While we'd had some icy ocean gusts whack our RV throughout the night, we'd had a decent night's sleep. Although oddly enough, in the morning before we got up someone drove past and dumped a bunch of rocks not far from us? When we saw it in the morning it seemed like they'd been arranged around a deep puddle, perhaps as some kind of marker so folks didn't just walk or drive over it, but we're still not sure of the exact intention here, and we'll never know!
Fancy Schmancy Margate
We left Atlantic City and continued to Margate City, a town still on the Jersey Shore. It seems that this is one of the more expensive and fancier parts of the area, as the houses were much larger and more elaborate, and we "oohed" and "aahed" as we normally do when we drive by posh mansions. There was one house we just had to stop at, though, of a mansion built in Greek Revival style, which was completely covered with Halloween decorations! There were obviously thousands of dollars that had been spent on decorating the house with a litany of figures, including of the Headless Horseman, skeletons, ghouls, demons, a skeleton driving a horse carriage, and so much more! The decorations snaked around the house (it was on a corner lot), and we could walk into a tent with more scary adornments that would likely scare folks when they're lit up and move suddenly in the darkness. Funnily enough, it was the only house that had decorated for Halloween: it was as if all the neighbors around had simply sent all their Halloween budgets and energy to this house to cover for everyone!
Also in Margate City is a huge, 6-story high sculpture of Lucy the Elephant, which was built in 1881 by real-estate developer James V. Lafferty to help attract buyers to shore-front lots in South Atlantic City. Lucy faced demolition in the 1960s, but was saved by a multimillion-dollar restoration project and today there are guided tours available to go inside Lucy, up a spiral staircase to see views of the Jersey shore. We didn't go up, but it was cool to see Lucy and appreciate that it is now a historical landmark that was saved from ruin!
More History at Batsto Village
Soon, we arrived at Batsto Village, which was the site of a sawmill in the mid-1700s, and became a thriving village over the next century or so. Today, there are more than 40 sites and structures, including the Batsto mansion, a sawmill, a gristmill, a charcoal kiln, ice and milk houses, a carriage house and stable, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, a general store, a post office and church. The Post Office still functions occasionally, and it's popular among philatelists (stamp collectors!) because the stamps are hand-cancelled, with no zipcode. The church is still an active place of worship. It was lovely to tour the grounds, which we could do for free, and see it in during the gorgeous fall season. We could have stayed for longer, walking further to some of the old homes, but we realized we still had quite a bit to see and it was already the afternoon!
A Taste of Fall: Apple Cider Donuts
Lisette has been eager to try an apple cider donut, having missed the opportunity to do so when we went to Alstede Farms in New Jersey (the line was extremely long at the mega farm). We were driving around some rural areas, and seeing some farms, so Lisette didn't want to miss out this time. Unfortunately one farm we stopped at before Batsto Village only made them on the weekends, so when we passed by Al's Family Farm and saw the sign advertising apple cider donuts, Lisette wanted to stop. But we made sure this time, calling the store before looping back.
The farm at the front is fully kitted out for fall: like many, there are massive pumpkins, bunches of mums (flowers), autumn decorations, and all sorts of seasonal fruits and vegetables on display for purchase. As soon as we entered the shop, the lady who worked there, Denise, knew we were the ones who called, pointing us in the direction of the much-desired apple cider donuts, sold in half-dozen boxes, either plain or coated in sugar. Fortunately, Denise pointed out that we could also purchase a small container of only 2 instead, so we got a couple of sugar-coated donuts and some homemade Amish jams. The donuts were soft and fluffy, with a hint of apple aftertaste. Glad we were able to finally try this fall treat!
We've seen quite a few Thomas Dambo trolls around the country, including in Jackson (Wyoming), Austin (Texas), and most recently, in the Bernheim Forest in Kentucky. Now we can add another troll sighting, in Hainseport, New Jersey. The troll, called Big Rusty, is set behind some woods, perched in front of an abandoned, graffiti-filled building. Unlike the other trolls that we'd seen, this one is made out of metal, with signs not to feed the troll as it stares down with wires dangling from its mouth. Apparently there are over 120 trolls all over the world, which is pretty incredible!
