From the Chamonix Mansion, in the countryside near Philadelphia (only have a couple of minutes before I have to catch the bus)…
I’m passing through Philadelphia, a fascinating city. As I was told, by my gregarious in-keeper (a history junkie) at the hostel, Pennsylvania has a great history. Here’s the super-short version of how it was established:
In the 17th cenury, England was having a civil war. Puritans won, old king is beheaded, etc etc. The new king was put in by a group of quakers, one of which was Admiral Penn. Penn received a big land gift in the new world from the new king. Penn had a troublesome son who believed in peace, William Penn. The quakers wanted to establish a colony of peace.
So, they’re sitting around a table in London planning the new colony. They were going to call it Sylvania – wooded land. But, as a not to Penn, they called it Pennsylvania, which means Penn-woods. They wanted to build a city that would be clean (unlike London) and free of fires (unlike London). So, they made it square, with wide streets: easy for cleaning and protecting from fires.
Here’s some shots from around the city (MORE TO COME SOON):
street scene in south Philly
Shoe scraper
Old town street near independence hall
i love the flower petals by the boot scraper. great photos. wish i were there with you.
robin! just thought i’d say hello! i saw your blog on stephanie brubaker’s website….hope you guys are doing well…looks like you’re having lots of fun!
Scott I love Philadelphia too. The museum there is a gem. The city is steeped in history making it very interesting. And we cannot forget the cheesesteaks. yum. Although given your red meat thing these days (I’m not knockin’ it–it’s a great thing!) I doubt you sampled any. Am I right? I really want to live in that home above–cobblestone streets, wow! That would do a number on my double stroller.
Cool. What are you doing in Philly?
I got a friend in Delaware County who’s Italian grandparents used to live in South Philly.
Nice to see the pics.
Shoe scrapers should be found more often.