Trip high point number 2: From Rockville, Maryland, we drove on to Ebright Azimuth, Delaware's highest point, at 448 feet. The sign lists an extremely precise 447.85 feet, but who's counting? This is the second lowest of all the state high points, subceeded only by Florida's 345-foot Britton Hill. Google Maps has the site listed as a “mountain peak.” Ha!
Jana prepares to photograph Delaware's high point
A sign celebrating Delaware's apogee is proudly displayed next to a bench alongside an empty field. There's an official geodetic marker about 25 feet south of the sign at a cutout in the sidewalk. A neighboring field houses a fire tower, but it's not open to the public, so we had to content ourselves with the view from the “hill.” No supplemental oxygen required!
Jana and Tom at Delaware's peak
Tom's toes at the top
Fire tower, Ebright Azimuth, Delaware
In the afternoon, we visited Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania, spending a couple of hours driving the self-guided Encampment Tour, with all its various stops. Valley Forge was the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Then it was cold, but today it was HOT.
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Tom defends the Continental Army
Replica army huts
National Memorial Arch
The army huts in Valley Forge Park are reproductions, but George Washington's headquarters still stands and is about 70 percent original, including the actual handrail that the general would have used while traversing the stairs. The park rangers made a big deal of this, so I made sure to rub all over the handrail so I could touch where the great man himself had, before immediately washing my hands to rid myself of 250 years of germs from those who had done the same.
George Washington's Valley Forge headquarters
Office space of Washington and his staff
Dramatization
The man, the myth, the legend
The last stop on the Encampment Tour was Washington Memorial Chapel. The building is a national memorial honoring George Washington and also an active Episcopal Church. The stained glass is amazing. The bell tower is home to the Justice Bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell (without the crack) that traveled Pennsylvania between 1915 and 1920 in support of women's suffrage.
Washington Memorial Chapel
Inside the chapel
Justice Bell
From Valley Forge, it was a short drive through heavy traffic into the heart of Philadelphia – 22 miles in 90 minutes. City life! Still, it was far less nerve-wracking than driving through Atlanta. Once we parked the car in Philly, we didn't move it for two days.
Lodging: City Center airbnb, at the corner of North 12th and Wood Streets, just north of Philadelphia's Chinatown. A nicely updated apartment within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and the historic center of the city. It was reasonably priced and – best of all – included a dedicated parking spot mere steps from the front door. We stayed here two nights.
City Center airbnb
Apartment #4
Updated and comfortable
Dinner: Iron City Brewery and Restaurant on Market Street, half a mile south of our airbnb. We both ordered salads – look at us being healthy on vacation – but with meat, of course, and also a couple of beers. Delish!
Entangled bodies supporting a small bridge
Philadelphia City Hall
City Hall Tower
The brewpub wasn't far from Independence National Historic Park, “The most historic square mile in Philadelphia.” After dinner, we decided to walk over and see how things looked after dark.
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence. Its original location was the steeple of Independence Hall, and it now resides in its own visitor center right across the street. The bell is visible behind glass walls and is nicely lit at night.
Liberty Bell
Philadelphia's Independence Hall was originally the Pennsylvania State House and is the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. The building also served as the first capitol of the United States.
Independence Hall
Philly is home to one of the largest Chinatown's in the US. It's anchored on its south end by a 40-foot-tall Friendship Arch that was a gift from Philadelphia's sister city, Tianjin, China. Today, Philadelphia's Chinatown isn't solely Chinese but more broadly Asian-American. It's a colorful and lively neighborhood.
Gateway to Chinatown
Fire-breathing fire station mascot