On the rainy morning of November 1, I, along with a good amount of other Honors students, went on the Freshman Honors Trip to Philadelphia to visit the Mummer’s Museum and Italian Market. This trip was especially enticing to me because I had never been to Philadelphia before, since I live next to New York City. Being able to visit a new renowned city seemed like an opportunity I could not refuse.
We arrived at the museum and were guided on a tour by a man whose family has always been very involved in Mummer’s parades that go on typically in Philadelphia and New York. Everything we learned was new information for me, for I had never even heard of Mummers before. In simple terms, people who participate in Mummers Parades dress up in extravagantly themed costumes and perform through the streets of these cities. In the end of the tour, we all dressed in clothing items of Mummers and took a group picture-it was very interesting to see the kinds of clothes considered “typical” to them! Also, after we tried on the costumes, Dr. Rosner had us put into groups to create a “Mummers Dance” with Halloween themes. My group was assigned “ghosts,” so we made a dance to the Ghost Busters theme song. Although it was not as top-notch as actual Mummers performances, it was very entertaining to see everyone’s dances.
After the museum, we were allowed to break off into groups and explore the Italian market of Philadelphia, which included tightly packed streets filled with vendors and restaurants. My friends and I chose to eat and a small restaurant which we all agreed had the best burgers we had ever eaten. We also went to an Italian candy shop, which had everything sweet one could imagine, all homemade. A couple of us, including myself, got gelato despite the cold, rainy weather outside, but it was well worth it. We then headed back to the bus to go back to Stockton.
The Freshman Trip, despite the weather, was a good experience, especially being my first time in Philadelphia. I throughly enjoyed spending this time with my Honors friends, and I learned a lot about Mummers and the specific area of Philadelphia. I definitely look forward to visiting Philadelphia again!