Once again in true Lara-Glen form, our spring break trip was left hanging until the very last second. We talked about it all week, but literally didn't know until Thursday morning whether or not Glen was going to be able to finish up what he needed to at work to take the time off. Ultimately he knocked himself out on the project and last-minute was able to take Thursday and Friday off. At that point, it took a lot of quick packing and finagling to get ready, especially with some minor car issues to take care of before leaving, but finally we got out the door at about 3:22 in the afternoon.
Too bad that it meant that the traffic looked like this the entire way....
Instead of being a 2-1/2 hour ride like it should have been, we ended up rolling into Philly after FIVE long hours!!! Basically that meant that we got there just in time to check into the hotel and go straight to bed!
The weatherman had said that Friday was going to be a wet, rainy day, so we were all bedecked in raincoats and umbrellas. Thankfully, it turned out to be one of those times when the weatherman was a little misinformed and it stayed dry all day, thus making our city explorations much more pleasant.
The first stop on our walking tour of Philly was Christ Church...a place of worship for many of the Founding Fathers.
It was a pretty building right in the heart of downtown Philly.
It was only our first stop of the day, but Ellie was already taking advantage of whoever's arms were ready and willing....
We were immediately struck by the simplistic beauty and its similarities in pew design to the Kirtland Temple. Since it's still a working Episcopal church, we were supposed to be quiet and respectful while there.
I was a little worried that the kids would find the church a little boring, but it actually ended up being fascinating for everyone.
We thought that this old family bible from the early 1700's was awesome. The kids loved trying to figure out how the Old English style of writing worked.
Once my kids started wandering around a little, they started to see what a cool place we were in. For instance, several of the pews had these little plaques next to them.
Ellie found this little cozy corner with some books to read....
"Mom, look! They sing hymns too!"
It was a great way to start our explorations and we ended up glad that we went there first, since it was very uncrowded and the church was closing for Good Friday services starting at noon.
The Christ Church was something that was unanimously enjoyed by all and at the end of the trip two of my kids even proclaimed this church as their favorite Philly site of the entire trip. All in all, a great way to get started!
Coming next.....more Philly adventures, including some culinary delights!
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Too bad that it meant that the traffic looked like this the entire way....
Instead of being a 2-1/2 hour ride like it should have been, we ended up rolling into Philly after FIVE long hours!!! Basically that meant that we got there just in time to check into the hotel and go straight to bed!
The weatherman had said that Friday was going to be a wet, rainy day, so we were all bedecked in raincoats and umbrellas. Thankfully, it turned out to be one of those times when the weatherman was a little misinformed and it stayed dry all day, thus making our city explorations much more pleasant.
The first stop on our walking tour of Philly was Christ Church...a place of worship for many of the Founding Fathers.
It was only our first stop of the day, but Ellie was already taking advantage of whoever's arms were ready and willing....
We were immediately struck by the simplistic beauty and its similarities in pew design to the Kirtland Temple. Since it's still a working Episcopal church, we were supposed to be quiet and respectful while there.
I was a little worried that the kids would find the church a little boring, but it actually ended up being fascinating for everyone.
We thought that this old family bible from the early 1700's was awesome. The kids loved trying to figure out how the Old English style of writing worked.
Once my kids started wandering around a little, they started to see what a cool place we were in. For instance, several of the pews had these little plaques next to them.
A closer look reveals that that little pew box was the George Washington Family pew. How cool is that, to sit where George Washington sat 250 years ago? There were also plaques for Betsy Ross, William Penn, and Benjamin Franklin. I'm thinking that the LDS church should start with the whole reserved pew system. I mean it's almost there in practice anyway, why not make it official?
Ellie found this little cozy corner with some books to read....
"Mom, look! They sing hymns too!"
It was a great way to start our explorations and we ended up glad that we went there first, since it was very uncrowded and the church was closing for Good Friday services starting at noon.
Coming next.....more Philly adventures, including some culinary delights!
****************
i love philly!
ReplyDeleteneat pictures! I'm thinking I should now make my own plaque and place it on the pew my family and I sit on every Sunday :)
ReplyDeleteWith all of our children having long fled the nest, we no longer need our "reserved" row-just a couple of places anywhere for one "fat seat" (me) and one "skinny seat" (mom).
ReplyDeleteHope your next chapter includes something about Philly Cheese Steaks.