Philly Day One

Here in Philly.
Arrived very early and as soon as I got off the plane, my phone was ringing. Mom's flight had been cancelled and so she was trying to get on another one, but didn't want me waiting at the airport for nothing. So, I got to the hotel, dropped off my bags, it was way too early to check in, and started exploring the city. Our hotel is located in the historic district of the city, and so many of the historic sites are within walking distance. So, I got directions, found a Starbuck's (can you believe there were NO STARBUCK'S in Philadelphia International Airport? What is up with that?) and then went walking. I found Independence Hall and the Visitor's Center and did the tour there. Our tour guide was great. Pretty funny and kept things really interesting. I'll post some pictures when I get home. I was struck though, by "how old" everyone kept saying these buildings were; when in reality, they are not. It goes back to what I was saying when I was in London, now that's history. We're just starting. And One thing that I thought was pretty important that she pointed out, was the fact that our fledgling democracy struggled. There was strife and tension between the colonies and among the people in the colonies. There were many people here who were sympathetic to the British, and the Patriots were rather harsh to them before and during the Revolution. I guess I'm trying to say that we didn't start out with the perfect system, we made mistakes and learned from them along the way. Maybe we should try to remember that when we become critical of other governments who are trying democracy for the first time.
After that, I went to the American Jewish Historical Museum. Unfortunately, most of their collection is being catalogued for the move to their new building; but the exhibit that I did see was just wonderful. It focused on food. One woman who was working there took the time to chat with me and explain some of the Jewish customs related to food, and explained the process of eating Kosher. I thought the exhibit was just great, because no matter what your background is, you can associate events with the food served. For example, corned beef and cabbage around St Patrick's Day; Turkey at Thanksgiving; The Feast of the Seven Fishes at Christmas. Everyone has memories surrounding family events and food. Good, bad or otherwise, there is always food.
After that, I found my way to a cute little restaurant called Gigi for a late brunch. I just love Cubanos and this one was exceptional. The pork instead of being sliced had been shredded, which gave the sandwich such an awesome texture.