I stayed an extra day in Philadelphia after the Feeding Cities Conference last week. I had never been to Philadelphia before and for a history nerd like myself, it was really exciting to just walk around and see all the places that put a mark in American History. (For you who are not familiar with American history, the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution were signed in Philadelphia, and the city functioned as the U.S. capital for a few years after independence, before Washington DC was ready to hold the government administrations.) Or it was exciting until it started to snow. After having walked around for over 4 hours in freezing cold, I gave up and jumped on a sightseeing bus. Ironically (given the conference I had just attended), it was wrapped in a Tropicana Juice ad and only allowed limited sight through the window, but at least I got a guided tour. Not sure who comes up with the idea of covering the windows of a sightseeing bus, though….

Selected sites in a very grey and cold Philadelphia: Independence Hall, the First National Bank, the Customs Bourse, the Irish Monument, Philadelphia’s harbor area, and the Signer. When I saw the man on the bench, I couldn’t help wondering if this was the America that the Founding Fathers had  in mind when they dreamed of their new country.