What We Saw in Philadelphia

Driving into the city - do we want to do this?

Philadelphia is notoriously inaccessible for RVing visitors. Some high-priced campgrounds serve the area but were not in our budget, and the ever-reliable Walmart option was too far away. But the visitor information center recommended the Callowhill Bus Center, just a few blocks from the heart of the city, where tour buses park.  Not for the delicate or faint of heart, the bus yard, although fenced, is literally sandwiched between two interstates in a seemingly unsafe neighborhood, graffiti-tagged with much-littered sidewalks. But heck, they allowed us to park for 24 hours for only $30. We figured out how to use the subway (old and grubby compared to the Metro in Washington DC)  (but free for those of us over 65,) so we left Lilypad with the buses and launched off to explore the historic district.

We remembered very little American history from our schooldays and found ourselves learning a great deal about the beginnings of American government here in Philadelphia. We took the tour through Independence National Historic Park including Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed. As always we were awed to see a place where history has actually taken place. Whether it is the bus station in Montgomery or the church in Birmingham or the house in Appomattox or the room in Independence Hall, there is an indescribable feeling throughout your body when you are standing there where it happened.

We also took in the American Jewish History Museum.  It was exciting to see the influence cultural historians have had over the years, now including the perspectives of women and other disenfranchised people as a part of the story. This museum included an exhibit called: “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American” about the assimilation of Jews and other minorities into the American mainstream and the role of baseball in that process. Thinking about baseball reminded us of our goal of visiting America’s Major League Baseball stadiums. So back on the grubby subway we went, following the crowd of Phillies fans to find the stadium. Following the advice of our visitor center advisor we called for a cab to take us “home” on the return trip. Even the cab driver seemed to be a little concerned about our neighborhood, but we were exhausted and the roaring freeways lulled us to sleep very fast. 

We decided not to spend another night in the bus lot, so the next morning we followed the route of the ubiquitous sight-seeing buses and drove through beautifully sunny historical Philadelphia. Passing the zoo, we noticed oversize vehicle parking in the “Giraffe Lot” so we parked Lilypad and jumped on the local transit to head back downtown. The ancient trolley reminded us of the bus in the Rosa Park Museum: it seemed to be of the same vintage. The trip was long, the bus was crowded; but the sometimes beautiful, often dilapidated places we passed and the humanity aboard were both quite interesting.

Back in historical downtown, our first stop was lunch at the Central Tavern. Touted as the favorite haunt of Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers, it serves colonial period foods accompanied by costumed servers. One of us tried the tofu made from an actual recipe by Benjamin Franklin and the other went for the meat pie. Neither was a disappointment.  From there we walked up to see the Liberty Bell and learn about its history. It was smaller than we had imagined, but a powerful experience to stand next to it. 

Jefferson and slave names from Monticello

Next we ventured into the National Constitution Center which houses the imposing “We, the People” exhibit, all about the US Constitution. From an introductory live theater performance to interactive social media displays this museum goes all out to make the US Constitution a living document.  Discovering in ourselves a desire to actually study the constitution, we both would have liked to spend more time here and thoughts are germinating about a future “Road Scholar” visit. The Center also had a special exhibit: “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello.”  A huge amount of research was done to tell the moving  and powerful stories of six enslaved families who lived and worked at the Jefferson plantation, including the contributions their descendants have made to civil rights and other aspects of American history. 

After a tour of the Betsy Ross House, where we learned she had to sew flags in her bedroom, because the act was so seditious in the British-occupied city, we got back on the bus, back to Lilypad, and out of the city. And we made a quick stop at Valley Forge to learn what really went on the winter of 1777-1778.

In fact we could have spent a lot more time in Philadelphia in general and we find ourselves joking that this blog might be longer if we wrote “What We Didn’t See in Philly.” We regret that the grit, traffic and feelings of not being safe kept us from spending more than a couple of days there. The city is obviously home to many creative (and courageous) people and has many nooks and crannies that could be explored. There is much to learn and experience in Philadelphia.

