June 8

Last night, we had quite an experience. Stumbled out into the streets to try and find a place to eat and ended up at a bar and grill where we thought maybe we could watch the game while eating. It was empty which is always a worry but we decided to give it a try. Well, it was scary. David and Avi got dinners that were supposed to be filled with fresh vegetables and they came out with no vegetables and pasta that was not cooked. I got a salad that I thought was pretty good until I came upon a piece of broken glass. Needless to say, we left that restaurant and ended up at a safe pizza place. Not all that great but safe.

This morning, I started my day with a run. I want to run in all the cities we are visiting as it gives you a chance to experience each city in a different way. It was a difficult run, nothing like the easy runs in DC. I was all on city streets with difficult surfaces, high humidity and lots of intersections - but it was still the experience I wanted. Afterwards, we finished up in Philadelphia with a tour in Independence Hall. We saw the court room of our founding fathers and the room where the 56 delegates wrote the Constitution. It was quite an experience to be there. Independence Hall is beautiful and memorable. It was the tallest building of its time and the first "skyscraper" in America at seven stories high. After our tour there, we then went through the Benjamin Franklin Museum. This man was absolutely incredible in every way. He was the 15th of 17 children and only had two years of formal school but there is nothing he did not do, nothing. He invented so many things that it amazes you to even read about it - and these were things that are unrelated - he invented bifocals, a musical instrument that patterns off of the tones in glass, the microscope, Franklin stoves, the lightning rod, etc. etc. - he instituted the first organized Fire Station, the first Library and the first University in Philadelphia. He was a diplomat, a scientist, an inventor, a philosopher, an educator and a public servant. In Europe, he was the most famous American of his time. He persuaded the English to repeal the hated Stamp Act. He convinced the French to aid in the American Revolution. He helped draft both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. While drafting the Constitution, he was often in agony with kidney stones and gout but he was there. An amazing man in every way.

We left Philadelphia and drove to New York, New York. Beautiful drive once again. The East Coast is so green right now. They have had all the rain California has missed and the scenery is breathtaking. We are settled in to our hotel in New York tonight. We did go out and have dinner and walked down to Times Square. What a sight. Nothing can prepare you for the magnificence of Times Square. I love this city. I would not want to live here but it is thrumming with excitement and it is infectious.