The Liberty Bell and An Italian Evening at the Pier

Friday, March 13

After touring Independence Hall, we still had a little time left in the day so we headed over to the Liberty Bell Museum. Leading up to actually viewing the bell was an amazing array of multimedia displays. Photos and voices from the past helped us to understand how this national symbol of our freedom came to be.


The displays started out in a covered, open-air area but the bell itself was housed in a glassed in room. Once again it was disappointing how people just made it into a photo booth. The expectation seemed to be that we would wait in a line, when it was our turn, take a selfie and then move out of the way. We wanted to stand and ponder and be silent, but that just wasn't the way it worked.

On the way out we backtracked a bit through the displays. I came upon one that talked about nations eagerness to catch a glimpse of “this sacred relic”. There was also one with a photo of Thomas Edison standing proudly by the bell. I guess we as people have always been the same. We all want to “hitch our wagons to a star” so to speak. We want to be known by what we've seen, who we've seen, who we know or claim to know. Though I'm annoyed by the behavior, I know that I'm no different than the rest of humankind. Thank the Lord that He knows me for who He created me to be, not by who or what I've stood beside or rubbed shoulders with.

After our experience with La Peg, we asked at the desk for somewhere else to eat dinner. We were directed to an Italian restaurant just across the way, situated on the pier. La Veranda was just as fancy as La Peg but the staff was so friendly that it made all the difference. We had done our best to dress up but I was still wearing a bright blue parka and jeans. When the host welcomed us, I asked if we were dressed okay and he said that we looked wonderful and he wished that he could wear jeans.
.

The dining room was beautiful; I assumed that it was designed to be reminiscent of the interior of a yacht. The food was excellent, the service fantastic and the accents charming. Alyssa said her fettuccine alfredo was the best she ever had tasted and my chicken marsala was amazing. The only sad part of the evening was realizing that our room had neither refrigerator nor microwave so we couldn't take the leftovers.

 Not wanting the lovely evening to end, we order cannoli and cappuccino for dessert.

Walking back, we spent some peaceful moments near the Ben Franklin Bridge.