New Jersey and Philadelphia PA, July 2019

We struggled to figure out where we wanted to stay in New Jersey for a couple of reasons. Mostly because we wanted to set up the RV and not move every other day while dealing with the distance between the locations we wanted to visit. So we eventually settled on a small Naval Base, Earle Naval Weapons Station, campground which triangulated most locations.

Philadelphia, PA

Our first day was spent in Philly and we covered a lot of historic sights. We started the morning with the Liberty Bell, Betsy Rose House, toured the US Mint and Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution was signed.

• 

• 

• 

  Signing of the US Constitution

• 

• 

We lunched at Pat’s King of Steaks the inventor and originator of the cheesesteak sandwich.

• 

• 

A huge thanks to Chris’ amazing barber (Karen) who is originally from Philly but now lives and works in Sarasota. She gave us a few tips on where to go in Philly, one of which is the Italian barber and Italian district where she learned her trade at a young age along side her father and other Italian immigrants like Joseph Foglia.

Joseph and son, Sal Foglia, are the real Italian deal. Joseph who is now 82, immigrated from Italy at the young age of 20 and has been a barber in Philly for over 60 years. They treated Chris like royalty and gave him a great cut/style.

Before the Italian cut….

• 

After 🙂

Thomas Edison National Historic Park, NJ

The Thomas Edison National Historic Park includes Edison’s laboratory complex and his home. At the laboratory complex you can tour Edison’s laboratories, which have been preserved nearly to the original state. Unfortunately, we did not tour the inside of Edison’s home due to the tickets for our time-frame being sold out. However, we were still able to walk the grounds of his estate and grave site.

• 

Edison is best known for the phonograph and incandescent lamp but he was also an inventor of many other devices and technologies still used today. He earned 1,093 U.S. patents in his lifetime. Most of his inventions were developed on the grounds of what is now referred to as the Thomas Edison National Historic Park.

Below clockwise right to left: Edison’s chemistry lab, the Edison battery and some of the first ever Christmas lights.

Below is Edison’s home and grave site located 3 miles from his laboratory complex.

• 

• 

Washington Crossing Historic Park

Washington Crossing Historic Park preserves the site of George Washington’s dramatic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 during the American Revolution. The Soldiers successful crossing achieved a resounding victory and reignited the American Revolution’s fight for freedom after experiencing defeat and an all time low moral in previous conflicts.

Princeton University

Our visit to Princeton involved a two and a half hour walking tour of the University and historic parts of the town, lead by the Princeton Historical Society.

The picture above with Chris and Caitlin was taken at Nassau hall, the oldest building of Princeton, built in 1756.

Princeton is home to a variety of sculptures and architectural design paying tribute to the town and university’s rich past.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Gateway National Recreation Area, Fort Hancock

We toured Fort Hancock, NJ which is a part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The National Recreation Area spans both NY’s and NJ’s water front. Fort Hancock was a key point in WWII where the population increased to more than 10,000 with more than 3,000 artillerymen assigned to protect New York City’s harbor during the war. Today it serves as a small Coast Guard Station and museums within the historical buildings and artillery forts facing the NYC harbor.

Grounds for Sculpture

Grounds for Sculpture is an impressive 42 acre park, museum and arboretum dedicated to the expression of art within nature. I would recommend planning at least 4 hours to walk the grounds. There are both outdoor and indoor exhibits as well as places to eat along your walk. At every turn your eyes are met with yet another creative sculpture so very different from the previous one.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We accomplished almost everything we had planned for NJ 😦 However, due to severe thunderstorms and bad timing we were not able to take our long road trip to Cape May and back. Being that the round trip drive was over five hours, we had it planned for the end of our week when an unpredicted storm system approached. We will certainly keep this for our next visit. Now we are off to our next stop- Connecticut!

• 

---

Discover more from 2 Veterans 1 Dog RV There Yet?!

Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.