This is a cute and cozy coffee shop a few blocks away from where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is. If you're ever in town, check this place out. Really cozy inside and good selection of coffee, tea and baked goodies!
Like I mentioned, I first went to the Liberty Bell, which is in a little museum down the way from the Independence Hall where it used to hang. What surprised me the most was the symbolism of the bell and how it didn't just represent the early colonials who fought for Freedom from tyranny and oppression, but that its symbol then transformed to represent the African American slaves who fought for Freedom from oppression as well, and later on was used during World War 2 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and America went to war. In the 50's yet again the symbol of the Liberty Bell was used to represent the Women of America who fought for their Freedom and Right to vote. The Liberty Bell has become a a symbol of Liberty and in some ways even Peace, as people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have visited the Bell. The Liberty Bell is considered a sacred national treasure.
The Independence Hall was next, wow...Just wow. I couldn't believe I was walking the same halls, the same floors and the same rooms that the Founding Fathers paced countless times hundreds of years ago. To think that I was in the very room where they created and wrote the Declaration of Independence was really humbling and honoring. The tour was a little brief, but there were other buildings around to visit though my cousin and I only went through one which held the original 1 of 6 printings of the Declaration, which was the one actually made on July 4th, while the hand-written one that was signed by all the Founding Fathers, was made four days later on July 8th and is the more famous copy that is in Washington D.C.
Afterwards we had lunch and then boarded a bus tour that allowed you to hop off at certain stops and catch the next bus that came every 45 minutes. However we took the 4:00 one and unfortunately almost everything tourist-wise closes at 5 pm in Philly, which meant we could only get off at one stop. We chose the Art Museum, but...they were just 10 minutes from closing...but we got to explore the statue garden around and see the back and front of the Museum before catching the last tour bus to finish the tour.The tour bus was great, each bus had a tour guide who was lively, funny and very informative and gave us some really condensed mini history lessons about everywhere we went. It was really enjoyable and mind-blowing, the history of Philadelphia is phenomenal!!! I wish I could have spent at least one more day (and arrive earlier since we didn't get to Philly that day until 1 pm) and explore the National Constitution Center, the Penitentiary prison where Al Capon was once held, see the grave of Benjamin Franklin, where he used to live, and go through the Art Museum.
Alrighty, moving on to New York. This was much more stressful and a bit disappointing simply because it took FOREVER to get to New York, I think we arrived in the middle of Manhattan around 12:30, which meant the entire morning was wasted even though we had gotten up at 6 and left the house at 7 sharp. We missed the last connection train which would have gotten us there by 10:30, oh well. Second disappointment was when we realized that you need to reserve tickets that let you go INSIDE the Statue of Liberty at least ONE WEEK in advance. We could only get tickets that get to you Liberty Island. It wasn't terrible, my cousin was more pouty about it that I, I was actually just excited to see Lady Liberty. What a dame. She is so beautiful. As I got closer to her on the ferry I took countless pictures. When we landed ashore and got to walk around the pedestal I was constantly filled with an overwhelming sense of awe, beauty, honor, and appreciation that I came close to crying many times. I had seen her figure, her face, her silhouette, countless times, yet here I was standing before the most beautiful immortal woman in the world. She isn't static like most statues, Lady Liberty moves, forward, carrying a symbol of Light and Enlightenment, and then of Freedom to all those who were "weary and burdened", coming over the shores from the Old World. 
Afterwards was the 9-11 Memorial. Another slight disappointment. You also have to reserve tickets online unless you come really early and get some of the limited tickets, but for us it was already like 2 in the afternoon. But we did get to see some other things like the memorial to the firefighters. However, I don't know if I'd want to try to see the memorial again until all the construction is done because it take up almost the whole place.
Our next and final stop was the Empire State building. We were going to buy the regular tickets which gets you up to the 86th floor, but then upgraded to the 102nd floor ticket pass. If you ever go to the Empire state building and looking to save a bit on money, don't do the upgrade. It's only 6 floors higher and the view is from behind a window, not quite the same. Unless it's raining, not worth upgrading. You'll save yourself a bit of moola.
This view is from the 102nd floor, there is Central Park if you look closely off in the distance.There was so much more we wanted to see, like Times Square, Central Park, and the Brooklyn bridge, but it was getting late, we were so tired. We hadn't even been able to sit down and eat, everything we ate was something we could walk and eat with. We ate ice cream twice :P
By the time we finished with the Empire state building and got to the place where we could take a bus that went all the way to Philly, it was almost 7 pm. We had to wait for the bus which didn't come until 7:15 and didn't leave until 7:30. In the meantime I took some pictures of NY at night.
~ Keep in Touch
PS: If you're an assistant, are you in France yet? if so, how long have you been there for and in general how has your experience been so far?
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