Come to Philadelphia.

You never know who you will see there.

Philadelphia is a city loaded with history. Before European settlers arrived the area was inhabited by Algonquian-speaking native Americans known as Lenni-Lenape. Many of them lived by the Delaware River and so the European settlers called them “Delawares”.

At different times the area was colonized by Dutch and Swedish settlers before the British prevailed.

William Penn was the son of a wealthy British admiral. He was a Quaker. Indeed, he was imprisoned for his faith. Nevertheless, Penn was an influential person in the court of King Charles II. The King was in debt to William’s father. William’s father died before the debt was repaid and to settle the matter, King Charles granted William land between Maryland and New York. This is now known as Pennsylvania.

Penn and surveyor Thomas Holmes designed Philadelphia in a grid pattern of wide streets and several public squares. Philadelphia became an important settlement for trade and its size and influence grew very quickly.

In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia and after hostilities with the British ceased, it became the first capitol of the new United States of America. Later, in 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was drafted here as well.

I visited Independence Hall and saw the Assembly Room. This is where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where delegates of the original 13 states except Rhode Island gathered for the Constitutional Convention. They worked for 4 months and in great secrecy, before the draft Constitution of the United States of America was published.

Nearby is the Liberty Bell Center. The Liberty Bell has been rung since 1753 and it is believed that it was rung on 4th July 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was announced.

The National Constitution Center opened on 4th July 2003. Its galleries are a timeline to describe the development of the United States Constitution from its inception to the present day.

There is much to see here, including a visit to Signers’Hall, where you can mingle with bronze statues of the 39 people who signed the constitution, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin is regarded as one of America’s most significant statesmen. He is laid to rest in Christ Church Burial Ground.

The Big Bird Derby.

Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles in week 2 of the new NFL season.

The teams played to an excited and noisy crowd. It was close and tense as the Eagles led 21 to 15 in the final moments. Eagle’s fans were nervous as Falcons quarter back Kirk Cousins marshaled his team up to the Eagles red zone. Then in the last seconds he fired a match winning pass to Drake London to make it Falcons 22 Eagles 21.