Here's what's really cool thing about driving what turned out to be a six-hour-long eastern trek: there's a freaking windmill farm along the route! Apparently, when driving down highways in western Pennsylvania, one will see enormous windmills along the horizon. These windmills are part of a growing group of "wind farms" being built across the region in an effort to provide alternate forms of energy. Surprisingly (well, at least to me), windmill farms in Pennsylvania are located on private property.
OK, that lasted maybe 10 minutes. And that was pretty much it for "cool stuff" on the drive. The rest was boring as all can be.
Did I mention having a TomTom GPS unit is a really helpful thing when driving cross country? Well, now I did. And it's pretty darn accurate, too. I've driven the north-south route between Florida and Michigan numerous times, and driven to Cleveland often as well. But Driving to Philly (followed by Washington DC, and then down the eastern coastline) was to be a new experience. For the Philly end of things, the GPS unit worked perfectly. Knock on wood for the rest of this trip.
Lisa, her husband Josh, and their family live in a northern suburb of Philadelphia called Yardley. By the time I weaved my way to her house, it was dark, so not much in the way of sightseeing or adventuring was on the agenda.
I learned a ton about Yardley the next few days. For example: if Yardley were any further east, it would be in Delaware; the Delaware River is its eastern border. The borough was founded in 1682 (which for mathematically challenged readers is a long time ago), and many of the homes would be considered historic by any standard (hers was built in 1927). And during the Civil War, Yardley was a station for the "Underground Railroad" (an escape route for slaves). Known hiding places were under the eaves of the Continental Hotel (now the Continental Tavern), in bins of warehouses on the Delaware Canal, and at the General Store (now Worthington Insurance).
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30: Lisa and I took the train into Philadelphia (about a 30-minute ride) to do some sightseeing. I've toured Philly before, but it's always good to venture into new territory. And Philadelphia, which is in my humble estimation the most patriotic city in the entire nation (it bleeds red, white and blue!), offers much to those who thrive on history.
Touring the city by foot is an option, and since it was a nice, summer day, I was up for it. And I had no complaints in the grand scheme of things. I got to see cemeteries from the 1700s and 1800s (including Ben Franklin's), synagogues built several hundred years ago, and wonderful statues and architecture.
Lisa was with me for a few hours, then had to cut out to go to work. No problem on this end; plenty of things to do and see, plenty of photos to take.
I learned, through the process of walking around the older section of town for miles, that walking through parts of Philadelphia is like a wind tunnel - an extremely chilly experience. See, in some places the combination of building height and narrower streets equals less sunlight reaching the pavement, with the added dimension of a wind chill.
THURSDAY, JULY 31: Said "goodbye" to Lisa after enjoying a wonderful breakfast together at a cozy little nook in Yardley's historic district. Followed up with a leisurely drive (camera in car seat) along the main thoroughfare, taking in the visuals that just reek of history.
After driving through Yardley for about 90 minutes, I made my way back to Philadelphia, to see a few places I missed the previous day, including Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. Sadly, the Phillies were on the road, so it ended up being a rather lonely looking structure, but it was still impressive nonetheless.
I also got a chance to visit Penn's Landing, the waterfront area of the Center City along the Delaware River section of Philadelphia. Several historic ships are moored at Penn's Landing: the Moshulu is a floating restaurant; the World War II-era submarine USS Becuna and the Spanish-American War-era cruiser USS Olympia are part of the Independence Seaport Museum; and the Gazela is moored there by the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. Additionally, there is a ferry linking Penn's Landing with the Camden, New Jersey waterfront.
Then, it was off to Washington, DC (with a quick drive-through of Baltimore in the morning) ...
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