Following the Blue Crab Byway

We had never heard of "Delmarva" until we crossed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and landed on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Delmarva is the peninsula that Maryland shares with Virginia and Delaware on the eastern side of Chesapeake Bay and it took us a while to realize that the name comes from the three states. It is mostly a land that modernity has left behind, full of farms, 300-year-old buildings and folks who make their living from the sea. Delmarva also boasts the Blue Crab Scenic Byway, 15 state parks, 9 National Wildlife Refuges, the Assateague National Sea Shore, dozens of wildlife areas, museums, state forests, heritage sites and a handful of charming villages.

In Maryland we ate crab cakes nearly every day, starting  with a lunch shared with Gretchen Krampf, an Orcas colleague of Liz’s who grew up in the area and met us at Holly’s, an iconic diner just over the bridge. We were ready for a treat after the harrowing experience of driving across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is over four miles long and, at the highest point, 200 feet above the bay. The side rails are remarkably low and the winds are remarkably high, making driving over the bridge in a motor home not for the faint of heart. 

The next day we drove to St. Michael’s, a tiny historic fishing village down the coast of Maryland, where we visited the Chesapeake Maritime Museum. This impressive museum sprawls out over several acres and covers all sorts of human interactions with the bay from early oyster harvesting to hydroplanes, sailing, lighthouses and ecological restoration.

We camped at Pocomoke State Park, one of a dozen Maryland parks that host aviaries and nature centers.  Liz greatly enjoyed an “Owl Prowl” at the nature center which shelters birds of prey and reptiles that cannot be released into the wild. After meeting the resident owls she happily marched into the dark woods with a ranger, calling and listening for wild birds. (This ongoing program is called “Scales and Tales” for anyone interested in knowing more.)Then we headed to the eastern seaboard and Assateague Island.

The Virginia (southern) end of the island contains a feisty tourist village called Chincoteague as well as Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is home to the famous Chincoteague feral horses. Officially managed by the Volunteer Fire Department, the herd is rounded up and swum over to the mainland for veterinary treatment and the annual horse auction, thus keeping the herd to a manageable number. We left there, drove back to the mainland, and around to the other end of the island to see another herd of this same bloodline that lives on the northern end of the island (Maryland) and is managed by the National Park Service. There the mares are injected with contraceptives and allowed only one foal per lifetime. The animals are totally wild (even the injections are done from a distance) and are maintained much like the native white-tailed deer. There are also introduced Sitka elk on the island, and both the deer and elk are managed through a hunting program that is open only to wheel chair hunters and disabled veterans.

Note the separate bridge for pedestrians and bikers on the right!

The National Park Service hosts a spectacular visitors’ center which explores the quandary of protecting a fragile shifting landscape while preserving the historical herds. We enjoyed immersing ourselves in the wonder of wild horses at Assateague National Seacoast including watching them from LilyPad’s windows, as they roamed around in the campground.

We left Delmarva via the Lewes (Delaware)-Cape May (New Jersey) ferry, an 85 minute ride across 17 miles of Delaware Bay. The night before, we very much enjoyed a stay at Cape Henlopen State Park, a magnificent park with miles of waterfront and bike paths. It borders a vital urban area that includes several incorporated communities including affluent Rehoboth Beach.

On the New Jersey side, we were greeted by the Victorian effusion that is Cape May, touted as the first seaside resort in America. The whole of downtown is recognized on the Historic Register and must be seen to be believed. There are probably more B&B’s per acre here than anywhere else in the United States. Each building vies with the next for spectacular Victorian architecture, decoration and gingerbread. We enjoyed the historic homes trolley tour and twice bought fresh seafood from the Lobster House Fish Market, as good as anything one can find in the Northwest.

We are slowly heading north, still ahead of warm weather and crowded campgrounds, still avoiding the interstates, still eating local food and still counting our blessings.

DC is Cool

We were very excited to visit Washington D.C. This long-awaited visit was made possible by the generosity of our Friday Harbor friends Marita and Ed Dillery who let us park in their cul-de-sac (and plug into their home) in Arlington. They kindly and with great humor ferried us to the Metro subway system every day so we could explore all things DC. We loved riding the Metro, only took the wrong train twice, and also rode a couple of buses during our 8 days as tourists  in the capital city.

