Back in 1925, when Flapper dresses were the rage, Riddell Angell and Cora Phelps opened a chocolate shop in Daytona Beach. Sure, they sold salt water taffy, but their focus was on homemade chocolates. And three generations later the family continues making candy the same way, in fact, they still use some of the same copper kettles.
“The key to our success,” says owner Chuck Smith, “is producing small batches daily. Maintaining the correct temperature is vital when working with chocolate, as is no humidity.” You’d expect high quality ingredients and Angell & Phelps demands the best.
The City of Brotherly Love proved itself quite the opposite when my daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and I set off to view the statue of William Penn above City Hall.
We knew observation desk tours were available and researched the Internet for details, checking Will Penn’s homepage. The website boasts, “This is where you will find everything you ever wanted to know about Philadelphia City Hall (and then some!) A second page stated,” Tours of the tower run every 15 minutes from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. A group interior and tower tour of City Hall meets at 12:30, Monday through Friday. All tours are free.”
We also checked a few other tourism websites to confirm. Then, off we drove, paying the toll to cross the Delaware River from New Jersey. Unable to find street parking, we pulled into a lot charging $5.75 per 30 minutes for the first two hours, or $27 per day.
We walked to Penn Square, entered City Hall and were directed to the gift shop to purchase tickets. What happened to free? An employee explained fees were $5 per adult and $3 per child and reservations were necessary. Reservations? Did we want the next available time slot in an hour and a half? An hour and a half?
I wasn’t upset by the cost, but waiting over an hour with a five and six year-old wasn’t an option. The kids wanted to see the statue up-close and I expected to take a few photos. Thoroughly frustrated, we returned to the car, paid for parking and drove home.
Come on Philadelphia tourist bureau– please give your visitors a fair shake if you can’t bestow a little love. Update visitor information websites now.
Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll know to make reservations over the phone. Call 215 686-2840, but another warning–they are only offered on the day of your visit.
Visit the locations from Dan Brown’s book: Angels & Demons
Colorfully dressed Vatican Swiss Guards
Mimi must confess; she’s a fan of Dan Brown books. His fictional bestsellers, The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons sparked serious religious debate. When an author can raise such widespread public discussion, he has written a powerful book. And, a very profitable one as well.
If a book morphs into a movie, the book and author’s bankroll soars. Such is the case with Angels & Demons. May 15, 2009 marks the premiere of the feature film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks.
Mimi remains fascinated by the book, and took the official Angels & Demons tour back in 2005. The attractions, scattered around Rome, provide a quick glimpse of major landmarks and other sites that used to be off the beaten track.
The Pantheon in Rome, Italy
In 2008 Mimi returned to Rome and secured a ticket for the Vatican Scavi Tour. This time she ventured beneath the Papal Grottos, down into the Necropolis tombs.
She will share her Eternal City excitement and Illuminati intrigue through her upcoming blog posts, revisiting the following, one day at a time:
Santa Maria del Popolo and the Chigi Chapel
The piazza and fountains outside St Peter’s Basilica
The Sistine Chapel
Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria with the statue of St. Theresa in Ecstasy
Piazza Navona and the Fountain of Four Rivers
The Pantheon
Castle Sant’Angelo and bridge
Il Passetto
St Peter’s Basilica, interior and papal grottoes
The Necropolis under the Vatican- as viewed on the Scavi Tour
Please accept Thoroughly Modern Mimi’s invitation to follow the path of the Illuminati in this virtual tour of sites depicted in Dan Brown’s book, Angels & Demons.
Mimi (AKA Debi Lander) did not, nor is not currently, receiving any compensation from Dan Brown, Sony Pictures or the Angels & Demons Tour company. Mimi financed her own travels in Italy.
A visitor touches the feet of St Peter's statue in the Vatican
