The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
Loved seeing Independence Hall, The Signer, Tomb of Unknown Soldiers,
The Big Busto, murals, and more in Philadelphia
July 26 - 27, 2014
(also on this page - a few photos from 1994)

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the fifth-most-populous city in the United States, and the core of the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the country. Located in the northeastern United States, Philadelphia is the economic and cultural center of the Delaware Valley. Popular nicknames for Philadelphia are Philly and The City of Brotherly Love, the latter of which comes from the literal meaning of the city's name in Greek, Modern Greek: "brotherly love", compounded from philos "loving", and adelphos "brother".

In 1682, William Penn founded the city to serve as capital of Pennsylvania Colony. By the 1750s, Philadelphia had surpassed Boston to become the largest city and busiest port in British America, and second in the British Empire, behind London. During the American Revolution, Philadelphia played an instrumental role as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers of the United States, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. Philadelphia was one of the nation's capitals during the Revolutionary War, and the city served as the temporary U.S. capital while Washington, D.C., was under construction. During the 19th century, Philadelphia became a major industrial center and railroad hub that grew from an influx of European immigrants.

Philadelphia is known for its arts and culture. The cheesesteak and soft pretzel are emblematic of Philadelphia cuisine, which is shaped by the city's ethnic mix. The city has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city, and Philadelphia's Fairmount Park is the largest landscaped urban park in the world.

Independence Hall

Below: April 14, 1994

Below: Inside Independence Hall on April 14, 1994

And return forward to 2014

Lee Duquette and Rocky inside
the Welcome Center

Karen Duquette getting ready
to go see the Liberty Bell

Below: The Signer sculpture commemorates the courage of those who altered their lives, and ours, by affixing their names to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Below: The two RV Gypsies in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers - the unmarked graves of thousands of unknown soldiers of Washington's army in the Revolutionary War- located in Washington Square a few blocks behind Independence Hall.

Below: As the two RV Gypsies entered The Big Busto take a tour of Philadelphia, Karen Duquette paused to photograph a great piece of art with wonderful reflections.

Below: The two RV Gypsies on the upper deck of The Big Bus ready for their tour.

A great mural on the side of a building
(and an ugly traffic light that photo-bombed the shot).

Below: The Betsy Ross House and a flag with 13 stars.

Below: The oldest street in Philadelphia

Below: Ben Franklin's grave

Cemetery for those who signed USA's historical documents.

The National Constitution Center
- The Museum of We The People
on Arch Street near 10th Street

Below: Just before entering China Town the two RV Gypsies noticed a mural on a building and a statue across the street.

Below: China Town - Remember that all of these photos were taken from a moving bus.

Below: Chinese Friendship Gate

Below: Reading Terminal Market / Convention Center Marriott / Macy's at 12th Street and Filbert Street

Below: Great architecture in Philadelphia

Below: A big sculpture

Lee Duquette liked the bus with the images of
chefs of Geno's Steaks.

Below: more great architecture

At 548 feet, including the statue of city founder William Penn atop it, City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1901 to 1908. It remained the tallest in Pennsylvania until it was surpassed in 1932 by the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh. It was the tallest in Philadelphia until the construction of One Liberty Place (1984 - 1987) ended the informal gentlemen's agreement that limited the height of buildings in the city. Now in 2014, it is the state's 16th-tallest building.

City Hall has been the world's tallest masonry building since the 1953 collapse of the Pinnacle of the Mole Antonelliana in Turin. Its weight is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 feet thick. The principal exterior materials are limestone, granite, and marble.

Below: A big water fountain with the water dyed blue.

The Eastern State Penitentiary, also known as ESP, is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is found at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment. Notorious criminals such as bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held inside its innovative wagon wheel design. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year 10 am to 5 p.m.

Below: The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It has collections of more than 227,000 objects that include world-class holdings of European and American paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts.

Below: A statue of Joan of Arc riding a horse

Below: Eakins Oval is a traffic circle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that forms the northwest end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway just in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with a central array of fountains and monuments and a network of pedestrian walkways. The Washington Monument is in the center of Eakins Oval. The Rocky statue is across the street.

Below: Philadelphia Museum of Art - -- and the famous staircase from the movie "Rocky".

Below: General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Monument - The official Bicentennial gift from the people of Poland to the people of the United States in commemoration of this country's 200th anniversary of its independence.

Below: Centre Square and a giant clothespin - so our politicians can air out their dirty laundry

Below: The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue located at 300 South Broad Street at the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Center, Inc., an organization which also manages the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The center is named after philanthropist Sidney Kimmel. The Center is the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America's Big Five symphony orchestras and regarded as one of the best in the world. Kimmel Center is also the home venue of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Philadanco, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and a performance series known as Kimmel Center Presents, which hosts a variety of jazz, classical, and world pop performers.

Below: While riding The Big Bus, the two RV Gypsies often had to duck their heads down to avoid getting smacked by trees.

Lee Duquette liked the unique motorcycle
parked on South Street.

Below: The two RV Gypsies got off the bus at South Street to eat lunch, enjoy the sights, and stretch their legs.

Below: The South Street pedestrian bridge leading to Penns Landing.

Mason-Dixon survey sign

A street artist painting with spray paint.

Below: Giant people and a view of Penns Landing from the South Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Menu for the two RV Gypsies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 22 -24, 2014
And also a few surprise flashbacks to April 18, 1994
You may visit these six (6) sections in any order you choose.
Then continue navigation via the additional links below

Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, NJ

Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River

The Liberty Bell in 2014 and 1994

Philadelphia bus tour in 2014 and 1994 (this page)

The famous Geno's and Pat's Cheesesteak wars

South Street Pizza- very large slices

AFTER you have viewed all six (6) sections above, please continue on to see the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Wildwoods Boardwalk, Jet Boat Ride and dolphins in New Jersey.

OR Continue Navigation in the order of your choice via the alphabetical or category buttons below OR Click here to see travels by the year (not the best way)