The way I celebrated thanksgiving Part I: Philadelphia

THANKSGIVING: 18 NOV - 26 NOV 2012
Thanksgiving was officially my last trip out during the school term.

The day before we travel out of school is usually a frantic one.

Trying get all the clothes washed before we can pack them in...

Planning our outfits since the temperature fluctuates greatly at times...

Most importantly, squeezing them into ziplock bags to save as much space as possible!

We planned this trip two months before embarking on it. After researching about Philadelphia, we realised that we could cover everything we wanted to see within a full day, and so, we were in Philadelphia for only a day!

 

Hello Singapore! 

Our first stop of the day was an impromptu one. We walked towards the visitor information shelves at our suite to browse through some brochures, and we chanced upon a brochure introducing an abandoned prison. Visiting a prison sounds so thrilling to us, and so we headed in the direction of the prison.

Eastern State Penitentiary 

 

  

Operation room 

Cell blocks 

 

Inside a prison cell

 

Visiting room

We managed to get student tickets for US$8 which was a steal since we had audio headsets and went on short guided tours into prohibited sections, such as the operation room and the death row ruins. This prison is definitely small and poorly constructed in terms of security and facilities. These were one of the reasons that led to the closure of the prison. This was my first prison tour and it was really fascinating. The dilapidated interior gave the prison an aged look, which I kinda like though. The scratches on the wall, the rusty locks and metal doors, and the disintegration of the bricks brings out the long history of the prison.

I have watched a lot of paranormal investigation programmes and many of them feature prisons. What comes into your mind when you think of prison?

Criminals...Death row...Caning...Isolation...

These people went through so much pain and even after death, some of their souls remain here. Being paranoid with all these information in my head, I entered a prison cell, insisting that my friend stands at the door to watch me! Although death rows were never once carried out in this prison, illness-related deaths must have occurred before. So, it is human nature to feel scared right?

Anyways, if you have any intention of visiting a prison cell, please do it as a tourist instead of a criminal!

Right after the museum, we wandered around aimlessly as usual. We chanced upon the Rodin Museum. His most famous work is definitely The Thinker.

 

 

We had to get this shot! 

The Thinker

We went to the Reading Terminal Market for lunch.

 

 

Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteak. You should definitely try one when you visit Philadelphia! It can be found anywhere in Philadelphia, depending on how much you are willing to pay. Another group of exchange students wanted to try good quality steak, and they paid US$80 for their portion. I have no intention of paying this amount for steak at this moment. Maybe I will in future, when I am more financially capable!

After lunch, we went to the US Mint Constitution to look at how coins are made! Unlike Singapore, the US has more coins and use different terms for each one.

Penny for 1 cent...

Nickel for 5 cents...

Dime for 10 cents...

Quarter for 25 cents...

At the mint museum, I got to see how these coins were made right from scratch!

All in all, Philadelphia is a nice city to visit for a change. It has been a while since I have seen 'civilisation' since I did not travel out three weeks before this thanksgiving trip. The crowd was not too overwhelming like New York, which makes the whole experience much smoother. Nevertheless, visiting Philadelphia once is enough! (:

Alrighty! I have to study for my complex midterm coming up this Thursday! My last exam from this class since I am skipping the final exam! OH YEAH!! (: