second day

Our visit with Xiayi was nice but brief. Xiayi had to go to work (big project due), so we left Edison, NJ, early to drive to Philadelphia, PA, to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

We also went to the Christ Church Burial Ground where Benjamin Franklin was buried with his wife, Deborah. The inscription simply reads, "Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, 1790." Because his will stated that he be buried by the side of his wife "with as little expense or ceremony as may be." Franklin had written a mock epitaph when he was a young man, which was not used, but sits only as a plaque not far from the grave:
"The body of B. Franklin, Printer. Like the cover of an old book. Its contents torn out and stript of its lettering and gilding. Lies here. Food for worms. But the work shall not be lost. For it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, corrected and improved by the author."
Another plaque with interesting quotes can be seen with Evan standing next to it holding up Wit & Wisdom, one of Benji’s books.




For lunch we had a Philly cheese steak sandwich at Sonny's Famous Steaks. On the way back to the car, we saw that Philadelphia is more 'green' than Portland with their solar powered trash compactors!