Philadelphia- The Birthplace of Our Nation and Home of Cheese Steaks

Although our time was short in Philadelphia I already want to go back, preferably when it is warm. My mom and I flew up to attend the Justice Conference but we went a day early so that we could explore Philadelphia since we knew our conference schedule would be pretty busy.

Part of Philadelphia City Hall lit up at night. It was massive!

We stayed downtown in the center of it all at the Downtown Marriott (I like to pronounce it with a British accent similar to Downton Abbey) which connects to the Philadelphia Convention Center. This is a great location, especially if you don't have a lot of time and need to be close to it all.

The night we flew in we got there too late to go see anything but too early to just hang in the room or go to bed. Thankfully my mom is an awesome trip planner and found out that there was a Macy's across the street from our hotel. I know what you are probably thinking, "You go to a famously historic city and you go shopping?" Before you judge us for being shallow or unpatriotic or frivolous, let me explain.

Macy's in downtown Philadelphia has the largest functional pipe organ in existence. The organ was built in 1911 and has 30,000 pipes and sits right above the shoe department. The best part is, they have organists who play it twice a day Monday-Saturday, once in the morning and once in the evening.

My mom, a pianist who took organ lessons in college, loved it! It was probably the highlight of her trip. We were able to go and hear it played twice, and, yes, do a little shopping as well (only because they had an unbelievable sale going on though!).

The next day was our official "touring day." Although I'm sure many people think it is cheesy, our family has found that one of the best ways to see a city for the first time is to do a "hop on, hop off" bus tour. Our favorite is the Big Bus Company which has locations all over the world, including Philly. Unlike every other Big Bus Tour we have taken, which has been a double decker bus, our tour was on a trolly car. Later the tour guide explained that during the busy tour season they use the big double decker buses but during the off season they use the trollies because they are warmer. It was really cold so I didn't mind.

Our tour started right outside our hotel and took us by almost all of the famous sites and learned a lot of neat facts about Philadelphia. For example, the inventor of the game Monopoly was from there and that is where all of the railroads, the electric company and water works come from or that we get the word "penitentiary" from Philly's East Penitentiary because the Quakers would give each prisoner there a Bible and tell them they needed to ask for penance. These are some of the things we saw:

Me and the Rocky Statue

Betsy Ross's House

Benjamin Franklin's Grave- Awful picture but the best I could do. The tour guide said people leave pennies on his grave. Ironic since Franklin was the one who said, "A penny saved, a penny earned." 

We rode the trolley around straight through the first time and then got off at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was so cold we had to pretty much run from building to building.

Me and the Liberty Bell

Of course if you have read my previous blogs about DC or the Capitol you know how much I love historic sites. Philadelphia was no different. There is nothing quite like standing in the room where our nation's government began, where men, knowing the risk, made the decision to break away from tyranny and establish a "more perfect union." More simply put, there is nothing quite like standing in the footsteps of history.

Me at a Congressman's desk at the first House Chamber

Needless to say, we couldn't go to Philadelphia without getting a Philly Cheese Steak. We didn't have time to seek out the best in the city, but we were able to get one at Reading Terminal, which has hundreds of food vendors. Reading Terminal (pronounced "redding") is the former home of Reading Railroad, an actual train terminal that is now out of commission.

Our Philly Cheese Steak

Reading Terminal is also where you can find Bassett's Ice Cream, America's oldest ice cream company, which began making and selling ice cream in 1861. Naturally we had to have a taste and it didn't disappoint.

Bassett's Ice Cream

Yum!

Another great trip in the books! Can't wait to go back to Philly and explore some more!

The Justice Conference in Philadelphia!

So many of you may not know this but I am all about some justice. It is one of the things I am most passionate about in life. Even justice on TV shows. I love it. One of my family's favorite shows is NCIS and a huge part of that is because Gibbs is just and typically delivers justice in a one hour episode.

When looking at the darkness and horrors of the world, justice is what gives us hope. Hope that things will not always be dark and horrible. Hope that light is on the way. Hope that all of the wrongs will be righted. 

You don't have to look far to see injustice. It is everywhere and it can be a little overwhelming. So what do we do about it? 

Well that is why I am going to The Justice Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this February, to learn about the best ways to fight injustice, shine light in dark places, and help others do the same. 

They are going to have tons of different speakers from all walks of life who represent all types of people and organizations. For example some of the speakers I'm looking forward to hearing are Chai Ling from All Girls Allowed, who was a student leader at the Tiananmen Square protest in Beijing, China and now fights the injustice of China's One Child Policy and helps the victims of this brutal policy; or Sheryl WuDunn who, with her husband, wrote Half the Sky, and fights injustices against women around the world; and Gary Haugen, the President and CEO of the International Justice Mission, an international human rights organization that fights injustices like slavery, sexual exploitation, and oppression around the world, just to name a few. 

Chai Ling

To prepare I've been doing some research on the speakers and their organizations and have quite a reading list to complete before I leave. I've put it at the bottom of the page and put an Amazon link to the books on the right panel. So far I have only read A Heart for Freedom and am currently finishing When Helping Hurts, and recommend both, but I have also heard great reviews on the others from people who have read them. Maybe I will post some reviews or something later. Also, if you're not much of a reader, the documentary Half the Sky is on Netflix! Be sure to watch it too! 

The conference also include tons of exhibitors like Toms, Hope International, and Food for the Hungry, World Vision, again, just to name a few. 

In addition to all of this, I'm excited about going to Philadelphia! What better place to have a conference on justice than the home of liberty itself?!  My mom and I have our Philadelphia guidebook and have been googling where to find the best Philly Cheesesteak! If you have ever been and have some "Must Sees" leave a comment or send a message.  

The Liberty Bell

For more info on The Justice Conference, click here. 
And be sure to check back later for my post about Philly! I can't wait!

My reading list before the conference:

• A Heart for Freedom by Chai Ling 
• When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert
• Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
• Global Soccer Mom: Changing the World is Easier Than You Think by Shayne Moore