Larry and I went to the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly yesterday, an enthralling place. I made and wrapped Pat's lunch first, and we left about 10:30. Larry has one of those navigational things, and we just punched in our destination, and it told us how to get there, turn by turn. Aside from being a little too talky, it was great.
The penitentiary was built in 1830 and was considered breath-takingly modern at the time. (I hadn't known before that the word "penitentiary" arose from "penitent," which the prisoners were supposed to be.) The conditions and treatment seemed horribly brutal and inhumane, but at the time, were considered kindly.
It was one of those walking tours where you get earphones and a tape device to guide you through the miles of corridors, up and down iron stairs, and fill you in on the history of the prison. We saw Willie Sutton's cell and the opening for the tunnel he used to escape. Willie was a famous bank robber in the 40's and 50's who molded a model of his face out of wet bread, then used clothing with it to simulate his sleeping self. Larry and I both remembered when he escaped, but incredibly, he didn't even dig the tunnel--it was his neighbor in the next cell. Guess he was more newsworthy than that guy.
Al Capone stayed at ESP for a time, and got special treatment. His cell was furnished with an easy chair, radio, elegant writing desk, and other luxury items, advantages which were noted acerbically by newspapers of the time (shades of Paris Hilton). The tour took several hours and there were lots of other fascinating tidbits, including mention of the several children who were born of the few women incarcerated there early on; one boy lived there for 5 years.
After our tour, we ate lunch at a vegetarian restaurant across the street, then headed off to the museum area. We went to the Rodin (he sculpted "The Thinker") and the art museum, but unfortunately, couldn't get in, as they're all closed on Mondays.
Got home about 5:00, so I had time to pare and cut potatoes into "oven fries" and pop them in. Had beef tips as a main dish, along with the potatoes and wax beans. Colored my hair, took a shower, then the guys and I settled down with our popcorn (and my wine) to watch "The Roloffs." I was pleased that Pat had gone down the bay while we were out, as he had skipped it for a few days. The weather's been just beautiful, sunny and warm with a slight breeze. I threw the windows open days ago and haven't had the AC on.
Today, Leslie and I are going to be the attendants at "Eyes Wide Open," a display of boots representing the 55 New Jerseyans of the 3000+ Americans killed in Iraq. It's already set up at Hamilton Mall and is part the Friends (Quakers) campaign to quietly bring attention to some of the dreadful human cost of this horror. (The hundreds of thousands of others, dead at our hands, are not memorialized, but when our leader, Norm, sends e-mails, he always mentions the body count of "our Iraqi brothers and sisters.")