Winter Break Trip - Day 3

I was awake very early but Mollie slept until about 0800.  It was raining a lot so we didn't rush out of the room.  We left the hotel at around 0900 and walked one block to the north to the entrance of the US Mint.  We took an interesting tour (although no money was being made) and looked at some cool coin collections in the gift shop.  A lady who worked there told us about the different coins made by each Mint (San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia and West Point).  Mollie traded an old paper dollar for four new (unused) quarters that had never been circulated.  After about 30 minutes at the Mint, we walked across the street to pay our respects at Benjamin Franklin's tomb in the Christ Church Burial Ground.  We knew that most of the restaurants at The Bourse would be open by 1000 so we next walked over there for brunch (pastries at Barry's Buns).  While sitting at a table inside the warm and dry building, we had several good conversations.  We eventually went back outside and walked around the area near the Independence Mall, looking inside the gift shop at the National Liberty Museum (pricy!) and taking pictures at Carpenters Hall (site of the meeting of the First Continental Congress).  We then walked down the street (big golf umbrella required) towards a Philly Cheese Steak restaurant on South Street that one of my friends had recommended.  Along the way, we marveled at the pretty row homes on each street and stopped for photos and a bit of history at the Thaddeus Kosciusko National Memorial.  Nearby, we watched a Goodwill truck hit an old tree (more than once) and cause it to fall (in pieces) onto the one-way street below.  The ensuing traffic chaos was entertaining.  On South Street, we found ourselves in a totally different world (tattoo parlors, adult book stores, racy theaters, etc.) but located Jim's Steaks and got our lunch (two sandwiches and some fries) at around 1100.  The food was delicious and Mollie ate every bite.  It was nice to be out of the rain, too, so we took our time at the second floor table with a good view of the street below.  After we were done eating, we talked back to the north (still had to carry the big umbrella) so that we could visit another NPS-operated facility at Franklin Court.  This place has always been one of my favorite stops in Philadelphia and, this time, there was an updated museum.  Starting at around noon, we took a tour there and were treated to many interactive and informative exhibits.  I think Mollie really learned a lot and was inspired by Ben Franklin the polymath.  We also toured the printing office (demo of process) and looked inside the "B Free" Franklin Post Office branch.  Mollie told me later that she really liked Franklin Court a lot and it raised her opinion of Franklin tremendously.  We then walked down Market Street to the Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center, where Mollie got several stamps in her NPS Passport (there were 16 to choose from but only four with boxes for the stamps and Mollie was out of room in her "additional cancellations" section).  It had gotten really windy and the rain was still nasty so we walked back to the hotel to recharge.  On the way, we both commented on how much walking we'd done and how convenient all the sites were to our lodgings.  We read for a little while and I ended up taking a nap (1330 to 1515) while Mollie messaged with her friends and relaxed.  We were crossing our fingers for drier, less windy weather in a few hours and we got lucky.  With much nicer weather in the late afternoon, we went outside again.  I'd toyed with getting an Uber to visit the Reading Terminal Market but Mollie said she thought we could walk there.  At 1530, we headed down Arch Street until we arrived at the famous market.  We had fun browsing in the shops and stalls, taking in the sights, sounds and smells.  Mollie got some good gifts for her sisters (candles) at Bee Natural.  Meanwhile, and I tried not to lose her in the mass of humanity.  We both commented that it reminded us of Quincy Market and Pikes Place Market (sans flying fish) and it was a welcome change from walking through history in the rain.  We ate a delicious dinner at Olympia Gyro (gyro combo special) and had a nice conversation about our day.  Again, we thought it was nice to relax in a warm, dry place and the people who ran the restaurant treated us very well.  After eating (done at 1725), we then explored the market some more and Mollie later got a free cookie at Famous 4th Street.  Eventually, we got tired of trying to navigate the crowds and decided to leave (1745).  Since it was still early, we headed over towards Franklin Square to enjoy a Winter Festival (I'd thought about an Uber but Mollie said it was really closed so we walked).  Mollie had wanted to visit this place a lot since seeing it on the first night when we arrived.  She took lots of pictures and asked if we could stay to watch a “dancing lights” show (I agreed).  We went into a heated tent where people could get drinks and entertain their kids while staying warm but we both agreed that it was TOO warm.  The light show kicked off at 1800 and Mollie commented that they had done a better job than ZooLights in coordinating the music and visuals.  After it was over (1815), I asked Mollie if she would be interested in walking down to the waterfront.  Since it was pretty nice, she agreed and we walked down Race Street towards the Delaware River.  Along the way, we encountered our first panhandler (I'd previously commented on how they were strangely absent in Philadelphia).  After crossing under the interstate, we reached the Race Street Pier and got some great views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (above our heads). We then walked along the road until we reached Penn's Landing.  There was a skating rink and other activities for kids there.  Actually, it was clear that it was a Winter Carnival of some kind and there were a lot of teenagers having fun.  We stayed for a little bit and then walked up a ramp until we were on a footbridge that took us across the Interstate and back to Market Street (it had a lit up sign).  Mollie commented on how fun the day had been and was excited about the activities we still had left for our last full day in Philadelphia.  We arrived back at the hotel by 1845 and spent the rest of the evening watching TV (“Forrest Gump”).  Mollie posted on Facebook about our evening stroll (and my dad made a nice comment on how well she'd written her post).  I was going to turn off the TV early but then another movie (“The Intern”) came on and Mollie asked to watch it.  We were both pleasantly surprised by how good it was.  Bed was at 2300.