A Fun Walk!

The training for the 3-Day is really getting serious as the event gets nearer. Two weekends ago I needed to get in a 14 mile walk. I normally try to find a group to walk with on Saturdays since those are the long walk days but this weekend was different because we had to work around a house project and Alan’s church schedule. Because Alan took a couple days off to be home I was able to walk on Friday for my long walk. Which meant I’d be walking on my own. That was fine. I wanted to try a new route which would take me over the Ben Franklin Bridge and into Philadelphia.

I did that! I can’t believe I went out my front door on foot and walked around Philly without the need to drive my car! I thought that was pretty amazing!

Here’s how it went:

I walked about 2 miles from my front door to the light rail – the Riverline. Took that into Camden and got off at Rutgers University.

Camden is scary to go to by yourself or even not by yourself but this part of Camden is okay. There is the Aquarium and Campbell’s Field nearby and police monitor Rutgers so it is a safe place too. That’s for the benefit of those who worry that I would venture into Camden on my own – believe me I was nervous about that one too but Alan reassured me it would be okay. And it was. :)

At 5th Street at the Rutgers Campus there is an entrance to Benny’s footpath (Benny is the bridge’s nickname – I saw it mentioned on someone else’s blog and thought that was cute. I walked the Benny!). There is a little tunnel leading under I-676 that took me to the North walkway since the South one was closed.

 

Walked up the stairs

And down a really narrow path, really close to the speeding traffic! Yikes!! I was hoping the path opened up soon. Check out how close that car is to the walkway! A tad frightening at first but I was feeling pretty good.

 

As you can see below the pathway did open up. I knew it had to because people run and bike this thing all the time. So pretty it is. I love the architecture and the lights. It was also a pretty shade of blue. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that before.

The Camden side. Not so pretty.

 

Here’s Campbell’s Field. Too bad the South side was closed. I could have gotten a better picture.

Again, the beautiful architecture. I want to blow some of these pictures up and use them for art in my home.

 

The towers on the Camden side say Camden and New Jersey. The ones on the Philadelphia side say Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Of course this bridge brings Camden and Philly together. I also noted that the walking path entrances are at 5th street on both sides of the bridge. Just thought I’d share that bit of trivia with you.

We pass this building with the flag on it every time we are heading home on I-95 from Philly. I always like to look at it when we drive by.

  

More pretty bridge pictures:

 

A marina on the Philly side.

 

A better picture of the flag on that building. I hadn’t noticed before how 3-D it looks!

Highways and byways.

Old advertising on a brick building. Does anyone recognize it?

 

This is the same building. It used to be a chocolate factory. It’s now apartments or something.

Cocoa advertisement. Too bad it’s not still a chocolate factory. I might have had to take a little detour…

Now in Philadelphia!

  

First stop was Franklin Square. They have a neat little park there with a carousel, picnic tables and a cute little put-put golf course. I was thinking this could be a fun date – walk over the Benny, have a picnic and put-put. Not too far away is the historical district of Philly too so some sightseeing would also be fun. Plus somewhere nearby is an ice-cream place. Good date potential there.

 

I walked down Race Street, through Chinatown, too early for the sushi and noodle places to be open but still a bustling place anyway.

I took a picture of this sign because it reminded me of one of my favorite shows that used to be on called “The Mole”.

I tried to go find the future temple site but was misdirected unfortunately so I didn’t get the right pictures. I’ll try that again at another time. But the fact of the ease of getting to the temple even without a vehicle was not lost on me. Car breaks down, no problem! We can get there by train and foot. That is a blessing! :)

I did take a picture of the dome of the Basilica. Even with scaffold it is pretty.

 

Logan Square

Looking down the Parkway to the art museum.

 

The Free Library

 

I made it to the art museum and someone took my picture in front of Rocky! I thought about throwing my hands in the air just like him because that’s how I felt getting there on foot. I had a pang of shyness though. :/

  

A panorama from the steps of the art museum. No they are not curved like that. I don’t know how to eliminate that problem when I do a panoramic shot.

After a snack and short rest on the art museum steps I headed back down the Parkway toward City Hall.

  I stopped at the Love sign,

Walked through the archway under city hall

and headed down Market Street after turning around to take another couple pictures of city hall.

I do love its architecture.

Big guitar! Every city’s gotta have a Hard Rock Cafe. I just didn’t know where Philadelphia’s is before today.

I made it to historic Philadelphia. This is behind Independence Hall.

 

I then ventured over to Washington Square.

I thought this was pretty funny. They are so proud of their moon tree.

This is it! The tree planted from a seed that was taken to the moon.

It’s a big stick now. Dead wood. Not very impressive. Maybe they could get a carving artist to preserve the trunk and carve something meaningful into it?

But what is impressive and very meaningful in this square is what else is here:

 

Washington Square is a burial ground for those soldiers who died as prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War. It is a beautiful square to walk around and enjoy. You would never think people are buried here. But it does have that sacred and special feel to it.

 

And they have an eternal flame burning here for them.

That was my turning around point and I headed back towards Independence Hall where I ran into Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. Or in short, General La Fayette. If you can just hear him say his name in that wonderfully fluid French accent! That was cool!

 

I walked by this sign and thought that a dialogue with Darwin would be pretty interesting!

 

The US Mint was the last place I passed before getting back on the bridge.

I had to take a picture of the “4 Lanes to N.J.” I guess the walkway makes 5?

 

Once back at Rutgers I took the Riverline back and walked those last couple miles back home. It was really a fun walk! Just couldn’t believe I could do that! Pretty cool.

I enjoyed it so much that I did it again the next weekend but took a different route through Philly. I did get to see the actual temple site this time and then turned around toward Logan Square, which is really close, to see a large group of the homeless gathered where people were handing out food and water to them. A few of them were even gathered together in a prayer circle. I could not think of anything more appropriate and tender than this so near the temple site. :)

I ventured down to South street and was not much impressed with it but did manage to find the ice-cream place Alan and I visited once that I really liked. It’s off 2nd and Market near the Penn’s Landing bridge. The Franklin Fountain. I stopped there before heading back to the bridge for a homemade ginger flavored ice-cream in a waffle cone. Oh it was so good!!

I love this way of getting to know Philadelphia. Whenever I have the chance to I would like to do these walks again and I recommend walking the Benny at least once! I had no idea it was such a popular thing to do!