Philadelphia: A Brief Afternoon Visit to Independence Hall & the Liberty Bell

 

Before attending the Seal concert, we had a few hours to visit the city of Philadelphia. My son had come here a few times, but we had not really visited the city extensively, or anything. It seemed to me that we should visit the most famous - and arguably, the most important  - site in the city: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, which is right across the street. 

When I was younger, the era of the American Revolution, or the War of American Independence, as it is also sometimes called, fascinated me. I wanted to visit every significant historical place where these events played out. I wanted to read the important works and words of the leading figures of that revolutionary time and spirit. 

Philadelphia has a bit of that. Independence Hall is, obviously, where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated, and most famously, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was where the Second Continental Congress convened. Originally, it was the Pennsylvania State House, and served as the de facto Congress when Philadelphia was the capital of the new country shortly after independence was achieved, and Independence Hall was at the center of all of this. 

The first time that I personally visited this place was, I believe, with my grandparents. They took us here, and I remember being fascinated by being so up close to the famous Liberty Bell, specifically. I came here again with my then wife in 2002, and we saw the Liberty Bell, although this time, it was at night, and we only saw it from the outside. That was the last time that I remember seeing the Liberty Bell until this trip, although my son and I saw Independence Hall a couple of times back in 2015. First, to see the Tall Ships, then again, when Pope Francis delivered a message in front of Independence Hall (see pictures below). 

We had enough time to visit during this trip. So we walked around, more or less finding ourselves where we had been some years ago for the Papal address, then walking next to the Constitution Center, looking at the outdoor exhibits (the interior was already closed for the day). At the end, nearby the Independence Hall, is where the new location for the Liberty Bell is. The last time I had seen it, it had been in a small room surrounded by glass on almost all side, if I recall correctly. Now, it was part of the larger building. Shortly after that visit back in 2002 which I already mentioned, somebody had had an accident and had apparently gone into that building. The Liberty Bell itself was not damaged, but it easily could have been. At first, I remember some people wondering if it had been a terrorist act. Remember, this was less than a year after the September 11th attacks. It wasn't, and was just a misfortune, an accident. But they decided to put the Liberty Bell is a safer location, more protected. That it is, although at least you can still see it from the outside. Which was good and proved useful, since we could not access the interior of the building by the time that we got there. I believe that this was the first time that my son had seen the Liberty Bell. 

Philadelphia, to me, is a bit of a strange town. It has a rough reputation, and this can be understood. There are definitely some rough neighborhoods, and there also is a tension which exerts itself rather infamously in other ways, particularly their reputation for having some of the craziest and nastiest sports fans in North America. I feel that this is actually well-earned, to boot. Yet, there is another side to Philadelphia. There are neighborhoods which have retained their colonial era feel. Cobbled streets and red brick buildings and cozy, leafy parks. The City Hall is still quite impressive, even if it is now significantly dwarfed by the growing skyline of soaring skyscrapers which surround it. There are wide lane roadways, most famously Broad Street, which have the European tradition of offering a glimpse of a famous landmark (again, the City Hall) from quite far away. There are areas with museums and water fountains, such as Logan Square, which again, feel quite charming and look attractive. In the distance, you can see the Museum which Rocky Balboa raced atop the stairs of. In short, Philadelphia can be an attractive city. 

It was nice enough, anyway, for my son to say that he wanted to explore the City of Brotherly Love more. That would be fine by me. I have been here a number of times, dating back to when I was a kid, then going a number of times (for separate reasons) in the nineties, and again a number of times in the 2000's and 2010's. We went to Philadelphia last year for Les Misérables, although we hardly got to explore the city then. And even though we got to visit it a little bit more this time around, it was not nearly enough, although my son does feel like this was an "authentic Philadelphia experience," in his word. We capped the night off with a Philadelphia Cheesesteak and, of course, the concert.

Below are some of the pictures which I took. Enjoy!

This is what it reads: 

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY     

DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE ORDER B'NAI B'RITH AND ISRAELITES OF AMERICA    

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

My son posing next to the Statue of Commodore Barry, near Independence Hall, 2023:

My son posing next to the Statue of Commodore Barry, near Independence Hall, 2015:

Some other pictures from previous trips to Philadelphia:

November 2022 for Les Misérables:

Papal Visit, September 2015: 

Enjoying ice cream next to the Delaware River, with New Jersey on the other side:

Attending a concert for The Who, 2019:

The Who Moving On Live at Citizens Bank Park

2015 for the Tall Ships:

 Pictures of Logan Square, Philadelphia, circa 2012: