First Anniversary

Mike and I just celebrated our first anniversary! We had some surprises and we celebrated by going to Philadelphia. Mike had never been to the historic district and I do not remember much of the last time I was there. I suggested it, Mike planned it and we had a wonderful time. Mom and Dad stopped through on their way to Long Island the Thursday before we left, filling our house with baby things and the top tier of our wedding cake. Neither Mike or I realized they had saved it. Another shout out to Bobak's, the cake tasted pretty delicious after a year in a deep freezer, and the four of us really enjoyed eating it. Mike is always full of surprises and while walking in downtown State College, we passed by a photography studio and Mike said, 'what do you think of that one?' I turned and my attention was caught by my own face staring back at me. I knew he had been planning a surprise, but the surprise was better than I had imagined. He coordinated with a photographer, using pictures from our wedding and copies of our vows to make a beautiful piece of art we can hang in our house. It's very fortunate one of us was blessed with the sentimental gene and can give these kinds of gifts, I'm a bit lacking in that area and my gifts tend to be entirely practical. I got him a hiking pack for Longs Peak/other hiking trips.

I had the 11th and 12th off, so Mike booked us a hotel right on the Delaware River within walking distance to historic Philly. We arrived, checked-in, lathered on sunscreen and set off to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the many other sites of Philly. It was a pretty hot day, but we made the best of it, ducking into air conditioned buildings frequently and keeping full bottles of water on us. Independence Hall was under construction, but we were still able to tour the inside and see where the Declaration was signed and an old courtroom. We've started collecting Christmas ornaments from the various places we have visited, starting with Hawai'i. On our honeymoon we got a really nice shell angel, then in Jamaica we got a similar style shell star and in Philly we found an ornament with Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on it. Before we leave State College we'll have to get a Penn State ornament. There were a lot of buildings we would have liked to have gone inside, but because we couldn't get to Philly until near noon, many of them were closed by the time we got around to them. Next time.

We headed back to the hotel about 5 for a rinse and cool-down before dinner. Mike made reservations at a restaurant called Moshulu. The restaurant is a four-masted ship, and is the largest in the world still afloat. Again, within walking distance of the hotel. It was beautiful! When Mike made the reservation, he told them we were celebrating our first anniversary, so after we ate they brought us little mango sorbets (delicious). We were among 2 other couples celebrating anniversaries and the couple next to us got engaged before we left. The food was spectacular! A close second to Chef Amaury's. I had a virgin pina colada, Mike a salty seadog or something along those lines. An appetizer of the lighest gnocchi we've ever had, and the sauce! We both had steaks for dinner with sides of mac-n-cheese, fries, cream corn, and heirloom tomatoes. Now I don't like raw tomatoes, but even I thought these were better than your average tomato. the cream corn was made with fresh cream, fresh corn and bacon. Yum! The mac-n-cheese. Holy cow. Move over Two Brothers and share your podium with Moshulu for best cheese sauce I've ever had. I savored every bite. And even though I was full, I couldn't stop. Mike had to take one for the team and finish the mac-n-cheese or he might have been rolling me back to the hotel. It is safe to say, we've welcomed Mike to the foody ranks.

For day 2 of our anniversary trip, we went to Eastern State Penitentiary. Yes, we went to prison for our anniversary. I'm sure you're thinking 'Oh, how romantic'. I was a bit skeptical, but this place was pretty awesome. Opened in 1829, it was the world's first penitentiary, designed in a hub and spokes design and it was abandoned in 1971. It's right in the heart of Philly and is a pretty ominous structure, looking more like a fortress of a castle than a prison. I got to open the 2 ton gate. The whole of the prison is a self-guided audio tour. We got there at 10, when it opens, and ended up staying till nearly 1. Much longer than we anticipated. It was a bit eerie inside the prison, and the tiny cells made you appreciate your freedom. Some of the most interesting things (to me anyway) in the prison were that Al Capone was held there for about 10 months. Check out his cell. Pretty sweet deal compared to every one else.
There was a plaque in the hub that gave thanks to prisoners that fought in WWI, however they are recognized only by their number. Their names are not mentioned at all. Initially, the prison was designed to be one where punishment was complete solitude. Prisoners were brought in with black bags over their heads, so as not to learn the layout of the building, they were led into their cells from an exterior room. They spent 23hrs of the day within their tiny cell, completely isolated from human contact, with the idea that isolation brought penitence. 1hr a day they were allowed to move into the annex of their room that allowed sunlight and fresh air. Guards patrolling the cell blocks wore wool socks over their boots to muffle the sound of their footsteps. And unlike prisons today with a door that opens to the corridor, there was only a feeding door. Imagine spending a yr in a place without any human contact. A lot of them probably went crazy.

Some of the funnier, interesting things about ESP were the successful escape attempt, in which a prisoner dug a tunnel, that is still present today, and led 10 other prisoners to freedom just outside the prison walls. What's funny is that all were caught and one showed up 8 days after the escape at the prison door asking to be let back in because he was hungry. The white line shows where the tunnel is.

And by far the most interesting bit of history at ESP is Pep: The cat murdering black lab. Rumor was, Pep killed the governor's wife's beloved cat and was sentenced to life in prison. Complete with a number. He looks pretty guilty in the photo. He was actually donated to the prison, following an example from another prison elsewhere, but he did have a number. The prison closed in 1971 following a riot that seemed to make people realize 'oh, there's a prison in my backyard with death row inmates'. Very interesting, I'd recommend visiting if you're in Philly, they do tour on Halloween too!