A bicycle built for.....four?

Back in August, Kenta's dad gave us a call to ask us if we would be willing to pick up a bike for him in Philadelphia if he won a bid on ebay. Assuming that Philadelphia was just a few hours away (isn't that how everything is on the East Coast?) we said. "Sure!!!".

Then we got on to Google maps and realized that it was a little further than a few hours away (more like 6+) and would require Kenta to leave work early and an overnight stay. Oops. But we were happy to take the little trip because we weren't just going to pick up any old bike - it was a TANDEM bike. Plus, it's Philadelphia. What's not to love about the opportunity to visit some awesome historical sites and eat a real Philly cheesteak sandwich?

The drive down was totally fun. We got to see New York City from afar for the first time (okay...small lie. I went to NYC when I was four but I don't remember it, so it doesn't count):

(somebody help me out...I have no idea what bridge this is)

I let out a happy shriek of excitement when we passed this bad boy on the interstate:


Riding the Fung Wah is one of the most recent additions to my bucket list.


As always, Thomas was the best little backseat driver a parent could ask for. He basically sat in the backseat and exclaimed "Cars!! Cars!!" the entire time he was awake. He was happiest when a semi was following us. On a completely unrelated note, I have no idea what he smeared in his hair, but it looks nasty.

Due to some incompetent Quizno's employees at a New Jersey turnpike rest stop, it took longer than the expected six(ish) hours to reach our destination.

Oh, and the fact that our back door decided to quit latching at said New Jersey turnpike rest stop didn't help speed things along either. Luckily Kenta found some random ropes to jerry-rig something to keep the back door shut so we wouldn't have to worry about the back of the van flying open as we sped down the interstate:


The hotel was super nice (thank you, priceline!) and Thomas loved the view:


There was even a Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin sighting in the hotel lobby:


Random.

Lucky for us, it was only a short walk to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.



Of you look closely, you might be able to tell that these shadowy figures our actually us. (Just your run-of-the-mill failed photo op, courtesy of a fellow tourist)

We actually got to take a tour of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were drafted and signed. It was pretty cool to be standing in the very spot where, essentially, America was born.

Thomas, as usual, was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing old rooms full of old furniture:


he didn't pull too many shenanigans during the tour:





I came to Philadelphia hungry for something to feed my nerdy love of American history. The tours left me completely satisfied. Kenta's stomach, however, was still grumbling for something else....

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK!!!!

He had to scarf that puppy down so we could get back on the road again, pick up the bike, and head home.

The ride home was pretty uneventful, other than some major traffic in NYC. The back door didn't fly open, however, so we really had no complaints.

Once home, we were excited to try out the bikes. Life was busy, so it took a few weeks before we could find time to take it for a spin. We headed to the local bike trail and had ourselves a good time:


And to give you an idea of how long the tandem PLUS the bike trailer was:


Yay! We were happy to ride it at least once before the weather got cold. And that back seat will need replacing. Even with my "natural" padding, that thing was hard and uncomfortable. Ouch.

(And word to the wise: don't try riding a tandem bike when you are six months pregnant. Your sense of balance is already sketchy, at best, so your tandem experience will be quite stressful.)