A Record of a Lifetime of Wanderlust
Odessa, Delaware Driving back through Delaware, we needed to stop to get fuel. I found a Sunoco service station and pulled in. While filling up, I noticed a blue historical sign in the middle of the intersection, so I walked up and found out I was in the Delaware town of Odessa. When I read…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A trip to Philadelphia is not complete without a Cheesesteak. This simple sandwich, thinly sliced beefsteak, melted cheese, and onions in a hoagie roll, is arguably the city’s main culinary creation. I’ve eaten cheesesteaks most of my life, and on my previous trip to Philadelphia, I got one from Dalessandro’s, which was top-notch….
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Liberty Bell is such a perfect allegory for the United States. Created by the British from an imperfect alloy of unknown metals, the large bell showed cracks from the beginning, but it serves as a beacon of freedom that has been copied and shared around the world. The bell was cast in…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The hair on my arms stood up as soon as the National Park Ranger said it. Being in this room, arguably the most famous in the United States, to hear these words from Benjamin Franklin evokes a sense of wonder and awe for what has occurred, as well as anger and agitation about…
Danbury, North Carolina, Lawsonville, North Carolina, and New York City, New York My mom texted me last night to let me know that her high school classmate and my biology teacher, Mr. Phil Ring, was on his deathbed. She texted me again with the news of his passing today. When I glanced at my Facebook feed,…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania At 0.02 acres, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial is the smallest unit in the National Park Service. However, this site is dedicated to a Polish hero who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Kosciuszko came to America with a broken heart from an unsuccessful courtship but a love of freedom, drawing upon his…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Walking around the streets of Philadelphia, one gets a sense of the history that has occurred throughout the old city. Philadelphia was first founded in 1682 by William Penn and went on to become the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony and later the first capital of the United States. Philadelphia held many firsts…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin was an 18th-century Renaissance Man, excelling as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, publisher, and philosopher. However, Franklin’s primary career was as a printer, one that he entered at the ripe old age of 10. After serving as an unpaid apprentice with his brother for seven years, Franklin ran away to…
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Very few cities have had the cultural and historical impact on the United States that Philadelphia has. From founder William Penn to favorite son Benjamin Franklin, to arguably the most fantastic culinary sandwich creation, and to some of the greatest underdog stories ever, Philadelphia continues to have a significant impact on American culture….
Boyertown, Pennsylvania A summer Saturday night found us in eastern Pennsylvania and booked on an evening dinner train excursion through the Secret Valley. The Secret Valley follows alongside Ironside and Manatawny Creeks and some of the earliest ironmaking sites in America. Most of the area remains undisturbed since Europeans first settled over 300 years ago….