The best laid plans

Over the weekend, I decided that I was going to take Sammy on a day trip to Philadelphia.  The main impetus for this trip was the Philadelphia Antiques Show; I had been looking forward to attending this show for several months and excitedly set about making hotel reservations and getting in touch with old friends to visit with while I was in town.  Yesterday morning I packed up everything we would need and Sammy and I hit the road; about twenty minutes after we left the house, I realized that I had left my Pikkolo baby carrier on the couch but figured I could make do with the stroller.  Foreshadowing, anyone?

Fast forward about three hours later and Sammy and I were making our way into the show when we were stopped and informed that no strollers were permitted on the show floor, effectively barring us from attending (thankfully I hadn't purchased my ticket ahead of time).  I was flabbergasted; I had worked at the Philadelphia Antique Show for the previous five years and could recall many, many small children being wheeled through in strollers, especially on the slower weekdays of the show.  I walked back to the car with Sammy, fighting back tears the whole way (did I mention how much I had been looking forward to attending this show?).  I pulled out my iPhone and double-checked the show's website to see if there was any mention of a stroller prohibition that I might have missed, but I couldn't find any; I felt like such a moron for forgetting the baby carrier.

I thought about calling my former boss to see if there was anything he could do to get us in, but thought better of it and called the show office instead.  I informed the woman who answered the phone of the situation and of how disappointed I was to have come all this way, only to be turned away at the door due to a restriction that was never once published in any of the show's literature.  I felt slightly better after this conversation and decided to make the best of the gorgeous weather and my now-free afternoon.  I drove to the street where I used to live and found a parking spot right in front of my old house; I loaded Sammy into the stroller and together we set off to explore Philadelphia.  Here are some photo highlights from our walk:

Lion sculpture at the Philadelphia Merchants Exchange

 Cupola of the Philadelphia Merchants Exchange

 

If you look closely, you can see three top teeth poking out (finally!)

The Second Bank of the United States of America

The Pennsylvania State Seal at Independence Hall

Sammy in front of Independence Hall

 Daffodils at Independence Park