If you want to learn about American history, you've come to the right place. Philadelphia is lousy with historical significance. You can't walk three steps without tripping over an historic cobblestone, or bumping into people dressed up in authentic garb behaving like colonists. One of the nice things about traveling around at the beginning of November is that you won't be bumping into a whole lot of tourists.

I (as we say in consulting) leveraged a lot of the information below (but not the irreverence, that's all mine) from the ushistory.org site put together by the Independence Hall Association. I highly recommend it. The Virtual Philadelphia tour is fascinating and gossipy.

Independence Hall
5th and Market Streets
It was closed for a while, but the birthplace of America, irrepressible Independence Hall is still the mecca for all things birth of the nationish. They signed the Declaration of Independence here. They wrote, fought over, rewrote, and finally signed the Constitution of the United States here. I get all patriotic just thinking about it. Take the tour, by all means, then sneak back in with your friends and family and reenact your favorite scenes from the musical 1776.

The Liberty Bell
4th and Market Streets
You know, the big bell with the crack running down the side. If you grew up in the tri-state area, you've been here. And if you have friends who visited, you've been here again. And again. But still, there's a thrill in being able to go right up and tou ch this piece of history. You can't say that about a lot of things we've preserved from the colonial era.

Carpenters Hall
Carpenters' Court between Third and Fourth Streets on Chestnut Street

The site of the First Continental Congress. Site of the Patrick Henry "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech. 'nuff said.

Betsy Ross House
239 Arch St. between 2nd and 3rd in Old City
Speaking of symbols of freedom, take a walk through the house of our most famous seamstress. As we all know from the song, "Betsy Ross lived on Arch Street near Second...her sewing was very very fiiiiine..." You can save yourself the trouble of the walk through with the virtual tour on the (highly thorough) BRH Web site, or you can soak up the history the way your foreparents (and the bride) did, by walking the walk.

Congregation Mikveh Israel
44 North 4th St., between Arch and Market Streets
This is one of the oldest congregations in the U.S., and apparently is known as the "Synagogue of the American Revolution." It was founded in 1740, and the first actual synagogue building was built in 1782, with financial assistance from that most Philad elphian of Philadelphians, Benjamin Franklin. There's a letter from George Washington on display, and The Mikveh Israel Cemetary, at 8th and Spruce Streets is nearby (Philadelphia is the home of the first Jewish cemetary in the country, by the way) for y ou morbid types.

National Museum of American Jewish History
55 North 5th Street
I hear that they sell baseball caps with the embroidery in Hebrew of the names of different baseball teams here. That alone has to be worth the visit. It's not by any stretch of the imagination a large museum, but the exhibitions have never been a disapp ointment. And apparently they have a huge shindig on Christmas Day, with films and lectures and storytelling, which I imagine would be a lovely complement to the Matzoh Ball the night before.

Old St. Augustine's Church
Northwest corner of 4th and New Streets between Race and Vine
This building is so full of history I am amazed that I've never seen it. "The Site of the First Foundation of the Augustinian Order in the U.S., the Nativist Riots of 1844, and one-time home to the "Sister Bell" of the Liberty Bell. Birthplace of The Phil adelphia Police Department, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the forerunner of Villanova University."--ushistory.org. What with the wedding and all, I won't have time to go. Maybe you should go see it for me.

Christ Church
Second and Market Streets
This is a very well-known Philadelphia landmark, designed by architect Christopher Wren. A whole lot of constitutional-era notables worshipped here, and (later) were buried in the burial ground at 5th and Arch.

First Bank of America
Third Street, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets
You've guessed the historical significance of this building from the name. The funny part is that the ushistory.org site--because it published a Web page about this bank that closed in 1811--received a sales pitch from MicroSoft to purchase banking softwa re.

Elfreth's Alley
Elfreth's Alley off Second Street, between Arch and Race
This is the oldest continually inhabited street in the country. It's named for the original contractor/landlord who built/rented it. It's nifty to walk by--not sure I'd want to live in those teeny houses on that tiny cobblestone street.

