Philly! Day 9

[Day 9; 17th Nov]

COLD. At least my fingers, toes, ears and nose thought so, the minute we walked out of 1811 - Belgravia, on our way to Old City. The east-ish part of Philly.

The first attraction we visited was the City Hall. I just love the architecture (it’s the tallest&largest masonry building in the world, having no steel frame and being built in 30 years!) and the trees all around it. Yes, the bare, seemingly lifeless trees really take my breath away(:
LOVE park was next. You know the famous LOVE sign was originally designed and placed in this park! They now have one in Orchard Road I think? We stopped by at Reading Terminal Market for lunch at about 2pm and we had GOOD FOOD. Pulled pork from Dinic’s and Philly’s Famous CHEESESTEAK (=

I had terrible cramps today (2nd day!!! Screamsss) which brought about bad moods and a grumpy Ash. While the rest of the family went jolly-walking around the market. We came across this Amish Corner and got dessert! That little pick-me-up came in the form of a Caramel Pecan Cheese Pudding ;) sweet, cold, smooth and cheesy. From Reading Terminal Market on 12th Street, we walked for what seemed forever, to 4th Street – Old City.

We passed by the Mint, the National Constitution Centre and Betsy Ross’ house (once owned by the seamstress who was believed to have sewn the first Stars&Stripes!). Elfreth’s alley was next. It was a quaint street, still tiled with cobblestone and lined with brick houses. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the country, dating back to the early 1700s.

I still felt pretty crappy the whole time walking, especially in the friggin cold wind. Biting at my face and hands… We found ourselves at Christ Church next. The bare trees swinging at the wind’s mercy caught my eyes again, even before the Georgian-Style church did. Christ Church's congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Revolutionary War leaders also attended Christ Church such as George Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross. INTERESTING. Haha

It was almost 5 (time when most shops/attractions close) when we walked into the Liberty Bell Centre. Another building that held loads of history, it appealed more to the Americans I guess (as an icon of the American Revolutionary War)? It was just cool to know that the writing on the bell was quoted from the Bible(: Leviticus 25:10, it reads: Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof. A crack down the centre is its most well-known feature, ironically caused by an attempt to fix a smaller crack that first appeared.

As the sunset, we walked back (14 streets!! Grrr.) to the apartment for warmth and awaited dinner.

Five Guys (famous for burgers) was our chosen place for dinner! It was pretty good, seeing that toppings (like mushrooms, onions, lettuce and all) are free! We walked around a bit after dinner, and we went for GELATO! Oh please, don’t give me that WHAT?-it’s-so-cold-and-you-wanna-eat-ice-cream?! look. It’s always a MUST to eat ice-cream during winter. Heh. I had mascarpone, Bryan had Cranberry, my cousin chose pear bourbon.

Night-time came and we met with my cousin’s house-mate. CUTE. Hhahaha! =p independent and capable too! He’s like 22 and has got a stable job as a financial consultant. Don’t judge me and assume he’s ang moh, cos he’s a Malaysian Chinese.

Alrighty, going to bed now!