Independence Hall

Why is it that the historical buildings I want to visit are always under construction? Last year, when we were in Belgium, one cathedral in Brugge and the Palace of Justice in Brussels were both scaffolded. Anyway, that is what I could see of the outside of Independence Hall. I had to imagine the actual tower. At least the inside wasn't under renovation.

To visit the Hall and associated buildings, you have to get a ticket, which is free, that lets you in at a specific time for a tour. Our guide warned us all at the beginning that he was taking melatonin in preparation for a vacation, and that he might fall asleep mid presentation. He didn't, but I did think that was an odd way to start. He also had a bee in his bonnet about John Adams not having a statue in Philadelphia, even though he was instrumental in the Revolution and the creation of the Constitution. Being a (very) distant relative of John Adams, I too think he deserves a statue. But he wasn't particularly flashy or vocal, and somehow, I think he might not like a statue. Oh well.

I couldn't help but think this room would have been mighty uncomfortable in the depths of winter and the sweltering heat of summer, just like it is shown to be in the wonderful (ha ha) musical 1776. There were big fireplaces at the front, as you can see, but a big open space in the back (where we were standing) and plenty of gusts would have been blowing around in the winter. And there was no air conditioning or electric ceiling fans to stir the air in the summer. Phew.

While it was interesting to see the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed, I was a little disappointed that we couldn't visit any other part of the building. The upper floors were off limits, so it was only the two main rooms and the entryway. I guess since nothing of great national import was done upstairs, they prefer to keep potential tourist damage to a minimum. Bummer.

Right next door to Independence Hall, and open without a ticket (and also empty), was a building that was used for various purposes, including the state supreme court. I actually kind of liked it better.

Those are some big jugs. I wonder what was in them. Doubt it was just water.

Anyway, those were the only historical buildings I actually went into. I could have paid to go into Betsy Ross's house, or any other number of buildings related to George Washington or Benjamin Franklin, but I only had so much time, money, and interest. Besides, I had to go watch the Gay Pride Parade.

Liberty Bell, er State House Bell!

Just a short post today, so I can continue to milk the pictures from Philadelphia for a while longer. I have been too busy, and the weather has been too hot, to take anything decent since then!  Anyway - while in Philadelphia, I made sure to take time to see some of the historic sites, the ones you hear about in American History class in 5th grade. The best part about most of them, is that they are owned and operated by the National Park Service, so they are free (well, apart from paying taxes, but you don't have to pay an extra fee to see things at least). To see the Liberty Bell, all you have to do is stand in line, and that line is actually for the security screening - much like a screening at a major league baseball park.  You just show that you aren't carrying anything explosive or corrosive, and off you go.

To get to the Liberty Bell, you could wind your way through a nice set of exhibits about the history of the bell, which points out that the bell itself was not originally called the Liberty Bell, but rather the State House Bell. The name Liberty Bell was, according to the Park Service info sheet (and the exhibits), given to it by a group of abolitionists in the 1830s. Interesting. I did not know that. To be honest, I only gave most of the exhibits a cursory glance (I'm not in 5th grade history any longer, and I knew there wouldn't be a quiz - so sue me, I learn to the test sometimes!), because mostly I just wanted to see the bell.

And there it is. It is actually larger than I thought it would be - the opposite reaction than I have to most historical objects and buildings. Yes, the thing weighs 2000 pounds, and it looks like it. The bell itself (why didn't I try for an up-the-skirt picture of it?!) is quite thick, and that beam that holds it is massive. I didn't take a picture of the cracked side, apparently. Oh well. This is how it looked during the Revolutionary War period. Apart from the tourists, that is.

Next up, Independence Hall and the Old City Hall.

Little Rock Booze Tour, part 1

On Sunday Benjamin and I, along with Donovan, Angel, Taine and George, went on a booze tour that I arranged as a form of local tourism.  We started at Brandon's Rock Town Distillery, with a tour given by Phil Brandon - the founder and owner himself.  They make vodka, gin, and bourbon right near downtown Little Rock.

Bourbon casks, busy aging.

The tour started in the cask-aging room, where casks of bourbon were resting. Our new friend Phil told us all about what makes bourbon bourbon, and not just another kind of whiskey (it's the percent of corn, the amount of alcohol, and the brand new, charred barrels). All of the ingredients have been grown in Arkansas, and the casks were made by a cooper in Hot Springs.

The bourbon isn't going to be ready until January - so we will have to go back for another tour when it is ready.

Mmm, fermenting corn mash.

From the barrel room we moved into the still room. Before everything goes into the barrels, it goes into the still, but before that, the mash has to ferment.  You may notice that the big tub is uncovered - they don't really worry about contamination because all the impurities will be taken out through the distilling process, and alcohol is self-sterilizing, or something like that. (To get the details correctly, you will have to take the tour yourself).

And here is the still. It is a lovely, steampunky contraption made of copper and pipes and tubes. There was some mash inside, waiting to be strained (I think).  There were a lot of technical details about how gin and vodka are made that I don't want to put down because I will just get them wrong. Go on the tour to find out for yourself.

And then it is on to the bottling room, where the bottles are filled by hand, the labels hand written, the stoppers put on the bottles, and the bottles packed into boxes.  After the tour, Phil gave us all tastes of the vodka and gin, but because of the strange laws in Arkansas, he couldn't actually sell any bottles to us. I don't know much about either vodka or gin, but they both had really good flavors, We will be making a trip to the liquor store soon.  It was a great tour, and I would highly recommend it as a destination when you have family or friends to entertain.  The factory is close to the Heifer International building and the Clinton Presidential Center, so you could combine a couple of activities in one afternoon.