Our first stop in Pennsylvania was at Gettysburg, where President Lincoln made his memorable address during the Civil War. Quite appropriate, considering that our family was having its own Civil War. We’d been pushing hard for two months and had 14 states under our belts, but the stress was beginning to take its toll. The teen in our midst was beginning to rebel; he wanted nothing more than to stay home and sleep until noon. In his book, the 50/50 tour would best be completed without him. Bill was grumpy and convinced that we were trying to pack a week’s worth of Pennsylvania activities (and driving) into one weekend. It was clear that we needed a break – and we’ll get one. As soon as we finish this state, I’ll be heading to Africa for a three-week business trip and the rest of the family will sit home and go nowhere but school and work. Right now, that sounds delightful. But first, we have some sites to see…..
Like most states, Pennsylvania has its share of small, quaint towns. Whenever we pass through these towns, we always wonder how the residents survive. Is there enough commerce to keep them employed locally, or do they live in a cute little town and commute 3 hours each way to work in the big city somewhere? Anyway, the town of Gettysburg has its charms, but of course nearly everyone focuses their efforts on the battlefield.
We’ve visited Gettysburg several times over the years, and have always found it a very moving experience. This time, we were looking forward to the newly remodeled Visitor Center. Until recently, visitors had to face their own battle for one of the handful of parking spots in the tiny lot adjacent to the old Visitor Center. Inside, the Center contained one of my favorite exhibits: the Electric Map. For those like me, whose feeble minds can’t quite grasp all the details of a complicated battle, the map was the perfect museum exhibit. Showcasing 1960s-era technology, the map was simply a large model of the area, imbedded with color-coded lights that flashed at appropriate times during a narration of the battle to clearly illustrate the sequence of events.
We were pleasantly surprised to find a shiny new Visitor’s Center with scores of parking spaces. Hooray. The Center itself is enormous and filled with an abundance of interesting exhibits and short movies. But alas, in the name of progress and technology, the Electric Map is gone. Bill says only a Luddite like me appreciates the old map – he thinks I’m more Amish every day. But he’s wrong! Turns out lots of people loved the Map and they even mounted an effort to install it in the new Center. They failed, but at least they tried! And in the ultimate ironic twist, the new Center’s star attraction is a huge mural that had been considered old and out-of-date! At this rate, the Electric Map will return in another 30 years.
Oh well. Despite the absence of my beloved map, the Visitor Center and surrounding area is a fascinating, if sobering, place to explore.
As has happened so many times on our grand adventure, we were reminded of the tragic mark war has left on our history. Despite fancy new technology, some things will never change, as this powerful quote reminds us:
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Leaving Gettysburg, we drove through the land-within-a-land known as Amish country. These simple farmers must be the most photographed Americans in the nation. It just seems unbelievable that the Amish could shun all the amazing gadgetry at our fingertips and keep to the basics. They don’t even use buttons.
The Amish may not have iPods, but they sure can cook! We stopped for lunch at the Good and Plenty restaurant, which serves Amish food in a modern setting. Fried chicken, pork roast, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, yum, yum, yum. For desert, we feasted on the famous Shoofly pie. Tradition has it that the pie earned its name by being so sweet and tasty that bakers would constantly shoo away insects, and probably small children. The filling is kind of like pecan pie without the nuts, and the topping is a cinnamon-brown sugar crumble. Works for me.
Our teen finally came to life and decided this trip might not be half-bad, since he updated his Facebook status to show that he was in:
Yep, that’s the name of the town. Ah, teenage humor.
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On to Philadelphia and one of our nation’s most recognizable artifacts: the Liberty Bell.
The Bell is in the same complex as Independence Hall, which was undergoing renovations.
Perched high above City Hall is the town’s founding father, William Penn.
The Reading Market is a great place for some nibbles.
Philadelphia is packed full of great sights, markets, and museums, but since we’d seen most of them before, we headed to the ballpark to watch the Phillies play the Nationals. We do have our priorities.
The stadium was jam-packed with amiable Phillies fans full of infectious enthusiasm. They were very civil toward the four lonely Nationals fans in their midst. And what better place to sample an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich? We even had our choice of cheese, but apparently the most authentic is good old Cheeze Whiz. Ok, now we’ve had the sandwich and can probably live without another. Another popular item was Crab Fries, which were simply French Fries coated with Old Bay.
We enjoyed the spectacular view of the skyline from the stadium. We did not enjoy the view of the Nats being clobbered.
We traveled along highways 15 and 30, and interstates 76 and 95, enjoying all the sights Pennsylvania had to offer. After all, you just gotta love a state whose state insect is the firefly. Best of all, despite our rough start, we all made peace with Pennsylvania, the 50/50 tour, and each other.
15. Pennsylvania
The Liberty Bell