The Duck Boat, or DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious vehicle that was designed by General Motors during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. It was later turned into a tourist attraction in such cities as Boston, Philadelphia, and Branson, Missouri, among others. It turned out to be a great way to see the sights and get a great overview of the city, with some really bad jokes mixed in.
As we departed for our journey, the second most popular mode of tourist transportation was apparent. The were so many horse drawn carriages in the vicinity of the Liberty Bell, as well as several protesters claiming it was animal cruelty and dangerous for the animals to be in such proximity to the cars. First on our ride was Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created and signed.
We rode past several other historic locations, some of which were hard to get pictures of due to fences, walls, or poor angles. Such places as Dolly Madison's garden, a cemetery where famous people were buried, old neighborhood row homes, among others. We also drove through some of the busy tourist areas with more modern sights:
The last picture shows the building where Larry Fine of the Three Stooges fame, was reportedly born. As we continued down the road was passed the location for the evenings concert as well.
We left the busy downtown area and headed out towards the water. Soon we would turn the land vehicle into a water craft. As we drove along, part of the tour included narration, as well as some corny jokes. As we drove across a stretch of cobblestone road, the loudspeaker reverberated with that famous boxing introduction "Let's get ready to rumble!". was huge We arrived a short time later at the Benjamin Franklin bridge. The bridge is an amazing structure, spanning almost 2000 feet, and providing 3 modes of crossing-walking, driving, and train. 
If you look closely, you can see the train running across the bridge.We turned down a ramp and splashed into the Delaware River, turning into a boat. since we were sitting in the back, we were able to get a nice shot of the entry.
We did a short tour in the river, passing by a sailboat, a Naval destroyer, several old marina buildings that had been turned onto luxury waterfront condos, and of course, other duck boats!
The cruise in the river was definitely unique. One could just imagine what it must have been like when these vehicles were used during D-Day ferrying troops to shore. The boat version of the duck did not move too fast in the water, so I imagine they must have been sitting ducks (no pun intended). But all too soon the water portion of our journey was ending and we headed back up the ramp to shore.
As we returned into the city, we were led through a very picturesque area, alive with colorful murals. While we have lots of graffiti at home, here they are much more creative.
The next mural was billed by our tour driver as the biggest bicycle mural ever.
After the tour was complete, we went to Independence Hall and did the short tour of the Hall, and we were able to see original copies of the Declaration of Independence, and other historical documents, like the Constitution, also drafted and signed in this building.
We checked into the hotel after Independence Hall, had some dinner and went to the show. It was a standing room venue, so we were on our feet for almost 6 hours between waiting in line and the show. While we were in line, which ran down the block, around the corner, around another corner, we were in the back of the venue. While waiting in line, we were able to hear the band do their sound check. Standing in the alley behind the venue, the walls were done with broken glass, plates, and other materials to form an amazing mosaic.
The show was great! They played the entire new album, The Whirlwind, which basically was one song with several parts. After a short intermission, they came back and played one of their older songs, which again was quite long, and the drummer mentioned "OK that was 2 hours and we played just 2 songs so far". They played a little over 3 hours in all.
For the finale everyone switched instruments, and the drummer decided to crowd surf! Bold move for sure, but they had him out pretty far in the audience.
The weekend was a blur to be sure, but fun. Sometimes you can pack a lot in on a weekend and be exhausted, other times it seems like your barely scratched the surface. This was a barely scratched the surface weekend, with a little history, a little entertainment, and a "whirlwind" of activity- Next up our trip to Jamaica!
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