Mood:
downTopic: Reflections
So, today I was watching a documentary on Benjamin Franklin and I suddenly realized I was incredibly homesick. As I watched the show, fleeting memories of walking the streets of Old Philadelphia danced across my mind and I ached to once again see our country's incredible historic places and soak up our rich history. One of the things I loved about living in Philadelphia was being so surrounded with so much of the past. At any given time, one can walk a street filled with buildings from times long gone by and know that each one of those buildings contained many stories of those who entered their doors.
I used to joke about how tourists paid a lot of money to come and see our historic places and there I was living right there and could see it all whenever I wanted. I remember the first time I went inside Independence Hall and was kind of unimpressed. I don't know why, except that the room our forefathers drafted the Declaration of Independence in was much, much smaller than I had ever imagined. But then, I suppose one always conceives such a monumental event as taking place in a huge space.
One of my most favorite things to do was to go on the ghost tour during the Halloween season. That tour takes you to some of our oldest homes, churches and historic buildings. The stories about those places and the ghosts that supposedly inhabit them are pretty interesting and very believable, if one believes in the paranormal. Just for the record, I do believe.
Ben Franklin's house no longer stands, however there is a marked off area where it once was, so you can still stand upon the ground that this famous statesman stood upon almost 250 years ago and imagine what life was like back then.
Yes, I do miss Philadelphia. It was my home for many years. I miss walking through Valley Forge Park. I miss walking through my own neighborhood for that matter. There was so much rich history in Roxborough, where my home was, history that dated back to the 1600's. And I eagerly read every piece that I could get my hands on.
It's funny, but I guess even though I know Philly is a dirty, crime infested city, I've wiped all of that out of my mind and only remember the good. I guess that's the romantic in me taking over. Maybe some day I'll go back and visit and once again walk the streets of the city I'll always love.
