Saturday, April 28, 2018

March 9, 2018 -- part 3, Ben Franklin, and the rest of the day

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We visited Ben Franklin's post office, and here's the special cancellation.



Hand-made nails.  This is not the original floor.  Its condition is far too good for that.  We were told that when they do repairs on buildings this old, they try to use period techniques and materials.




This is the back of the building housing the post office.  The door immediately to the right of the archway is the exit from Ben Franklin's post office.


You can also visit a working print shop that uses the techniques and materials that would have been used when Ben Franklin had a print shop, but I took no pics this time.  Here is the post I wrote about visiting Ben's post office and the print shop when we were in Philly in 2012.



Behind where I stood to take the prev there is a new Ben Franklin museum, with a lot of info about his life and times.

Good on ya, Ben!



99% sure these are bifocals, perhaps actually made by Ben Franklin.



It's hard to tell, but I think we can see this is two separate lenses (the top of one and the bottom of the other), put into the same frame.  I think we can see where the two are touching, and I think the light going through them to the surface below shows that meeting place.




Ben was inventive his whole life.




An interesting museum.

The museum's gift shop.  Neon Ben.



The river (with New Jersey beyond) is relatively close to the other things we visited on March 9.  I wanted to get closer to the water.

I'd forgotten that, as in too many American cities!, we've put an expressway between the people and the water................

This is as close as we got.



I love that my camera has a zoom lens!  That zoom is the only thing I miss when I only have my phone.......



We strolled past an Indian restaurant on the way back toward the hotel, and stopped in for supper.  It was good.  Had it been closer to the hotel, we'd have eaten there again.


Independence Hall.


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2 comments:

Jeanie said...

This is very, very cool. I love the canceled stamp and the bifocals. What an interesting character!

I need orange said...

Thanks, Jeanie. An interesting character for sure.