Pennsylvania – where we did Independence Day with the Vice President, Miss America and Ed Sheeran,  walked amongst massive Monopoly pieces, and sampled an authentic Philly cheesesteak.    

Philadelphia

Oh say did we see by the dawn’s early light lots of hailing and gleaming in the city where it all began – Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love (the literal Greek translation of Philadelphia), and of course sisterly affection. As they say in Philly, “Others may have Independence Day celebrations but we OWN the 4th of July”.

We arrived by train the night before Independence Day and got up early the next morning for what would be an incredibly long day.

While we didn’t see the POTUS (The President of The United States), we did see the Veep (the Vice-President), Joe Biden. And while we didn’t see the First or even the Second Lady, we did see Miss America. The secret service were out in force and everyone was subjected to lengthy security checks by humourless men in black which all Americans dutifully submit to without complaint. That aside, the celebrations were awesome. Everyone in Philadelphia and beyond seemed to have turned up and all facets of American identity were celebrated. There were great speeches about civil rights by Joe Biden and, the unfortunately named, Mayor Nutter.

I grew up with the accepted wisdom that Americans were ridiculously patriotic about their history. You laughed at them when they went all teary-eyed over the Star Spangled Banner. Where was the Aussie sense of cynicism and the perceived wisdom that patriotism was the last refuge of the scoundrel? However, visiting Boston and Philadelphia and learning more about the county’s early leaders, you can not help but be deeply moved by how this country came into being.

To have a climate of external tyranny and internal rebellion is nothing new (think America’s current foreign policy in reverse), but to achieve a structural actualization of idealism was truly remarkable. As has been noted many times,  most revolutions result in despotism. This is certainly what happened in France and Russia. Not so in America though and primarily as a result of the smart people involved.  To form a new government, the Declaration of Independence only needed to declare but instead it convinced and inspired.

Independence National Historical Park

At Independence Hall, we visited the room where the American Declaration of Independence was signed.  Back when the Declaration was signed, the room was full of the best and brightest minds of the day (think the opposite of the Australian parliament). The combined legal, scientific, literary and strategic genius of Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and Washington debated the principles to inform a new Government to replace British colonial rule.

These principles are still revolutionary today. The principle that any power, no matter how small, that the Government derives over people can be taken away by the people. The idea that whatever laws you put in place cannot overrule people’s inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The idea that any constitution needs to start with “We the people” rather than “We the Government”. Jefferson makes the call to “assemble ideals, not armies”. And I could go on.

While America may have lost its way with its many foreign adventures and the deep stain of slavery and segregation, its founding principles and the climate under which they were wrought remain inspiring. I strongly support Americans in being patriotic so long as they hold true to the principles of their founding fathers. African-American Frederick Douglass said as much over hundred years ago when he was campaigning against slavery – “All I ask you is to adopt the principles proclaimed by yourselves, by your revolutionary fathers, and by the old bell in Independence Hall.” We saw that old bell, the famous cracked Liberty Bell, with its inscription to “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants therof”. The Liberty Bell became a beacon for African-Americans and has for years been invoked as a talisman against those who would trample liberty. Recent fans of the Liberty Bell include Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama (bloody American imperialists).

 

The Philly 4th Jam

We had seen what Independence Day could deliver in Philly and could only imagine what Independence Night could offer. What it offered was the Philly 4th Jam, America’s biggest free concert.  The next day, it was estimated that 600,000 people attended and it sure felt like it on the night. We saw Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, The Roots, and other acts as well as some spectacular fireworks.

We left the concert well after midnight and got a lost walking back to the hotel. However, we weren’t that upset as we got to see more of Philly’s colourful nightlife. Michelle got chatting with a girl from Connecticut whose strong recommendation for tourists to America was to line up for a ‘cronut’ (a croissant/donut frankenfood) in New York.  We added that to our meh do list.

 

Better take some selfies.

 

Philadelphia City Hall

After the signing of the Declaration Of Independence at the very modest Philadelphia City Hall, locals felt that a much grander City Hall was called for. So they created a 700 room monster which remains one of the biggest municipal building in America and possibly the world. This building has to be seen to be believed and God knows what they do with all the rooms.

The Streets of Philadelphia

We had a Philly cheesesteak lunch in South Street (where all the hippies meet from the sixties song). The Philly cheesesteak is ubiquitous all over America but was invented in Philadelphia in the 1930s. It consists of thin strips of steak drizzled with cheese. It is both oily and creamy and bloody delicious. However, my arteries were straining to pump blood for several hours afterwards.

We did all the touristy things like visit Independence Historical Park, the Rodin Museum and a trolley bus tour. But we really enjoyed just walking the streets of Philadelphia and taking in all of its sights, sounds and strangers. It is a very visually arresting city full of colourful street murals, pop art statues and historic buildings. The photos below are as much as we could cram in the camera lens.

 

 

 

Philadelphia did live up to its namesake.  We experienced a lot of love and affection from the city and could have happily stayed a lot longer.  From the city of peachy love we headed next to the city of prize-apple commerce, New York.