-1Chapter 25
"I've always wanted to see this." Betty admitted looking through a glass chamber at the Liberty Bell.
"Well, I'm glad that you got a chance to see it." Henry wrapped his arms around Betty. It was Saturday morning, their second day in Philadelphia and they were looking at the Liberty Bell along with a group of other people. After Betty and Henry had gotten up that morning, they had a nice breakfast, and then they had set out sightseeing. First they had taken a tour of Independence Hall. They had learned a lot of interesting facts when they were touring the building and they had enjoyed the classic Georgian architecture. After they toured Independence Hall they had went across the street to The Liberty Bell Center.
They had stood in a long line of people and then went through a security checkpoint. They then went to a lobby area, where they viewed a video presentation about the history and creation of the Bell. Afterwards they went to the glass chamber where the Liberty Bell was located. Betty and Henry stayed at the Liberty Bell Center for a while longer discussing the Bell and the history of it and then they continued their sightseeing. They saw some other sites in the Independence Historical National Park, including Congress Hall, Declaration House, and the Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank. A little after two they went to get a late lunch.
"Oh this is so good." Betty commented after she had taken a bite of her cheese steak sandwich."
"Un huh." Henry mumbled enjoying his cheese steak as well. The couple finished eating and then went to the Philadelphia Zoo for a little while. While there they saw Cheetahs Hippos, Zebras, Elephants, Meerkats, and other animals.
"Okay it says those are Sumatran Orangutans." Betty commented, looking up at the animals.
"Sumatran Orangutans are one of the most endangered Primates." Henry informed her. "A few years ago in 2002 scientists estimated there were about 3500 of them living in the wild. Over the past few years the numbers have dropped even lower. One of the biggest reasons for this is because the forests are being cut down to make room for Oil and Palm plantations. It's a big threat to these animals."
Betty turned to look at Henry. "Wow, I did not know that. Poor things."
"Yeah, the show that I saw about them on the National Geographic Channel was pretty interesting." Betty and Henry watched the Orangutans for a while longer and then went to look at some more animals. They didn't get a chance to see as many animals as they wanted to because they had arrived at the Zoo a couple of hours before closing time.
After they left the Zoo, Betty and Henry went to one of the theaters in the city to see a show. Then they had dinner, and went shopping to get gifts for their family and friends. After they finished shopping it had gotten kind of late, and Henry and Betty decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel. On their way back Betty hooked her arm through Henry's.
"I had a lot of fun today." She stated with a smile across her face. Henry looked down at her, also breaking out into a smile. "I'm glad and tomorrow we are going to have a lot more fun. I want to make sure that your birthday is extra special. There are a lot more places we can visit. There is this really nice restaurant that I want to take you to for dinner, and maybe we could go to one of the really nice nightclubs here. And wait until you see what gifts I got you for your birthday. I think you'll like them."
Betty's smile became wider. "All of that sounds great Henry. But just being able to spend my birthday with you is more than good enough for me."
Henry reached down to give Betty a long kiss, and they continued to make their way back to the hotel, anticipating all the fun they would have the next day for Betty's birthday.