Week 2

Most people beleive that you need to go out of the United States to go see something historical or beautiful but that is most certainly not the case. This past week I had many adventures to countless historical places and things you would never see anywhere else. This last week we went to the independent Philadelphia, the sunny Sea Isle City, the Victorian Cape May, and the exhilarating Wildwood. No reading, shows, or gaming but I will give a small update! So without further adieu, lets get to week 2!

Trips:
           Philadelphia- Our journey started at the Philadelphia International Airport. Picked up one passenger and a pup. We decided to go into the city that day. Drove by the stadiums and into downtown through Chinatown. We finally got to park across the street from Macy's (formerly and forever known as Wannamakers) and got started on our journey. We walked into my favorite building in the city, City Hall. The architecture on that building blows my mind everytime I see it. So intricate and unique!

On the other side we attempted to go to Love Park but it was no more. My mother delightfully told me the next day "Oh yea, they did take that down didn't day?" So we settled for Dilworth Circle instead. It was very urban and not much of a park but would be great for events! So adventure took us the other way down market street, past many historical buildings made into various commercial restaurants and businesses. It blows my mind that an amazing old building is being used as a Subway... when Philadelphia has some of the best hoagies in the world! We finally got to our destination the "Independence Beer Garden" which I will go into more depth in the food section.

Independence Hall is an awesome place. In the middle of this sprawling Metropolis is the birthplace of this country. The building in which the Declaration of Independence was written is still there and is crowded almost every day of the week. An amazing square surrounds it filled with history. Around it is of course Independence Hall, cobblestone streets, the Liberty Bell, Portrait Gallery, Constitution Center, President's house, and the 2nd Bank of the United States. Now throughout all of this there are cars going by and modern buildings surrounding it but it's a little slice of history in a modern city.

So we ventured on to Benjamin Franklin's gravesite. On a small side street there is a wall surrounding Christ Church Burial Ground built in 1710. There before us lay one of the most important men to Philadelphia and our country. Never a president, but always pushing this country forward through science, business, international relations, and spreading news throughout the 13 colonies. A few more blocks down from the burial ground is the Betsy Ross house. The creator of modern American flag lived in one of my favorite cities! All of this in one of the biggest cities in the United States, one of the oldest cities in the United States, and one of the best cities in the United States.

          Sea Isle City: That night we made it to Sea Isle City, New Jersey. We decided to take a walk down to the beach with the pup. As soon as we got to the end of the road I saw something standing on the top of the dune. It looked like a house cat but was too big. Then I remembered there was a fox who lived in the dunes so I thought it was him. We pushed forward up the path and the pup was not liking it. We saw it move and the tail was not a fox tail and if we walked toward the fox it would have ran away. So we picked up the pup and tried to lure it into the light but with no success. After telling the family about our sighting and some extensive smartphone research we decided that it was a bobcat. The next day we walked down to the beach and saw the usual suspects at the beach, seagulls, dolphins, a turtle, and a horseshoe crab. But nothing was as exciting as a bobcat at the jersey shore. If you see her! Her name is Bobbi the Bobcat.

        Cape May: Cape May is a beautiful town. It's an old town; and it's an interesting town. I feel like there is plenty of things to do in that town but not much to do at all. The beach is amazing but if you go to the beach at any other shore town then you've seen it. The real highlight of Cape May are the buildings. So many colorful Victorian homes and hotels. Are main destination was the Congress Hall Hotel. So much history and stories in that place that it would take years to tell them all.

We took a carriage tour to hear more about the town and history of the town. Started as a whaling town, and it used to be North Cape May (South Cape May is completely underwater now) so some of the houses have been relocated into the historic district. Our favorite house was the house Ulysses S. Grant used as a summer home where an underground tunnel connected it to another hotel. This was used as an underground railroad as well. After a long day of shopping and sightseeing we decided to be a little more adventurous for our next destination.

              Wildwood: The Wildwood boardwalk is one of the most colorful places I've ever been, and I'm not talking about the buildings. The people there are great but sometimes insane. We decided to do some rides after walking past countless tram-cars. First up was the Ferris wheels, one of the biggest in New Jersey and one of my favorite roller coasters "The Great White".

The great white has so many memories attached to it and it did not disappoint. It is a classic track under the boardwalk, over the beach and close to the ocean. Quick and smooth the Great White is a jersey shore classic! Finally done for the day we headed back so Sea Isle for a meal at Carmen's.

Food:

          Independence Beer Garden has an amazing location wrapped around the bottom of some buildings. Right across from Independence Hall, there are chairs, bars, stools, benches, and every manner of seats and games. We found a nice shady spot and ordered. We decided on herb popcorn and picked chips. The herb popcorn was interesting to say the least. The oil on it had a unique flavor but made the popcorn soggy. I would order it again but share it with a bunch of people. Fried pickles are fried pickles, not much to say there. The highlight of the meal was my Shiner Prickly Pear beer. The more I drank the more I enjoyed it! It was a very mild flavor that complemented the beer flavor. Delicious and super refreshing.

               Ugly Mug: In the middle of the shopping center in Cape May is a little bar and grille called the Ugly Mug. Inside there are mugs on the wall commemorating the Cape May fisherman's club and the best beer foam blowers. If the mug was facing inland, the sailor was alive; if it was facing the ocean the sailor was deceased. In this great atmosphere; I ordered a fried oyster sandwich. Fried Oyster, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a Kaiser roll with a side of pickles and cole slaw. A great meal for mid day at the jersey shore. Simple and delicious.

As of now I am reading "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I am on my way to the 8th gym in Pokémon Heart Gold. and I am halfway through season 1 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Reviews of them will be up as I finish.

Well that's the extent of the week! Hope you enjoyed hearing about various places and things I've went and saw this week. Please follow us on twitter and Instagram and like our Facebook page. There will be more pictures and information up on these pages during the week and in between posts. Please contact us or ask any questions or suggestions for future trips! Thanks again for the support and reading every week!

                                               All the best, Ross