The Grand Tour—Philadelphia Edition

The family imitating Ethan's sleeping position in DC

The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by upper crust British folk who would journey from London or thereabouts to Paris to Padua to Venice to Naples and up to Munich and Geneva before catching a homeward bound ship in Amsterdam. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s. According to the great Wikipedia, the primary value of the Grand Tour, it was believed, lay in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionable society of the European continent.

Kata and Toni at the July 4th Parade in DC

Two centuries later the Grand Tour is alive and kicking as Ben’s sister Sara and her guys Steve and Ethan—all Midwest spirits and East coast rookies—visited for a long weekend. And with four days instead of four months on the standard itinerary our quest began. In lieu of the southern Italy section, Washington D.C, just 2 hours south, would suffice. There we took in the faux antiquity of Greek revival architecture and magnificent grand balls. Ok, the buildings were about 2000 years newer than Europe’s and there were no masked balls, but we did see many people in masks at the July 4th parade. And I’m quite certain the fireworks blew the best that Milan offered in 1834 out of the air. Next, the grand tour veered north to New Amsterdam, aka NYC. There we met the French lady of liberty, toured the grand children’s market of FAO Schwartz, and devoured the culinary delights of a delightfully rustic region known as Greenwich Village. The Grand Tour returned to the birthplace of (American) democracy, Philadelphia, for what else, cheese steaks and the running of the Rocky steps.

Not exactly the standard itinerary of past, but magnificent nonetheless. Thanks S,S&E for the visit and PB&J and K for your hospitality in DC.

Times Square NYC


Our nephew Ethan at the Statue of Liberty


Resting in Rittenhouse Park (Philly) after 4 days of gallivanting about the East Coast