The Trip to Philadelphia

This trip to Philly was marred by two events: AJ decided at the last minute not to come and Andy left his iPad in a Philly taxi.  Damn.  This was supposed to be a pleasant little side trip to visit Andy's godson Eddie and his family but things don't always turn out the way we planned it. It was also our first time on the Bolt Bus. This service charges $10.00 per person New York- Philadelphia and $12.00 per person Philadephia-New York. Why is it more expensive going back the other way? [My cousin says it's because the tolls for entering New York City are more expensive for buses.]

Pick up point @34th Street & Eighth Ave.

On Tuesday, we boarded the bus outside the Tick Tock Diner at the corner of 34th Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. We discovered to our pleasant surprise that this was a new bus equipped with WiFi. Andy and I checked mail. Richard wrote he'd invited AJ to dinner. No longer worried our offspring might starve, we settled back to watch From Paris With Love a John Travolta movie. He seems to favor playing characters like Chili Palmer in Pulp Fiction but this  is one too many repeats; this one lacked Chili's suave mayhem.  We didn't finish the movie. At the time we didn't know that this photograph would be the last one of the iPad.

The unlucky iPad

We crawled through Manhattan traffic and didn't leave the city for more than an hour. As a result we arrived in Philly an hour late. Eddie and Phyllis picked us up at JFK and North 30th Street then took us back to their house. They have a bi-coastal family, living 6 months of the year with their son in Pennsylvania and another 6 months in California with their daughter.

The House

Phyllis and Eddie

Aidan and Andy

Ethan and Vatinee with Eddie

On Wednesday Eddie, Phyllis, Andy and I went into Philadelphia to visit the Independence National Historical Park where we saw the Liberty Bell and where the Declaration of Independence was signed. I learned one thing: the Declaration wasn't signed on July 4th, 1776, the day we call Independence Day.

Independence National Historical Park

 Koko posed with the Liberty Bell.

Koko with the Liberty Bell...

...and the continental soldier

We broke for lunch. We clambered into a taxi and went for Philly Cheese Steaks. I told you I'm learning to eat beef! When we got out at Pat's that was when we discovered Andy had left his backpack with the iPad inside it in the taxi. Since our e-mail accounts were entered into the iPad, we've had to change all the passwords. Also gone for good: Andy's glasses and the cables for his iPhone and Canon camera.

Just one Philly cheesesteak is longer than Koko...

After lunch, we left messages with all the cab companies to try and find the backpack. Meanwhile, we completed our tour of the park.

Cos the guide holding forth on how the republic began

Copy of the Declaration of Independence in the room where it was drafted

That evening, Diana came to dinner. We had a good long talk and Diana brought me two books to read. She knows I spend too much time reading about teaching and learning English. Reading should be fun too. Diana promised to come and see us in New York City--I hope it will be soon. On Thursday morning, we took the Bolt Bus back to Manhattan. As usual, it was late. We waited for the bus at the intersection of JFK and North 30th Street, exactly where Eddie and Phyllis had picked us up. Here, the squat square Amtrak Station is stolidly anchored to the land, ferrying people to and fro. Whereas this glass building seems to be about to lift off.

There must be some significance to all this, but I can't think what that might be.

As the philosopher of Greenbow, Alabama once said, "S*** happens."

Flight