Liz felt at home in Washington, having been born here at the old Sibley Memorial Hospital. We also have fond memories of marching together with the Alaska contingent in the Gay and Lesbian March on Washington in 1993 with 800,000 other folks. But this was the first time we had a chance to really explore the city, so we walked a lot, packed in as many museums as we could and had a wonderful time. The weather was, on different days, freezing cold, rainy, snowy, windy, sunny and warm. Not unusual, we understand, for DC.

We accepted invitations to coffee from both Senators Cantwell and Murray, and enjoyed shaking hands and thanking them for their support of various issues. Liz spoke with Senator Murray’s transportation aide on the importance of the National Scenic Byway Program and Senator Cantwell, like many other people we have met on this trip, told us she wanted to travel with us in the motor home. Of course the Oso tragedy was foremost in everyone’s mind and Senator Murray advocated for FEMA and the President to provide Federal remedies as soon as possible. Passes from the Senators got us special tours of the Capitol and entrance to the Senate Gallery where, during a roll call vote on a judicial nominee, one of us was enthralled to see all her favorite stars of C-SPAN and one of us got a nice nap. 

There wasn’t time (or energy) for everything but we did see the following:

Transforming the American Table Exhibit
at American History Museum

Old Post Office Pavilion, where we took the elevator to the top of the bell tower to view the city. Liz so resonated with the concept of bell-ringing that she thought she must have been a bell ringer in a previous life.

National Museum of American History,one of our favorites including a great transportation exhibit , a Civil Rights exhibit, a First Ladies exhibit and much more. A section on the history of changing food practices in the US was fantastic, and it even included Julia Child’s kitchen from her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

National Museum of the American Indian was beautifully designed and surprised us by being a voice for all American Indians, not just North American Indians. The
museum partnered with leaders of various First Nations to provide an in-depth understanding and appreciation of particular people, both historic and current. 

The White House which was a self-guided tour following a long security wait, but well worth it. It's a lot like going through a really nice are museum.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, where we loved the art work, the quilts, but especially the spectacular building with the Great Hall and Mezzanine that also serves as a meeting space for dinners and other special events. 

John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a spectacular building that houses 7 theaters and a terrace longer than two football fields with a great view of Washington DC and the Potomac River. It was a pulsing hive of creative activity for all ages.

Spectacular puppet from  "War Horse"
production at Kennedy Center 

United States Postal Museum where we learned about the history of stamps and how the mail gets to your mailbox. And it was here we created our Liz/Janna Forever stamp.

National Museum of Natural History  which took two visits to see it all. We learned about the Human Genome, got to see ancient mummies, saw an incredible number of bird and animal skeletons, and even got to view the Hope Diamond. Also we rested our feet here and took in an Imax movie about the city of Jerusalem.

National Public Radio DC Headquarters where all our favorite radio shows are created. It was fun to see how it all works, and here we had a pleasant surprise when we bumped into Whitney Knickrehm and her family, folks we know from Bellingham Washington, who were also on the tour. 
National Portrait Gallery featuring  “American Cool”  fine art photographs of 100 iconic Americans over the last 80 years who can be defined as  “cool” in America . The courtyard is an incredible indoor public space that should be experienced.

National Zoo, where we managed to land on the warmest day of our stay. We marveled at the “O-Line” a unique tower and cable system stretched high in the air for the orangutans to move from one area of the zoo to another, as spectators watch from below. Bao Bao, the baby giant panda was not yet out for us to see, but we did get to see her mother, and a web cam focused on baby.

Bikes Rule in DC - That's COOL

It was fun just to be in the city. We walked by the FBI, the EPA, the Department of the Treasury, the Justice Department, and much more. We passed by the Supreme Court, but didn’t find time to wait in the long line to get inside.  We were impressed with the tremendous accommodation Washington has made to make bicycling around the city safe, and marveled  at young bikers dodging cars in roundabouts as well as Segway tourists taking advantage of  bike corridors down the middle of busy streets.  
If you’ve never been to the nation’s capital, put it on your list. Most of the museums and tours are free of charge so you might as well go see them since you’ve already paid for them. It was money well spent. It’s a really cool place.