Independence Hall: cosa c’è intorno, come arrivare e quando andare · 2026

ARAnna Rutmanrutman-anna · 10 dic 2014Leggi

Another bus, Sunday, night. We board the bus, get some pretty good seats, but we couldn't fall asleep. The bus was a freezing icebox. Even the Americans were complaining. The driver said he couldn't do anything about it. On top of that, he started being rude to the passengers... As a result, we spent the short trip freezing and listening to the driver yelling. My head was just splitting. To brighten up the trip, we just stared at our phones)) Finally, we arrived in Philadelphia. Tired and exhausted. They dropped us off clearly somewhere on the outskirts))) We walked to the station. It was about 3 AM. We went to get coffee at DD, then Natasha and Masha laid down to sleep on the benches, and Aika and I guarded their sleep)) By the way, there was some insect floating in Natasha's coffee(( It was just really gross( At 6-7 AM we went to wash up, put on makeup... In general, everything according to the old routine)) There wasn't really anywhere to go yet, since we arrived too early. We went for a walk. Went into a park. Enjoyed the silence, sang our hearts out, and got in the mood for our 2nd day of travel. After that, we headed to Franklin Square. There we sat down to rest, even managed to sleep a little on the grass :D Then we realized it was time to eat) After a snack, we headed to Chinatown. We decided to see this district everywhere_) They don't differ much)) Then more walks, walks around beautiful Philadelphia. We reached Love Park. A very lively place. Lots of people, flash mobs. A popular place for wedding photoshoots)) In this place, we recorded messages to our future selves... I still rewatch it and have a smile on my face....) Soaked in the city's energy, we headed to the historical sites) First, we visited Independence Hall, since the US Constitution was signed here) Then we confidently headed to the Liberty Bell. When we arrived, we saw a huge line. We decided to lie on the grass nearby. Then we saw on some girl's FB what this bell looks like inside and decided not to go, since there was nothing special inside.)) We also traveled by subway in Philadelphia. But we only rode it twice. The rest of the time we walked and didn't regret it. The subway in Philadelphia is cleaner than in New York, but there is nothing particularly attractive about it. And so, tired and exhausted, we went to eat and headed towards where our bus was departing. We fell asleep quickly and slept all the way to Boston))

ДДмитрийventura · 16 ott 2009Leggi

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