Please Touch....

......and when you are done doing that, read further!! Gee, what were you thinking, I am only here to write about a museum!!! :-)
Please Touch Museum is housed in the Memorial Hall Philadelphia which was one of the buildings built to celebrate America's centennial in 1876. It is the only major building remaining from the centennial exposition. It is a magnificent building with a resplendent soaring ceiling which is about 80 ft high.

As we enter the stunning space, we are greeted by  40 ft life size replica of Statue of Liberty's Arm and Torch which is built using things like toys and games and other things  "found". Can you see the beautiful details in the building? I love it!!

This Image: Please Touch Website


Please Touch Museum is a hands on children's museum. From their official website 
....."we encourage children to play and grow through the myriad of experiences we offer. We know that play provides the foundation for basic life skills such as building relationships, cooperation, negotiation and compromise as well as providing opportunities for children to find out who they are and what they enjoy doing. Play offers an emotional outlet, develops the imagination and creativity, and cultivates problem-solving skills" 

It is great place to spend time with toddlers and preschoolers. We spent about three hours there. Saumya was especially smitten by the "Grocery Store" where she could shop and then check out all her stuff just like mom. 
Another thing that captivated her was the hamster wheel which she would walk on to make it move. In excitement she started "walking" on it very fast but wasn't very happy that it made the wheel go fast as well!! And then we ate in the Please Taste Cafe where the motto was "please pay too much" ouch!!! We should have packed our own snacks. After that we made a customary visit to the museum store which was pretty commonplace but we did find an "out of the ordinary" puzzle for Saumya.
She was able to make most of it without help though in the final stages when the pieces very very little she did need an adult. Here it is

Looks cool, eh?!

Here's the other side of it.

If you are in Philadelphia with a child under the age of 6, this would be a great place to visit. Here's the link to the website for more info.

Philadelphia : Part One

 The Philadelphia Stock exchange. It was the first one to be established in United States in 1790. Love the grandeur and the columns.

One of the many hotels in downtown. Again, the columns and archways fascinate me.

 The Independence Hall where the discussions and debates and the final signing of constitution of America took place. 

 The Philadelphia Bourse, opened in 1895 and was the first commodities exchange in United states. Today, it is one of Philadelphia’s leading commercial complexes, home to 24 retail and food service stores and more than 50 businesses.

People think that Betsy Ross made the American flag, but it's not totally for sure. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 1752. More about Betsy Ross here.

One of  the six mints in United States, is located in Philadelphia and it only makes coins and no bills. The architecture disappointed me here!

Oldest living street in United States is Elfreth's Alley and is in Philadelphia. It about 300 years old. "Only??" Ask people from Europe!!

Benjamin Franklin Bridge built over the Delaware river, what a beauty! It connects Philadelphia with New jersey. Construction started in 1922 but soon after a dispute arose between 

New Jersey and Philadelphia. New Jersey wanted tollbooths on the bridge while Pennsylvania wanted the bridge to be free, using tax money to pay for the construction. Works on the bridge even halted for some time until eventually Pennsylvania agreed to construct tollbooths. it finally opened to traffic in 1926 but was given its present name only in 1956.

This is the Liberty Bell. When William Penn created Pennsylvania's government he allowed citizens to take part in making laws and gave them the right to choose the religion they wanted. The colonists were proud of the freedom that Penn gave them. In 1751, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a new bell for the State House. He asked that a Bible verse to be placed on the bell - "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10). As the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House (today called Independence Hall) it rang many times for public announcements. The old State House bell was first called the "Liberty Bell" by a group trying to outlaw slavery. These abolitionists remembered the words on the bell and, in the 1830s, adopted it as a symbol of their cause.

Philadelphia City Center has a eclectic mix of old and new architecture and it gives Philadelphia its unique look and style.

Gorgeous Philadelphia City Hall. It boasts to be the largest, tallest and the most expensive of all the city halls in United States. It took 30 years to be ready and no steel frames were used in the construction which is why the walls on the first floor are up to 22 ft thick to support the weight of the floors above.

The first free public library in America is also in Philadelphia, founded by , of course, Benjamin Franklin like everything else in Philadelphia!


Yes, you can thank me now for presenting a long lesson about Philadelphia! I am sure I must have missed many things but then who said you can get to know everything by just reading one book ;-)
More to come in next post about things in Philadelphia and that have nothing to do with Ben Franklin!