We stopped at the Bagel Factory where we had a hearty breakfast. It was pointed out that we were standing on a street that was used in the film National Treasure. After breakfast, we met with our Phily tour guide Joe Becton; a very charismatic man with a mine load of information in his noggin. We started our tour with Independence Hall perhaps the most important building in America because this was where our country was born. Mr. Becton told us many interesting stories about this historical landmark. The tour continued with a look outside the First Bank of the United States where we viewed one of the earliest versions of the National symbol. We also witnessed the symmetry in all the architecture inside and out. Of course, no tour of Philadelphia is complete without a visit to another famous symbol: the Liberty Bell. Let freedom ring!

After lunch, we visited the "Rocky" steps. As I climbed them, the Rocky theme song played in my head. We were moving so fast we didn't get a chance to get a picture with his statue. From there, we visited Benjamin Franklin's printing press shop where a ranger demonstrated how it worked. Before we left, he recited one of Ben's quotes "Do something worth the writing or write something worth the reading."  This is now my new favorite quote.

We finally made it to our hotel around 10:00 pm where we checked in and began the recovery process. Our hectic schedule doesn't give me much time to put my stories together but I will try to put down some quick thoughts about what I am seeing and doing and send them in when I can.