Philadelphia

I've never had a burning desire to spend much time in any of the major cities on the East coast, however, a trip a couple of years ago to Boston and a recent trip to Philadelphia have me changing my mind. The area is full of U.S. history.

I only had about an hour to kill on a recent Saturday morning in Philadelphia so I decided I would go downtown and see the Liberty Bell. As I pulled into the area, I noticed that security was very tight. There were 2-3 police officers standing on every corner and a police car parked at every traffic light.

I turned into a parking garage underneath the Independence Hall Visitor Center and ventured toward the Liberty Bell. Much to my chagrin it was cordoned off and closed.

Turns out my short visit to Philadelphia coincided with a visit from Prince Charles. All the sights were closed until after his visit. I was able to see the Liberty Bell through the large glass windows from the street corner, and I took a few minutes to walk over to the courtyard behind Independence Hall. After that I returned to the Visitor Center where I spent 30-45 minutes. The short visit whetted my appetite for a chance to come back and spend more time in the area where our country's forefathers forged our nation.

Note: Most of the attractions around Independence Hall are part of a national park, and there is no charge for admission. The only cost I had was for my parking.