We are in DC Now!!!!

Troops 1632 and 1633 had a whirlwind tour finishing up in New York and then in Philadelphia.

In New York, our buses dropped us off at Ground Zero and we we're in awe of the incredible site. While on Manhattan, we also saw the New York Stock Exchange and the first Capitol across from NYSE. This was interesting with a large statue of George Washington on a horse and on the right was a picture of our first president kneeling and praying.

I believe we impressed the many New Yorkers and tourists from other countries, some wanting their pictures taken with us. We made it to the ferry to head to Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty was beautiful and the weather was much better than the day before. The Scouts were happy to sit down for a while after all the walking and get a snack on the ferry.

Ellis Island was interesting with the history of immigrants coming to the US. The guides had extensive knowledge of the history and passed it on to us. Apparently, the snack bar was great there, which had a Starbucks also. Of course, that was a hit with Mr. Bennett. Mr. Sliger talked about the delicious fudge, also.

While on the ferry, Mr. Davidson met a mother and children from Switzerland to find out her son is in the Scouts. They live on the french speaking side of Switzerland, but they spoke English fairly well. John and Jacob Davidson was introduced to them and Jacob gave the boy, whose name is Bill in English, one of the Circle Ten Texas patches. Bill and his mother were very excited to receive the patch.

After getting back from Ellis Island, we made our way to our bus where we had lunch waiting for us. We ate on the bus as we made our way out of Manhattan and New York heading to Philadelphia. We needed the rest knowing we had more walking in the City of Brotherly Love.

After finally stopping in Philadelphia, 1632 and 1633 immediately started their tour. We visited sights including Benjamin Franklin's house, Betsy Ross' house, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, among other sites. After this busy day we were ready for dinner at The Bagel Factory. We were ready for some Philly cheese steak sandwiches and bagel sandwiches and I believe everyone was satisfied. They had actually closed the restaurant to host the scouts.

Once we finished dinner, the two troops made it to their buses. We were certainly happy to get some more rest time and watching Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian. Whew! This was a tiring day!

We are now in Washington D.C. and tonight it is quiet in the hotel halls. Everyone is tired and gone to bed. Overall, alot of history of our wonderful nation was seen and to see it and think about what happened in those early beginnings of our country is awesome. I did think it was strange that in New York you find no water fountains and restrooms aren't found all over the place. Philadelphia was close to New York in that respect. Alot of pictures have been taken and many thanks to Mr. Bubeck having to stay up to late nights to upload the large number of pictures taken.

Friday is an early start for breakfast (6am, UGH!, with 5am wakeup, OUCH!) and heading over to the Capitol to see Congressman Pete Sessions and other sightseeing included. We will be taking the Metro train system here. The boys are in good health and enjoying themselves.

Submitted by David Davidson
2nd Asst. Scoutmaster - Troop 1633