streets of philadelphia

a few pics of philadelphia. i wish i could have taken more, but wrangling kids in urban areas and snapping pics at every opportunity don't mix. for example, i really, really wanted some pictures of the old cobblestone streets, but again...kids. click on any photo to enlarge.


i saved the best for first. does that really make sense? the funny thing about this pic is that i just now (6:15 pmm) added it. earlier when i posted, i couldn't get this photo into photoshop to size it. when i tried i got an error message: this application does not support processing of unauthorized currency images. tee-hee! photoshop read this image as a potential attempt at counterfeiting, alan and all.


close-up of the top of the tomb of the unknown soldier.

paving stone at the beginning of the walkway up to the tomb.

full view of the tomb of the unknown soldier in washington square park. it's a beautiful park, but so sad to think that thousands of unidentified soldiers are buried there along with countless unknown african americans as well.

eternal flame. pretty cool.

this made me laugh in spite of the solemn mood. touching fire will cause injury? really? you sure? OUCH!


alexander in front of a torpedo. WATCH OUT, LITTLE BOY!

around dinner time, hadley suffered a mental/emotional breakdown. long day+no nap=sadley.

alexander chillin in front of the US mint. no cameras were allowed inside. (duh) so we all had to go in shifts. after we all re-grouped, we discussed our favorite part, and strangely, we all had the same favorite! we all loved watching the shiny, shiny penny blanks in the hopper. they shimmered like pirate treasure. it was way cool. :) speaking of shiny, shiny pennies, we received some as change at the local CVS when we bought a map. i think they were freshly minted in philly and sent directly there. they made for perfect squished pennies for alexander's growing collection.
i have no idea what this is, but isn't it cool? the courtyard around it was paved in old cobblestones that looked like smooth river rocks. we definitely need to go back to philadelphia and see ALL the sights.

this is pretty much the view for the entire drive to philly. we google mapped our directions and it took about an hour. on the way home, we decided to wing it and made it home in about 35 minutes! secret ninja way home rocks!

don't forget to read yet another new entry below!!! we miss you. yes, all of you. :)

xoxox