The jet engines were roaring and the body scanners were humming at Houston’s busy Bush Intercontinental airport as we embarked on our trip to Philadelphia, PA. This was the first time Joel and I had flown together (only road trips before) and we could hardly wait to see what the city of brotherly love had in store for us. As for why we were going to Philly, see the post about my brother Chris and Michelle’s engagement session. (Congratulations again Chris and Michelle!) The flight up there was smooth and uneventful, unlike the ride back but I will get to that later.
When we arrived it was warm and sunny which over the next few days turned to rainy and gloomy and then finally cool and refreshing. June in Houston is often the first two but never the last one, so it was a nice change of pace. We arrived a day before the rest of my family so that first day there we got to go exploring! It was my first time on a train and a subway. Suburban Station under downtown Philly was huge, it was four or five stories of underground train platforms, gift shops and restaurants.
We got the chance to take a tour of Independence Hall and when we walked in I felt like I was taking a trip back in time. It was really cool to be in the room that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed. We were there with a bunch of 4th graders but they seemed to enjoy it and we all learned a lot. They were pretty smart kids.
We wanted to see the Liberty Bell until we saw the long line of people. We didn’t feel like standing in line for an hour so we just looked at the bell through the window. Next time we go we will get there nice and early so we can see it and skip the lines.
This is one of the first Supreme Court buildings that is located next to Independence Hall.
While in Philly I HAD to have a authentic Philly cheese steak sandwich. Michelle was nice enough to drive through downtown Philadelphia on the way to the airport. She showed us around a bit more and we stopped at a street cart to get a Cheese Steak. The best ones come from the street carts because they make them right in front of you so they’re super fresh. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to visit again so I can get another one.
We got to the airport in plenty of time to catch our plane but it was raining so that caused some problems. Our flight to Detroit to connect to Houston was delayed because of the rain so we were going to miss the connection if we stayed on that flight. We changed our flight to Memphis, TN to connect to Houston. That flight was on time until just before we took off. Some lady on the plane said some crazy stuff and she had to be taken off by police which delayed the flight for about an hour because of the security check. We arrived in Memphis exactly when our connection was supposed to take off but unfortunately the flight left 5 minuets early. We had to spend the night in Memphis that night. They provided food vouchers and a room at the airport hotel. At first I was kind of freaked out but in the end it wasn’t so bad. The next morning we were on the plane and got back to Houston safely.
The trip was fun and we can’t wait to go back some other time. Have you ever been to Philadelphia, PA or had an interesting experience at the airport? I hope you enjoy the photos! 