6/22/2012
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In the morning we all said our goodbyes and we headed south for Philadelphia. But not before we traveled to Shades of Death Road. This was a real road that we discovered and we toured the entire 7 miles of shadiness. The story goes that bandits used to rob and murdered people along this road with several gruesome tales that could give anyone nightmares. But that didn't stop us! We even happened upon our first creepy picture. We stopped at a place called Ghost Lake where said bandits were hung for their crimes. People claim to see columns of mist rising straight up out of the water in ways that are not natural. Below is a picture that Kim captured while taking a picture of the lake. WOAH!
It was another quick trip, and we made it to Kim’s high school friend, Sonja’s home by about four. We said our hellos, unpacked, and then Sonja took us for a walk around her neighborhood. She, and her boyfriend Jerrold, lived in a really neat area filled with cool restaurants and old-style brick housing. After about an hour, Sonja took us to one of her favorite beer bars, where we indulged in the happy hour specials and drank amazing beers. Jerrold showed up after work and we ordered a creative dinner of asparagus with duck eggs and open-faced sandwich of olive tapenade, grilled mushrooms and cilantro. And it was just in time, too, because as soon as Jerrold got to the bar, a huge storm rolled in and we were stuck for quite awhile as the wind a rain cleaned up the city.
After dinner we took a taxi to a house party, where one of Sonja’s bands (Sonja’s a professional singer!) would be performing. We had a great night of mingling with cool locals and listening to great music.
After dinner we took a taxi to a house party, where one of Sonja’s bands (Sonja’s a professional singer!) would be performing. We had a great night of mingling with cool locals and listening to great music.
6/23/2012
In the morning Sonja made amazing breakfast tacos, Jerrold gave us some excellent tips of places to visit in the city, and we headed out for a day of exploration.
We roamed through the Italian market, walked down 4th street and had mind blowing cheese steak sandwiches, and perused old neighborhoods. Philadelphia is chocked full of history and character. We saw the Liberty Bell, walked through City Hall and the Liberty Building. Around 7:30 we meet up with a group to do a haunted tour, where we saw about 21 different historic and supposed haunted places around the city. By the end of it all, we’d walked around Philly for about 8 hours. Our proverbial dogs were barking.
We hopped on a bus and rode it back to the apartment for a little pizza and relaxation. It was a great ending to a long day.
We roamed through the Italian market, walked down 4th street and had mind blowing cheese steak sandwiches, and perused old neighborhoods. Philadelphia is chocked full of history and character. We saw the Liberty Bell, walked through City Hall and the Liberty Building. Around 7:30 we meet up with a group to do a haunted tour, where we saw about 21 different historic and supposed haunted places around the city. By the end of it all, we’d walked around Philly for about 8 hours. Our proverbial dogs were barking.
We hopped on a bus and rode it back to the apartment for a little pizza and relaxation. It was a great ending to a long day.
6/24/2012
The next day, we got up a bit earlier and got packed up. Sonja took us to a restaurant on the corner of her street for brunch. We had, once again, a great meal, said our good byes and headed over to one of Edgar Allan Poe’s houses, our last stop before we left the city.
After seeing Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft’s houses, Poe’s was a real treat. This was actually open to the public and we could walk through all of the old rooms, and even the cellar where he was inspired to write “The Black Cat”. It was one of our favorite stops so far.
When we finished with the Poe house, we took off for Maryland.
After seeing Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft’s houses, Poe’s was a real treat. This was actually open to the public and we could walk through all of the old rooms, and even the cellar where he was inspired to write “The Black Cat”. It was one of our favorite stops so far.
When we finished with the Poe house, we took off for Maryland.