Days 202-205 Up to Philadelphia

We departed DC mid morning and enjoyed a great drive up through Baltimore and then into Delaware and ultimately into Philadelphia.  Our GPS was being creative again because we had it set avoid tolls.  As a result it took us through downtown Baltimore giving us a chance to see both stadiums (got Bobbie's heart raising) and a really beautiful waterfront.  We then drove through some interesting neighborhoods before realizing why we were being taken down the garden path.

With the GPS reset to NOT avoid tolls, it took us right to the Maryland Turnpike and a $24 toll.  Seven miles later we crossed into Delaware and another $7.  LOL.  Guess we should have stuck to our original settings.  Alas, this is the east coast and highway travel is expensive.

We reached Philadelphia midday and wandered around the city finally locating our downtown RV park.  The "park" is actually one side of a huge "park and ride" for the nearby University of Penn Hospital complex.  To offset costs, they installed electric and water service along an unused terminal warehouse building owned by the Immigration Control Enforcement agency.  They charge  $70 a night.  The WiFi was screaming so that was a plus, as well as the included shuttle to the main bus and metro lines of the city.  We literally were a few block from downtown.  We relaxed into our first Scrabble game in almost two weeks and enjoyed a quiet night being only one of two RVs at the site.

The next morning we used the shuttle to get downtown and enjoyed a full day walking the historic streets viewing buildings dating back to the American Revolution.  We visited the Constitution Center and saw a great live performance presentation on the creation of the constitution.  The exhibits were really well done and we were there a good two hours.  Independence Hall was under renovation and the lines to see the Liberty Bell were ridiculous.  We settled into a local Iris Pub (of course) and enjoyed the chaos of a Saturday afternoon as groups of pub crawlers came and went.

On Sunday we drove to the Chestnut Hill neighborhood with his fabulous stone mansions and quaint city streets.  There we met up with an old friend, Leroy Rigney, and wandered around the annual Clover Market Street Fair.  Her brother joined us and we enjoyed the company of two really great and entertaining folks who enthusiastically gave us the free tour of their area.  Later in the day we had lunch at a local pub, one of Leroy and Jaime's haunts.  The food and atmosphere were grand.  We drove back home for another evening of Scrabble and an opportunity to catch up on some of our binge-watching on Netflix thanks to the great WiFi service.

Monday found us driving out to Valley Forge for another visit with George Washington.  This time we toured the National Park grounds and the site of his 1781 winter encampment by bicycle.  The day was beautiful and warm, the bike trail a bit more arduous than we had expected...and honestly the ride kicked our butts.  However it was good to get out and get some serious exercise.  With more of the afternoon left than planned, we opted for a visit to the local IKEA store where we strolled through the isles...one of the perks of being retired is being able to do aimless things like shopping with absolutely no intent to buy!!!  A stop at the local Walmart replenished our groceries and it was back home.

Tomorrow we head for New York City!