A Stroll Down History Lane

Unfortunately for all of us, we arrived at the hotel relatively late from dinner, so the  early 5:45 am wake up time was a real challenge. However, we were all able to manage it and get up on time. We immediately headed for the local subway station and made our way to Penn Station. Once there Ms. L, went off to obtain the tickets while the rest of us proceeded to look for something to eat for breakfast. Like the day before, some if us were still pretty full from yesterday's fancy dinner. Regardless, however, we all settled for a few pastries from a pastry shop.

We were forced to wait to eat, however, because as soon as were done with our purchase, the train was getting ready to board. Thankfully, the boarding process did not take that long so we were able to mount the train and have our breakfast. Compared to yesterday's ride to Sarah Lawrence, this ride was significantly longer. One of that most surprised me about the Amtrack train, and while I am not entirely sure if only East Coast trains have this, was that there are cars that are "quiet zones". I do not travel by train, so I definitely do not know if this is common around the U.S. It completely amazed me and as a cohort we learned that quiet, really means quiet and people will snicker at you if your not. Regardless though, our destination was the grand city of Philadelphia. and after about an hour and thirty minute train ride we were finally pulling into the Philadelphia train station. 

Upon surfacing from the subterranean complex that held all the tracks, we were finally able to obtain our first glimpses of the Philadelphia train station. While not as grand and famous as Grand Central Station back in New York, it was still an incredible sight to behold. There was much history in the displays around the station. 

A Full view of Independence Hall

When we had finished seeing a few of the displays, we grabbed two taxi cabs and made our way to Independence Hall and the location that houses Liberty Bell. While zooming past the street in the taxi cab, I came to realize that Philadelphia harbors a long lineage of history in its past. When the taxi cab finally arrived at the edge of Independence Hall, the awareness of the great importance this city had in the foundation of our great nation finally came rushing to me. Without the role this majestic city played in this countries lineage, the would be no United States of America.

Standing tall and proud at the edge of a beautiful green field, Independence Hall is a real stunning piece of American History. The architectural design and the preservation that has kept it pretty much the same through the ages is really amazing to behold. While I was taking pictures and observing every detail carefully, I began to mentally imagine what it might have been like to see it back when the Constitution was signed by the founding fathers. Unfortunately, due to a very long wait that we had not time in our schedule for, we were unable to see the historic liberty bell up close. We did, however, manage to get a few glimpses through a side window. Continuing forward, we headed toward the National Constitutional Center Museum. The outside view of it was really amazing and breathtaking. Inside was an amazing visual history lesson. The exhibit on display had to do with the reaction of the American people toward the Vietnam War, and the casualty toll that it had on American troops. The exhibits all gave me a melancholy feeling about over the fact that so many young innocent men lost their lives in that war.

After touring the exhibit we proceeded to a short demonstration of the ideals and concepts this nation was founded upon. The main focus was the concept in the Constitution of the "We the People" and the impact it has had on the frame work of this country. It described the issues and challenges the founding fathers faced when needing to establish a government that was of the people, by the people and for the people. The overall presentation was an amazing recollection of how uniting a nation, scarred by revolution presented many challenges that put the nation on the brink of destruction.

When the demonstration had concluded we took two taxi cabs over to a Mexican-cuisine restaurant called Distrito. The food was amazing, I had tacos that absolutely were divine. The best part about the lunch however, was the experience to be able to talk to three UPenn current students and two UPenn admissions officers. Each and everyone of them was very nice and were also very informative. Through the admissions officer that I sat next to, I learned that the biggest trick to making an amazing personal statement is to BE YOURSELF! The question of an amazing statement went even further to where we discussed the some of the drawbacks of having too many people critique your work. Having many people read and edit your essay takes away from the uniqueness and individuality of the work. Aside from tips and tricks about the overall admission process, we also discussed the UPenn environment and curriculum. It was apparent through each speaker that UPenn places high emphasis on community services. Overall they all made the school sound really interactive and focused on building a sense of giving back and helping out in its students. I really began to feel a connection with the school and how grand it was made by the students and admissions officers. 

After we concluded the lunch, we were able to get an exclusive tour of the UPenn campus by two of the alumni we had lunch with. The only word that can semi-describe the beauty of the campus is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Tree provide so much color to the school and character for the school. Even better than the landscape were the architectural designs of the buildings. Many of them appeared to have come straight out of the Harry Potter books. I could not help but admire how impressive the campus was, and the further and further we went the more I found myself being amazed even more. It is probably on of the most beautiful and architecturally unique I've ever seen. There were so many buildings, each with its own history and personality to it. I honestly had so much fun just walking around the campus and seeing everything.

An architectural masterpiece on the UPenn campus

However, like all great things in the world, they must come to and end and once we were dropped off at the informational session. When we arrived there, the session was relatively close to finishing up, but we did manage to catch important details about early admission and financial aid offered.  

Once the session concluded, we took the advice of our tour guide gave us all in going down the lower level of the building were the information session was held and trying the highly popular "Insomnia Cookies". We had to wait a while a new batch was made because at the moment they were sold out (most likely because of the high popularity). However the wait, was completely worth it. As trays full freshly baked cookies filled the room with an amazing aroma, we each began to order ice cream sandwiches. It was a bit tricky trying to get the hot cookie to keep from falling apart. The actual cookie was absolutely delicious, probably the best cookie I have ever tasted in my entire life. I have not eaten any other cookie that compares to the quality of the "Insomnia Cookies".

When we finished our delectable treats, we headed back to the train station to catch a train back to Grand Central Station. Once again it was another hour and thirty minute ride to reach New York that seemed to pass ever so slowly. We were forced to be split apart because the majority of the seats were already taken when we boarded the train.
 

Upon reaching Grand Central Station, we were able to experience one of the most notorious and least liked qualities of New York City- "New York rush hour". Everyone was rushing to get from one track to another and pushing and shoving is very common. Down in the subway, the entire platform was crowded with people eager to get on the train to go somewhere, which makes getting space on a train extremely competitive and aggressiveness is not uncommon. When the train finally arrived, it was epic struggle simply getting inside the fully pack train. The word personal space is not really common during rush hour and each train is always tightly packed.

 

When we finally made back to the hotel we order two pizza's and had a mini bonding party. It was full of comical jokes, funny YouTube videos and wacky online translation services. Overall it was a very great day and fun experiences. I can only imagine what awaits us all tomorrow.