Pennsylvania Hospital
Between Eighth and Ninth on Pine
The oldest hospital in the United States. Another invention of our most famous historical Philadelphian. Thanks, Ben.

Penn's Landing
Columbus Avenue between South and Vine Streets
If you're looking for this place, ask for Delaware Avenue. If you ask a Philadelphian where Columbus Avenue is, they'll look at you funny--and they'll immediately peg you as an out-of-towner. Despite the name change, it's still Delaware Ave. That's just the way it is. Anyway, Penn's Landing is full of history, much of it featured in the Independence Seaport Museum, nightclubs and other fun spots like Dave and Buster's which has all kinds of games from poo l to arcade games to a futuristic virtual reality shooting game. There's also a river taxi that can take you to the Aquarium across the river. And the walk along the river has some beautiful views. This has also been the site for the WXPN Singer Songwrit er Festival, but I had heard a rumor it had been moved.

The Bourse Building
11 South 5th Street
The Philadelphia Bourse was the first in the world to house simultaneously a stock exchange, maritime exchange, and grain-trading center. It's on Market Street--get the connection? Now it's a mall and office building with a so-so food court. Still a pre tty building though. Worth a moment on your way to the Liberty Bell.

The Curtis Center
601-45 Walnut Street (Independence Square West)
Okay, now it's an office building and the home to a bunch of courtrooms. But it is the original home of the Ladies' Home Journal. And I would advise you to go there quick before some other moron tries to buy the beautiful Tiffany Dream Garden mosaic in the lobby for his stupid casino.

Arch Street Friends Meeting House
320 Arch Street between 3rd and 4th
P.J. O'Rourke quipped that "this nation was founded by religious nuts with guns." In Philadelphia and Pennsylvania's case, it was founded by William Penn, a religious nut who thought guns were a bad idea. This location is the first Philadelphia Quaker Me eting House and the largest one in the world.

The United States Mint
5th and Arch Streets
No, it's not a tasty after-dinner treat. This is one of four places in the country where they strike coins. And no, you can't have samples. And in case you were wondering, it is the U.S.' first mint. If you're impressed by this sort of thing, you should know that the voice of the Phillies, Harry Kalas, narrates the self-guided tour. I have no idea why they don't have a Web site when everyone else and their dog does.

Eastern State Penitentiary
24th and Fairmount Streets
Designed by Benjamin Rush, this unique round structure where the corrections officer sits in the center of an array of single-celled units was an innovation in corrections theory in its day. Eastern State was the temporary home of Al Capone and Willie Sut ton years ago, but now it's an historic site. And don't be a hero, take the construction helmets when they give them to you. Eastern State hosts two big events annually, a reenactment of Bastille Day on July 14, and a Halloween tour the weeks before and I believe, the week after October 31st. The tour isn't a hokey Dracula/Frankenstein popping out of doorways walk, it's a combination of historical tour and otherworldly interpretation of the darker aspects of the human condition by area art students. I h ighly recommend it, especially if they're still doing that package thing where you eat in one of the area restaurants and then catch their van over to the site.

Edgar Allen Poe Historical Site
530-32 N. 7th St. (NW corner 7th and Spring Garden Streets
This one is in the Northern Liberties. So while you're out there, you might as well take a detour three blocks further north to the Silk City American Diner and have a nostalgic grilled cheese sandwich on my behalf. I've sworn off of those types of fatten ing foods until after I have to fit into my mother's wedding gown and have pictures taken. Anyway...Poe lived in Philadelphia for 6 years. Not exactly a native son, but he did write a whole lot here, including "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Purloined Letter" (which is cool because it used the word "purloined"). And they think he wrote part of "The Raven" here too. They don't seem to have a Web site either. I'm baffled.

There is so much more to see in Historic Philadelphia. I just hit a few of the highlights. Check out the ushistory.org site and plan your own walking tour. Not only will you learn something, but you'll walk off all of those wedding food calories.