Earlier in the summer, Jake and I (along with some friends) decided that it would be a fun idea to go on one of the Philly ghost tours. It seemed like the perfect weekday evening activity, or perhaps even a great way to get the weekend started. The very next day, Groupon offered a frighteningly felicitous deal: 50% off tickets for the
Spirits of '76 Ghost Tour. We knew that this bargain was sent to us from another realm to allow us an evening of spooky, yet thrifty, storytelling.
Fast-forward two months. Our tickets were set to expire in less than a week! A
hurricane annoying rain storm was headed our way! We needed to act! Lucky for us, Irene kept the tourists away, and we were able to land two spots on the Friday evening tour. After finding ourselves unable to resist buying something from Cosi, we set off for a 75-minute walking tour of historic Philadelphia led by an enthusiastic and informative Shakespeareanesque tour guide.
Over the course of our 1.5 mile walk, we heard about a dozen and a half stories - some creepy, some funny, some... completely lame. It's been a long time since I really looked around as I walked through that part of Philadelphia (I normally avoid it in an effort to stay far away from tourists, horse droppings, duck tours, and, worst of all: tea party "activists"), but I'm really happy to have done the tour. Not only was it entertaining, but it reminded me just how much American history lives in this city. I don't think any other place in the country has as many important landmarks, or as many beautiful historic places.
All in all it was a great night: wonderful history, hair-raising stories, free samples of gelato, and the best company on a beautiful evening.
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