Philly the city of brotherly love

RJ and I had an adventure today. For his birthday we went to Philly.  He slept the entire way down to the city.

  First stop the Eastern state Penitentiary. Some facts about this prison: it was the first true penitentiary, was the most famous (thanks to Al Capone & Slick Willie Sutton), most expensive prison, designed to look like a wagon wheel, and was in operation from 1829 to 1971.  Today it is both a haunting experience of cold chilly corridors and crumbling cell walls.  You can take a self guided tour, if you can keep yourself concentrated on the narration from Steve Buscemi (the actor). My ADHD couldn't keep the brain concentrating on what Steve had to say. So with that said, I would like to go back and have the Guided Tour instead of the self guided tour.

*typical boy needing to take a picture of the most important thing in a cell, the toilet. Have a budding photographer. 

Completed the tour and off we went in search of ROCKY statue.  Sadly RJ has only seen Rocky 4. Who starts with the 4th movie in the franchise.? So I told him about the run to the top of the stairs, all 72 steps.

Off RJ went, running the steps to the very top, all the way to the top. Here's the proof. Stallone eat your heart out, RJ is the next champ.

Continuing on the tour of the western part of the city free hot spots. 

 The Ericsson Fountain. The water look so inviting on this sunny hot day.  Then off to try a REAL Philly Cheesteak at Mace's Crossing restaurant/pub. It's an old tavern surrounded by modern buildings. There's a small outdoor patio, and its shaded.  Oh RJ did finish the entire sandwich. But didn't finish his lemonade so he put it into his water bottle for later.

Now that we are refreshed it off to check out different statues and have fun doing visual prospective. The thinker at the Rodin Museum.

The Swann Fountain in Logan Square. RJ with others waded in the water for some relief of the hot day.

Then onto Love park, Board Game Art park, and the Masonic Library before heading back to the car. 

It was a long day but a fun filled day. Now to sit in traffic or take route 611 and then 202 back into Jersey.  Here are some miscellaneous pictures.

 

           

 Until next time Philly, from a tired RJ and his driver.

Until the next adventure.