Creepy Philly

I love Pennsylvania...it is my favorite state. However, this trip to Philadelphia was simply creepy. Of course, we planned for one part to be creepy but we got some extra creepiness that was not expected. The entire trip was not creepy so I am going to have a tally of creepy and non-creepy events/sights.

1 point for creepy: The Microhotel Inn. When Mary booked this hotel, I told her that it was going to be awful. She defended it by saying, "It is going to be fine. It is new." That was not nor will ever be a valid reason. We arrived at the hotel on Sunday night. Mary went to check into the hotel. She came out laughing and shaking her head. The clerk had asked her for her name. She stated "McMullin." The clerk urged that he did not have a McMullin. Mary gave him the order number. He stated, "No that is not under your name. It is somebody else's." Mary asked to see it and the man refused. The man finally succumbed to Mary's pleading. The name: Smcmullin. Mary is now affectionately called Smcmullin or Smcmary.

We finally got our bags up to the room. As we walked in, we had the suprise of our life: a large mirror that ran the entire length of the room, right above the beds. Creepy. Mary stated that we had to do the mirror test (if your fingers match up in the reflection then it is not a true mirror.) The mirror failed. CREEPY!!! Our imaginations ran wild with ideas of two-way mirrors and video cameras.

The creepy long mirror

Do you want to know more about our trip.....Ask Brian Barker about it.

1 point for not creepy: The Betsy Ross home. We played with the hats and bonnets. We also bought some great quote books that featured Benjamin Franklin. Here are some of my favorites:

One good Husband is worth two good Wives; for the scarcer things are, the more they're valued.

He that won't be counseled can't be helped.

I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they have made of the value of things.

1 Point for creepy: Independence Hall. The tour guide stated that in Independence Hall it got Hot and Heavy. That is creep.

1 Point for undecided: Philly Cheese Steak with cheese wiz. We all ordered Philly Cheese Steaks. Mary ordered a Philly Cheese Steak without the steak and the cook suggested she have hers with cheese wiz, peppers, mushrooms, and marinara sauce. It was the most disgusting looking sandwich my eyes have beheld.

1 Point for creepy: Mary's fascination with old cemeteries. I like old cemeteries but Mary loves them. Every cemetery we saw she had to stop.

2 Points for creepy: Eastern State Penitentiary. Yes, you read it correctly, we went to the Eastern State Pen. It was the first Penitentiary and was opened in 1829 with the idea that prisoners would change if they were kept in solitary confinement for years. The prison was closed in 1971 and was abandoned. As we walked into the prison, it was easy to notice the disrepair. The walls were falling down and the ceilings had begun to create icicle looking deposits. For this reason, we had to sign a waiver stating that we knew of structural dangers.

As we walked through both the ruble and reconstructed cell blocks we could not helped but be completely creeped out to think about all of the awful events that would have taken place behind these walls. The entire tour was fascinating and I hope to go back for their Haunted House that they have every year. It is currently rated as the 13th haunted house in the nation.

Cell Block 9- Where Al Capone was jailed * We had to sign a waiver saying that if we were hurt the Eastern State Pen could not be held accountable.

1 Point for not creepy: Rocky Steps. We ran them. We celebrated. We sang the Rocky theme song.

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Tally: 5 points for creepy, 2 for not creepy, 1 undecided = Philly is pretty, darn creepy.

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