An Overnight in Philly With Kids
Staying at the Hyatt Regency in Penn's Landing--a beautiful spot right on the water--we were in walking distance from all of the historic sites in the Old City. Our timing couldn't have been better. It is the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin, so there was a fascinating exhibit devoted to his life at the new National Constitution Center. Okay, I was more interested in learning about Franklin's life as a diplomat and city leader, but the kids enjoyed Franklin's "invention"--a chair that Franklin equipped with a little step attached to a fan overhead. So when you sat on the chair, tapped your foot, a fan would blow over your head. I had to literally pry them out of the chairs. The permanent exhibit at the National Constitution Center is a tour through American history, with more than a hundred interactive exhibits and artifacts, including the tape of the McCarthy hearing, voting booths, and a chance to play out being on the Supreme Court.
Yes, we also visited the Liberty Bell and walked around Independence Hall, where the Constitution was drafted and signed, and the Declaration of Independence was adopted, but the unexpected highlight of our stay a visit to two 18th century houses. The first was at Elfreth's Alley, a cobblestone street that is among the oldest, continuously occupied street in the country (since 1713, according to our guide).
One of the houses is the "museum," and the tour of the house--about 20 minutes--captivated the kids--and me. Most old homes that have been preserved (and opened to the public) are the houses of the rich, but Elfreth Alley was where the working class lived. The house we toured was tiny; the people lived , ate, and worked in one room. (A kitchen was added to the house a hundred or so years later.)
The house was three stories because families took in boarders or shared with other families, so when the family on the third floor walked downstairs they walked through the living quarters of another family. My kids were fascinated with the fact that the families also had to poop and pee in a little bowl and then carry the bowl down the block to a narrow alley, where they emptied its contents into a hole--near the well.
We had thought about going to visit Betsy Ross House after, but the guide said not to bother. It's not even her real house (her house was torn down), and serious historians doubt that she sewed the flag anyway (a fact that my older daughter kept reminding me of). He recommended visiting the Powell House, the home of Philadelphia's first mayor and one of the richest men in the country.
My daughters kept agitating for ice cream instead, but we found ourselves looking up at Powell House, a beautiful, genteel home in Society Hill, they agreed. It was a study in contrasts: Powell's home was lavish (decorated with many artifacts that had been handed down from relatives, including gifts from the Washingtons, who were friends of Powell.) Powell owned 90 buildings in Philadelphia and was the richest of the rich, yet worried that he was being cheated by his renters so his buddy Ben Franklin bought him a present: a scale, which sits in the "office," the first room of the house off the hallway where Powell received his business guests. He had eight servants in the main house, plus countless others who lived in barns on the property. A beautiful garden. A separate building for the kitchen since cooking in the house was a hazard, not to mention smelly and smoky.
My almost five year old coveted the toys--a little contraption that kids sat in and were led around by goats and an elaborate doll house that put her plastic Barbie house to shame. After announcing that she'd like to live in the house, my 10-year-old discovered her social conscience. "It's not fair. He should have given his money away to the people in Elfreth Alley." And that led to an interesting conversation about the obligations of the haves and charity. To think the building was almost torn down to make way for a parking garage in the 1930s!
The evening capped off our adventure back in time with a dinner at the City Tavern, 138 South 2nd Street, a reconstructed Revolutionary War-era restaurant. The staff dresses in period costumes and pour water into pewter goblets, and the food is based on 18th century recipes. (Supposedly, Jefferson liked the little muffins served with the bread.) My daughters had a meat and cheese pie (ie: lasagna), but what thrilled my 10-year-old was the Genuine Hank's Philadelphia Recipe Root Bear. Pricey for Philly ($12 for kids entrees, $20-25 for adult entrees), but it helped make our little trip an experience.
If you have the luxury of just spending two days exploring the Old City, I highly recommend it.
Stumble It!
posted by pam at 10:24 AM
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