It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Ok, so it might not ALWAYS be sunny in Philadelphia but today was in fact another sunny day. And, since I figured I had to use that title at some point while here, today seemed like a good day for it.

So, my first official tour of Philadelphia didn’t really provide the excitement – or blog material – that I was really hoping for. That’s my not-so-subtle disclaimer that today’s update isn’t going to be as riveting as I originally thought when I went to bed last night. It’s not that the tour was bad, it just turns out that I’ve seen a lot more of Philadelphia’s sights than I had realized. On the upside though, the seven mile tour sped along at a pretty good speed as we toured the city on Segways. The Segway is a fun little toy on which to zip around but I think it’s safe to say that I don’t need to ever ride one again. Although, they’re a lot less work than cycling! The downside was that there really wasn’t much opportunity to stop for photos along the way as we were too busy weaving through traffic and pedestrians.

While I didn’t see anything I hadn’t already seen before, I did learn a few things about Philadelphia on the tour. Like the fact that the William Penn statue on the top of City Hall was supposed to always be the highest building in the city. That obviously changed. However, the first building to top William Penn was built behind him so he couldn’t see it – no, I’m not making this up. And so began “The Curse of Billy Penn” where all Philadelphia sports franchises would fail to win any championships. The curse is believed to have been lifted when a miniature statue of William Penn was raised to the top of the Comcast building in 2007. The Phillies won the World Series in 2008. If that’s not proof undeniable, well … I don’t know what is.

So, other than a few other trivial notes added to the image gallery, that’s about all I’ve got for today. I know, I know. I really need to find some blog-worthy activities while I’m here – especially since I’m planning on staying here for a few more days. What can I say, I really like Philly! And, after nearly 5,700km, I think I’ve earned a few lazy days. I know my knees would agree with me.