Government shutdown causes issues for tourists visiting historical sites in Philadelphia
A tour guide speaks to a group of students from Queens, New York, on the south side of Independence Hall, pointing to the bell tower where the iconic Liberty Bell once hung. But for this group, about 50 feet from the doors and behind some barricades would be as close to the building as they could get.
As part of the federal government shutdown, many national parks, museums, and monuments are now closed, including those at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
"It's extremely disappointing because these kids waited a whole year to come here, and this is what we have to go through," said Patricia, who was with the school group and said they'd been planning the trip since February.
It was a sentiment shared by tourists from around the country who were on the mall on Wednesday, blocked from seeing some of Philadelphia's most iconic sites because of the shutdown.
"We came here to see all the historical things, and unfortunately, we cannot. So we're not real happy today," said Dalena Hall, who came from Illinois with her family.
Edwin and Lisa Johnson, a father and daughter from Michigan, stopped to visit the President's House site, one of the few exhibits that remain open in the park. They are on a Northeast swing seeing historic monuments, and this would've been their first time in the hall.
"Pretty disappointing," Edwin Johnson said. "Could've paid closer attention that they didn't pass their bills. But you don't think of these things. You just kinda go, 'OK, that's their problem.' We still should be able to come here and check out Liberty Hall and that."
Mark Stephenson and William Clark were at Independence Mall on Wednesday, trying to see what was open and what wasn't. They came in from Utah and said they're leading a group that has been planning this trip for six months.
"We don't think it's going to get resolved that quickly, but we thought we'd see what the experience is going to be like tomorrow," William Clark said. "Because they're still going to want to see the bell. We're going to see what we can see."
In a "Contingency Plan" published by the Department of the Interior in September, the agency planned to furlough 9,296 of the National Park Service's 14,500 employees during the shutdown. Union leaders did not have an exact count of how many Philadelphia-area workers were furloughed, but one official told CBS News Philadelphia that all rangers and tour guides at Independence Park were furloughed.
On Wednesday, barricades were set up in front of the entrance to the Liberty Bell Center, as tourists crammed around windows looking to get a peek at the bell. Signs hung on barricades outside Independence Hall notifying visitors of the closure. And down the street at the Benjamin Franklin Museum, gates were shut at both ends, closing off even access to the court.
But not all of the city's historic museums are impacted. The National Constitution Center remains open, as does the Betsy Ross House on Arch Street between 2nd and 3rd streets.
"Our group sales manager this morning said she's gotten kind of frantic calls from a couple groups who previously booked tours to visit the hall. And now, since they're in town, they're looking for something else to do," said Lisa Acker Moulder, who is the director of the Betsy Ross House.
Most people who spoke with CBS News Philadelphia blamed the federal government for the closures they now faced. And while none we spoke with took sides in the shutdown fight, many had messages for lawmakers.
"Thanks to you guys, this is what you do to our kids," Patricia said.
"Right now, we're pawns in their game and I think they should be pawns in their own game," Clark said. "And I think things would be a lot different."