until August. Wah wah.
And just in case you think I'm skipping around on rainbows over here...sometimes nature calls when out exploring and you have to answer.
Hmmm... This is a think piece. Haha!
And for those of you who have been to the Quiet Woman in CDM, this is their satellite pub. Haha!!
Art could easily be found in Philly. Lots of local talent.
And my fave spot of the city..
(any city for that matter)
The local marché!
It was chock full with hundreds of vendors.
Everything you could possibly want that was foodie related. It's such a fabulous way to experience the local culture anywhere.
And great local produce from Lancaster county, PA
That's where the Amish are.
The line for Carmine's famous Philly cheesesteaks was a lonnnnng one.
Brad braved it however and said it was completely worth it.
The local Chinese cafe with their roasted ducks staying warm. Ick.
And the bakery girl busy filling cannoli's.
The local BBQ spot was boisterous, and no wonder... They were the national BBQ champs and displayed their massive trophy to prove it.
The hysterical part was their sponsor...
This fresh salmon wasn't going to be fresh much longer and was sitting out forever. So gross!
And then there was the Witch's herbalist.
Wow. Who knew one existed. They were stocked with everything you could fit on your broomstick and more.
Even the poultry and egg shop had a charm to it.
You could buy a chicken, take it home and then tune into You Tube for this classic way to prepare a bird!
Something about their display made you want to buy their fresh eggs.
I'm not sure how the chickies felt about it.
Even the local Amish had their own shop.
There was a massive olive bar that looked compelling.
Then I spotted... Culatello! Dun dun dun. I've never seen this meat product outside of Italy. 
This is a meat that comes from the rear end (the exit aisle if you will) of a pig or cow. During World War II, food and provisions were extremely scare, so every single part of the animal was utilized for food. Including the pooper! Completely disgusting.
The butcher caught me snapping a photo and started cracking up. He realized I knew what it was as most people do not, (that's because Americans don't desire to eat a pigs pooper!) and we shared a good laugh. Shockingly, I didn't ask for a taster. And $40/lb? Good luck!
Outside the market, we ran into a minuteman. He was off to the drum repair shop probably.
We passed a very old cemetery that was where Ben Franklin was buried.
This was his crypt. Coins all over it for good luck.
Dr Ben Franklin was quite the man.
Most people in colonial Pennsylvania were content to do their reading in a simple wooden chair. Ben Franklin, on the other hand, insisted on kicking back in a reading chair fitted with a foot-powered fan. If he needed to grab another book from a high shelf, he simply flipped up the seat of his specially engineered library chair, transforming it into a small step ladder. To check the time, he glanced at a bizarre one-handed clock of his own design that only used three gears to keep time. Franklin was clearly a man who never stopped inventing. From the invention of electricity, bifocals and the Franklin stove, he also charted the Gulf Stream which is ever so useful to us on our boating adventure!
Between running a print shop, engineering the U.S. postal system, starting America's first lending library, and helping sow the seeds of the American Revolution, Franklin also found time to draw up a vast collection of new devices. What's more, he never patented a single one. Although the decision likely cost him a fortune, Franklin saw his inventions as gifts to the public. "That, as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously," he wrote in his autobiography. Pretty good for a bored-looking guy on the $100 bill. Shazaam!
Franklin's inventions are all models of practicality. It's one thing for a team of engineers to design the Segway, but quite another for an elderly, 18th century man to think of throwing a set of stairs on a library chair.
Most of the items in this list likely had fellow colonists slapping their foreheads and exclaiming, "Why didn't I think of that?" It might not be the most impressive device on Franklin's resume, but his modification of the urinary catheter was no doubt a welcome relief for hundreds of Americans with bladder problems. Who knew?!
Then, as now, a catheter was a thin tube inserted into a patient's urethra in order to drain urine from the bladder. But at the time, catheters were nothing more than rigid (and painful) metal tubes. Franklin's older brother John suffered from kidneystones and needed to undergo an excruciating daily ritual of jamming a bulky metal catheter into his nether regions.
To make these daily attacks on his brother's loins less painful, Franklin ran to his local silversmith with plans for a flexible catheter. "It is as flexible as would be expected in a thing of the kind, and I imagine will readily comply with the turns of the passage," he wrote to John.
Later we came upon a Quaker "meeting place"... Which is what they call their church.
We met this jolly guy who could have talked our ear off for a fortnight. He was quite comfortable with himself as you can see. Haha!
We were the only ones in the unadorned church and he waxed poetic about the virtues of Quakerism.
Basically, being a Quaker means that each and every person has God inside of them. They don't believe in third parties like a pastor, priest, deacon, etc. Everything is just between you and God which I could appreciate. However, with no pastor meant that no one gave a sermon or anything. They just commune in a single room and often no one speaks at worship. If someone stands to speak, it signifies that God is speaking through them. Often, people would shake
(No, this isn't American Pharoah, but how awesome is that horse now that he took the Triple Crown?!!!!!)
as they were nervous to speak knowing it was God compelling them to talk, and therefore would shake a bit...which then was termed a "quake". Henceforth, the term "Quaker" was born. This is where they lost me.. A little too "woo-woo", but good for them and I can appreciate and respect their religion. They also work together when it comes to business. (which they assign only the men to deal with. Feminists be damned) Yet, if they can't reach a mutually beneficial decision, then it won't be resolved until everyone can agree. This means it could be as simple as what color to paint the church staircase, yet it could take a decade to come to a final decision. This is not doing business in my book as business is based on solid decision making skills. It was definitely cool and entertaining to chat with this guy nonetheless and hear about being a Quaker.
We later cruised around Phillys Old Town to check out the scenery. I think the building below would have crumbled if you blew on it.
We passed the restaurant we were at the night before. It was tasty and enjoyable!
Then we came upon Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed by George Washington.
The courthouse inside. All period furniture and decor was left intact.
Here is where our great country started..
There were 13 tables for 13 colonies.
Flash forward to that evening and our last night in Philly. We saved the best for last... Dining at Talulas Garden. It was farm to table fabulous!! Can't recall the last time we enjoyed a meal so much. Everything was local and organic.. And a great martini to boot. Best meal I've had all year!!
And sometimes an evenings not complete without celebrating a loved ones birthday 3 months later. Ha!
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