Arriving in London--Oops, Philadelphia
Soon, we crossed back into Pennsylvania, arriving in Philadelphia. We were immediately struck by the rows of houses, stuck side-by-side to each other, that looked like they'd been lifted out of central London. We had no idea that Philly had a lot of these very English-style houses, and it was the first time that we'd seen so many of these homes built in this fashion anywhere in the US, with the teeny gardens out the back. They were rather charming to look at, although it could be rather challenging sharing the same walls as your neighbors, as it's likely they'd hear a lot of what's going on inside your home!
Our first stop was the Ryerss Museum & Library, which has a free museum inside, filled with oddities from around the world, including a large Chinese puppet theater, an ostrich egg box, and many other artifacts that were collected over a century ago. Unfortunately, the museum was closed when we arrived, but the mansion itself is impressive to look at.
Another impressive building we visited was the Beth Sholom Synagogue, the only synagogue built by acclaimed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. We could see what looked like a rather Eastern influence to the design (Lloyd Wright loved Japanese architecture), with a dramatic pyramid constructed of corrugated wire glass on the outside. The synagogue is in a quiet neighborhood with a lot of lovely homes, although there weren't really any places to park!
Philadelphia was all about the historic and iconic buildings this evening, as we next headed to Grey Towers Castle, located at Arcadia University. Built in 1898, the castle was originally wealthy sugar baron William Welsh Harrison's family home, and it was eventually purchased by the university. It truly does look like it's some kind of European stone castle! It's definitely a beloved landmark of the university, as we later saw a billboard advertising attending there by saying you could study at a castle. The university is a small, private one, but what it lacked in size it made up for in character, with charming grounds, flags from the around the world hoisted on the walkways, and beautiful trees, including dramatic Weeping Willows, around the campus.
West African Dance Class!
Lisette found a West African dance class to attend at Second Chance Dance, which notes that it's the only studio that focuses on classes for adults in the city. There was a beginner's class at 6-7pm and an intermediate level from 7-8pm. The dance studio is in what seems to be a really nice part of town, with mansions and nice parks in the surrounding areas, and we parked about 5 minutes walk away for Lisette to arrive with just enough time to spare to make it to the intermediate class.
Lisette was a bit unsure of whether she'd be okay to show up to the intermediate class, as she hadn't been to the studio before, but she figured that she's had enough experience to not be completely out of her depth in this class. There were 5 other students who all seemed to be regulars for the class, and after warming up, the teacher, Cachet, came over to introduce herself, before teaching Djansa, a traditional dance from Mali. Usually there are live drummers at this class, but for this week we listened to a recording of the drumming to dance to.
The class was wonderful in so many ways--from the warm welcome from the teacher, the breakdown of the moves, and the simple joy from dancing and feeling the music. After the class Lisette chatted to the teacher and students, and they were all so friendly, curious (it's a rarity for someone to drop in who's traveling around the country, and funny. That's one of the best things about dance studios--people are so inclusive and welcoming (maybe the dancing endorphins help?). The only downside is the fact that Lisette always leaves wishing she'd have more opportunities to stay and take classes! Besides West African, Second Chance Dance also offers ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop. Oh well, maybe one day there'll be a chance to return... a second chance! (Get it???!)
A Lovely Neighborhood for Sleep
Second Chance Dance was right near Wissahickon Valley Park, a large, urban park that is popular for hiking, cycling, horseback riding, and other recreational activities. The neighborhood seemed to be very posh, with mansions on huge blocks, so we ended up finding a lovely, quiet spot in the area to park for the night. Lots of massive, old trees meant we probably wouldn't get much solar in the morning, but it seemed to be okay for our Starlink in terms of connectivity for the night.