Walking through Philadelphia is like walking through history, it was home to so many of the events that helped shape the US.

Benjamin Franklin figures high in both the history and the history of Philadelphia.

In Washington we took advantage of public transport to get around; that option isn't available in Philadelphia, so we became re-acquainted with the joys of driving in big city traffic, and paying downtown parking rates! Most of what we wanted to see was in a small area, so we were able to walk everywhere.

The old part of Philadelphia is quite old, by North American standards, with building dating back to the late 1600's and early 1700's; many still used for their original purposes.

Among the buildings we were most keen to visit were the State House where the Declaration and Constitution were debated and adapted, the building is now known as "Independence Hall."

Philadelphia is also home to the Liberty Bell. The bell was faulty from the day it was cast in England, multiple attempts to repair it have failed, but the Bell remains an important enough national treasure to require metal detectors and searches for potential visitors.