09.08.2009 At 20:30 I left home. I got on the 1 train and headed towards 34 street, because I wanted to go up to the Empire State Building observation deck before leaving. And on this day, the Dominicans were having something like their Republic Day; there were so many of them in the city, they had a parade, and they were hanging out all day. So, in the subway car, there was a large group of Dominican youth who, as always, were screaming incredibly loudly. And off to the side sat three Black guys, quietly freaking out about all of this. Everything was fine until one of the guys said something to this group, and one of the Dominicans pulled out a knife in response. A scuffle started, the Dominicans were trying to hold back their friend with the knife, the guys also wanted to make peace, but he wasn't in a hurry to cool down. I don't know how it ended, because I got off at the next stop. I went up to the Empire State Building, to both decks: on the 86th floor and the 102nd. Cool! Nighttime New York... I spent at least an hour and a half there. I walked out, and it started to drizzle. I decided to go into McDonald's to grab a bite and wait out the rain. It's 23:50 now, and I'm sitting in this McDonald's. In an hour, I'll start heading towards Port Authority. At 0:40 I left. I went to the restroom, strapped on the secret money belt I bought earlier—let's see how comfortable it is—and went to the ticket counters. The system is: you just show your Discovery Pass and ID, state your destination, and the guy gives you a ticket. It's 1:40, I'm sitting at the Greyhound station writing in my diary, waiting for my first bus. Ooooooh... it's started!!!!! 10.08.2009 At 5:20 AM I got off the bus. I immediately bought a ticket to Detroit for 15:55 and went out into the city. It only started to get light about 20 minutes later. Everything is still closed, so I'll wander aimlessly for another two hours, and then I'll go sightseeing :) The mood is excellent! Philadelphia is a quiet city with the spirit of American antiquity. Old houses, cafes. No Mexicans, no Dominicans—only white and Black people. In the cafe where I went to eat breakfast ($4), two white girls were working. And the customers were white too. It's a bit unusual after New York. A good city, I already like it, even though it's only 7:50! In Philadelphia, there is no rush or nervousness like in New York, but there is solidity and business-like efficiency. It is the Birthplace of a nation after all :) In the Visitor’s Center restroom, I saw special disposable paper circles with a hole in the middle to put on the toilet seat. Civilized! In general, I didn't notice how 9 AM arrived, I got a ticket (I've encountered this American oddity more than once: the ticket is free, but you have to get it and present it—why???). The tour was led by a real pot-bellied Yankee—a patriot, just like from the TV. He spoke vividly and interestingly, but in the middle of his lecture, I suddenly started to get wildly sleepy—after all, I hadn't slept at all last night. He walked us through different rooms of Independence Hall, I visited the room where two huge events took place—the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of the US Constitution. Well, truly great deeds were done within these walls, it's no wonder the tour guide puffs out his cheeks so much. I saw a copy of the Constitution on which George Washington had crossed out and corrected a typed word by hand. I bet D. Washington himself didn't suspect how global the history he was making was, or what this country would become. After Independence Hall, I went to the US Mint, the place where coins are minted. The only interesting thing is that you can look down through the glass at the workshops and machines where they make the coins. Most of them, however, were for some reason not working. On the way back, I stopped by the American Jewish Museum, where there is a synagogue that has been operating since 1740—that's very old by their
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