Philly

We arrived in Philadelphia and it was strangely quiet on the roads.  For a city this big, it didn't feel right that there was so little traffic.  It turns out we hadn't chosen the best time to be traveling through this city at all.  We had arrived the day before Pope Francis was meant to be visiting the city with President Obama.... we're both geniuses who have done nowhere near enough research.

Still, it helped that there were so people out and about in the city as it meant that we were able to get to our accommodation quickly.  People were clearly worried about the huge rush of people the next day as the city did feel largely deserted.  We hopped on the local train and headed into the city centre.  There we found more people, and we were told by some friendly policemen that cars had been banned from the entire city centre.  It made for an eery walk around the streets of Philadelphia.  We made our way towards Independence Hall, where the declaration of independence was signed.  As we got closer, there were more crowds and by the time we arrived there were huge throngs of people all looking to see some history like us.

The line for the Liberty Bell was painfully long, and we didn't have the time, so we skipped it.  Instead we went straight into the historic halls and rooms where the most powerful country in the world was born.  In the hall where the constitutional convention took place, the guide pointed out where all the famous founding fathers sat, and pointed towards Benjamin Franklin's seat on which his cane still rested.  Whether this was actually his cane is probably up for debate, as I can't imagine something like that being left out in the open for all to see and potentially steal.

We walked through the whole area and soaked up the incredible history and importance of the place.  This was where it all began.  This was the location of the creation of "America".  For all of its problems as a country, the ideals that this country was founded upon are truly incredible and should be lauded and strived towards to this day.

Outside and away from this area, the streets were still incredibly calm.  The city really had been completely emptied of its inhabitants, even though the shops and restaurants were all still open.  We sat down for a coffee and looked out towards the emptiness.  The city was so peaceful and calm, it almost looked like a stage set that was out of use.

We wanted to go up to the museum where Rocky ran up the steps, but the whole area was shut down in anticipation of the Pope's visit.  Instead, we decided to go for a walk across the Benjamin Franklin bridge.  There were some cars driving across (not many) and there was the occasional person also wandering around.  One young guy was happily taking photos and he was nice to enough to take a photo of Rehan and I as we stood on the near abandoned bridge.  The bridge took us all the way over to a different state!  On the other side we were in Camden, New Jersey.  Camden is effectively a suburb of Philadelphia, albeit a poorer and less affluent one.  It was literally walking distance, but that bridge kept two worlds apart.  The central part of Philadelphia is beautiful and modern, but over in Camden we were standing in front of government housing and a generally run down neighbourhood.  As we stood around looking at our phones to read more about where we were, we found that Camden is considered to be one of the murder capitals of the US.... lovely.

After finding an uber who would take us back to Philadelphia, we circled continuously around the city.  The driver's GPS kept resetting as he tried to get us to where we wanted to go when it was painfully obvious that the roads were blocked.  Eventually we convinced him to stop so that we could get out and walk.  The city was still open, and we walked down the middle of deserted streets of an otherwise "living city".  Other people seemed to also revel in this strange sight as they lounged around the middle of the streets and took photos like we did.

As it grew later, we got hungry.  I new exactly what I wanted.  I wanted a cheesesteak.  I had read all about them since I was young and I had even tried to make them on occasion, but I had never actually "had" one, not a genuine one.  Everytime I made a cheesesteak at home, following a recipe, I was ultimately only making the dish to my own personal taste and preferences, rather than what it should be.  We went to South Street, the bar district of Philadelphia and went into the famous Jim's.  There was a huge operation set up for the creation of hundreds (if not thousands) of cheesesteaks a night.  Tonight, it was almost empty and Rehan and I were able to get our cheesesteaks without having to lineup.  I went for the classic and went upstairs to eat.  With the first bite, I knew that this was different to anything I had ever made.  The bread was softer, the meat saltier and the cheese was greasier.  It was fantastic.  This was junk food.  It wasn't something that was meant to be fancy or eaten in any fine dining manner.  It tasted real and like something that was made on an old grill, with all the flavours of that grill adding to the sandwich in front of me.  I ate it quickly and went downstairs to get another one.

We walked back along South Street.

This was seemingly the only lively part of town.  There were bars everywhere and people inside laughing and screaming.  It seemed to be on the edge of rough and grunge.  Inside of the different places we looked at, the people were dressed in rock and roll t-shirts and scruffy jeans, but it was hard to tell whether they were trying for a hipster vibe or if the places were actually dive bars.  We found the place with the best vibe and started drinking.  The atmosphere was great and the bar staff were actively engaging with all the patrons in a way I've never seen in Australia.  They were part of the party and they were having a great time.  One of the bar girls was a redhead dressed in a rockabilly style which seemed ideal for the location.  She seemed to be enjoying herself as much as anyone else there and was clearly the main attraction for most of the guys there.

We stayed there most of the night.  The beers were cheap and party kept getting louder as more and more people came in looking for something to do in this otherwise quietened city.