Monday, May 19, 2014

Hiatus with History - Philadelphia

Hiatus with History








After a rainy arrival in Delaware City – the eastern terminus of the C & D Canal, we left with the tide to run up the river for a dock in downtown Philadelphia.  Most loopers skip this side trip as we did last year, but this go round we made time and worked the tides for the 40+ miles upriver. Our hearts sunk a few degrees when the mph dropped from 11 to 4.8 as we rounded Pea Patch Island heading north – all that rain we suffered through was now adding to the already vigorous current in the river!  (That current was the reason we reached 11 mph to begin with – our normal cruising target is 7ish)
Fort on Pea Patch Island.
However, we trusted the advice from the helpful dock master in Del City and saw the tide kick in and gradually ease our speed back toward the high 8.9 range. So in the end, we made the trip in less than 6 hours arriving under cool but sunny skies for an afternoon of touring in Philly.  Our dock is a few blocks from South Street and the Independence Mall cluster of buildings run by the National Park Service.  We paid our respects at the Liberty Bell and did the obligatory tour of Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.  





Standing in the surprisingly small space it is not hard to hear echoes of the arguments and debates which formed our government. Yet again we are amazed at the courage and wisdom of this handful of men who crafted documents which have stood the test of time – bending and adjusting but not breaking. We also stopped in Congress Hall where the House and Senate met before moving to the new Capital in Washington DC. The guides reminded us of the historic and, most importantly,  peaceful transition of power from our first president to the second which took place in this building. For a fledging nation this orderly transition was a ground-breaking accomplishment not repeated by many newly formed democracies. 




The hordes of tourists – most from other countries – crowded along with us to see this unique National Park neatly woven into the heart of a major city. It is rather heartwarming to see that so many citizens of the world want to walk where our history was made. From our perch on the dock we had a up close view of the revitalized waterfront area called Penn’s Landing.  Coming into town we passed the industrial heart of the city and the evidence that this waterfront used to be crammed with many commercial docks for great ships.  However, much has been done to transition from commercial to entertainment uses.  Several large condo complexes cleverly anchor the waterfront. One built into the old dock building the other designed to resemble a massive cruise liner. A waterfront amphitheater with festival space is just up from the dock and miles of board walk line this area offering ease access for walkers, runners, and families with strollers. We sit behind locked gates, but are close to locals availing themselves of this public spaces and enjoyed chatting with them about boats, the weather, and good places to eat. While this is not a marina with deluxe amenities, it does sport well maintained docks with all the hook ups we need. The location more than makes up for the lack of marina facilities, so returning here is likely in our future.

















We would be remiss not to mention this city’s devotion to the arts. Historic structures have been lovingly maintained and even re-purposed. Newer additions respect the scale and style of what has come before. Public art work is everywhere to entertain and amuse – often located in the numerous public spaces. Movie houses, theaters and concert locations are with in ease reach of the riverfront. In addition, Philadelphia boasts a bounty of world-class museums, plus the great shopping and restaurants make this an easy stop to like.  With so many fun options we will be stopping again since there is be more on the “to do” list than we can possible accomplish in one short visit.  



































New Ben Franklin Museum










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