As I strode briskly toward the Independence Visitors Center in the Old City of Philadelphia, the heavens opened. Unfortunately, God didn’t come down, only sheets of grey rain on a day that had until that time been gloomy but warm. Despite my chic London Fog rain hat and brightly-green rain jacket as well as hastily-employed umbrella, my jeans were soaked almost to the knees and my socks distinctly damp when I reached the Center, only to find that the half hour movie I’d hoped to see didn’t begin until 11 and I had to be at Reading Terminal Market by 11:30 for lunch. So I headed for Ben Franklin’s house and museum and I’m glad I did.
Having read his autobiography ages ago (free here as a pdf) and a lot about him, I knew he was a man of many talents. But the newly-redone museum showcases wonderfully what an eclectic man he was. Let me share in photos just a small slice of his accomplishments.
This, that and the other thing 