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Today was a whirlwind! We departed New Jersey and then drove through Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia! We began the day by saying goodbye to our New Jersey hotel and its delicious omelette bar. We hit the road for Philadelphia a little before 9. We were on the road for a few hours and refreshed our history by watching National Treasure 😊
Our first stop in Philadelphia was a great little restaurant and market area called Reading Terminal. Several of us enjoyed an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, which of course includes cheez-whiz! Pennsylvania is also home to a large Amish community, so lots of us enjoyed some delicious whoopie pies, cakes, and cookies! They were incredible!
After lunch we headed to Independence Hall which is where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution was written. Talk about bringing history to life! We got to stand in the room where our founding fathers signed the resolution to become independent from England which gave way to our great nation. Much of the building is original, but most of the original furniture was burned when the city was occupied by the British during the War of 1812. One original
piece is the chair that George Washington used when he presided over the Constitutional Convention. On the chair is a carving of the sun. Your homework tonight is to find out if it is a rising or a setting sun and who made that determination. We were also able to see an original Broadside of the Declaration of Independence and George Washington's copy of the Constitution during the Constitutional Convention. The history geek in all of us definitely came out!
Next up was the Constitution Center which was a short walk from Independence Hall. The experience at the Constitution Center began with a multimedia presentation about the founding of our country. There was a live narrator in a round theater with lights, video, and audio recordings to tell the story of our nation's beginnings. After the presentation, we were able to explore an interactive museum about the Constitution, Bill of RIghts, and several other government topics. The interactive element was very neat and really got our kids involved.
Our last stop on Philadelphia was at the Liberty Bell. The line was a little long, but we made it in to see one of the great American icons. There
is a short self guided museum that tells the story of the bell and it is on display at the end. We used our numbers to overwhelm everyone else to get an awesome picture with the bell! If you look in the background of the picture, you can see Independence Hall. Very cool! We then said goodbye to Philadelphia and hit the road for Washington, DC.
Traffic was slightly uncooperative but we made it to our dinner and shopping stop at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. It overlooks the beautiful Potomac River and across from historic Alexandria, VA. It was a wonderful stop with great food and shopping. Overall a perfect end to a great day. We hope you enjoyed our day 5 happenings because we definitely did! Now for some much needed rest!
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