The Pony Express - Part 5

It rained - albeit a slight drizzle. The sky was awfully cloudy. The weather forecasts had predicted showers on a Sunday, but knowing the accuracy of these back home, I never thought much of them. I was proved wrong. Perhaps this is what they call “April Showers”.

Philadelphia reminded me of San Francisco. We walked around for four hours around the Independence State Park. The city is covered in red – red brick structures dot the street sides of the Independence State Park. There are tourists everywhere. The omnipresent Chinese is ever clicking photographs featuring the whole family. They always inspire me, never hesitating to click a photograph. Philadelphia forms an integral part of the history of American Independence, and every icon associated with the image of independence is celebrated here. At the centre lies the Independence Plaza housing the famed Liberty Bell. Behind it, stands the Independence Hall. Take a walk around these places and you would find other icons of American Independence such as the house where Betsy Ross lived - she stitched the first ever American Flag, the grave of Benjamin Franklin and Franklin Court. Ben Franklin gets a little too much attention all around this place. The stars and stripes flutter from everywhere, quite contrary to our country where the common man does not have the right to fly the national flag.

On the banks of the Delaware, overlooking the Benjamin Franklin (again) Bridge is Penn’s Landing – the place where William Penn is supposed to have docked. The beautiful Columbus Boulevard lines the waterfront, and across the river, sprawls New Jersey. As you enter the waterfront, the barque Gazela catches the eye. A group of people were at work on the vessel. Built in 1901, Gazela was brought to Philadelphia in 1971, and is maintained by volunteers of the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. Further up the waterfront stands a multi-tier amphitheater. Kids were enjoying the evening, chasing pigeons. We decided to end our walk here. Further along, beyond the Independence Seaport Museum, stands the huge baroque, Moshulu, used as a floating restaurant. The USS Becuna and the USS Olympia are also moored as part of the Museum.

The drive to and from Philly took more time than the four hours we spent in the city, as we kept taking wrong turns on the highways. We never had a GPS, and hence relied on Google Maps. Unfortunately, the directions we took from Google Maps pointed to some obscure shopping mall in the outskirts, leading to further confusion. But then the world is not flat (never mind Thomas Friedman), and you can always end up where you started. The irony was that, finally when we got hold of a map, we found that we never needed to take the highways.

Quote of the Day:
Me: “Do you think the FBI or the CIA would be spying on us now?”
Sandil: “No. They are not that intelligent”

Pic of the Day: Late for dinner...