The bus pulls up to Eastern State Penitentiary and the scenery just doesn’t look real. Giant stone gargoyles, towering walls, the place looks beautiful and terrifying at the same time. As our group of honors students file off the bus, the students buzz with anticipation. We split into 2 groups and start our exploration of the grounds.
As we walk around the Penitentiary, we begin to understand why this place was once such a great prison. As we learn about the history, the rusted gates and dilapidated cells begin to reverse become like new again. With a little imagination, it is not hard to see the strong structure that was Eastern State. We learn about the luxury the prisoners were given, and of how some people actually wanted to come to Eastern State. During the time, it was greater than some of their lives at home.
For me, the most interesting part to learn about was the renovations that were done on the prison. In order to accommodate more inmates, security and the luxury given to the prisoners were jeopardized. Prisoners used to have a whole cell to themselves, an outdoor area for fresh air, and a skylight. However, as second levels were built on some blocks, first floor prisoners no longer had a skylight and second floor prisoners had no outdoor area.
After the guided tour, we were able to explore the ground on our own. Some of us went off to find the supposedly haunted portions of the penitentiary, including The Hole. The Hole is a portion of the prison which is underground and was used for punishment of misbehaving prisoners. We weren’t actually allowed in The Hole; however, we were allowed down to the gate. It had an incredibly low ceiling that I was just short enough to stand up straight in. It was in fact a very creepy environment and we could see why ex-inmates would want to haunt it.
After exploring on our own, we left the penitentiary for lunch. Walking around Philly, we finally came across Luigi’s, a small corner pizzeria that had a nice, comfortable feel about it. Of course, when in Philly, what else should you get but, you guessed it, a portabello mushroom panini. Hey, I’m vegetarian! With the exception of myself, everyone ordered Philly cheese steaks. After the meal, we all reached one conclusion. Luigi’s was amazing.
With full stomachs and happy thoughts from the wonderful meal, we ventured on to the used bookstore Professor Lenard told us about. The place was a book lover’s dream. Floor-to-ceiling shelves, wall-to-wall bookcases, two floors, all stacked to the brim with books; all genres, all age groups, all areas covered. I’d been meaning to get a new book for some time, and since Halloween had just passed, I felt the need for something that would chill my spine. I looked at the two shelves stuffed with Stephen King novels, unsure where to start. Finally, I gave up trying to guess and called someone I knew would know which book would be perfect: my mom. She promptly recommended Carrie. I had always wanted to know the story, and I knew that the book was always the best place to start. I paid for the book and left the store with my friends in search of ice cream.
After ice cream and a little more exploration of the city, we made our way back to the giant stone structure that was Eastern State. There we waited for the bus to bring us back to Stockton. While exploring, we formed new bonds among ourselves as a class. We had hung out with people that day who we had barely had a conversation with before then. New friendships were formed, stronger bonds were made, and none of us ended up in jail.