Quoting Museum of the American Revolution First Oval Office Project Manager Joel Anderson here. Fourth of July in Philadelphia, Kitty suggested we take the train: a brilliant move. It was so hot we feared our train might be cancelled, which turned out to be justified. If you wear your silly clothes baggage is minimal. Amtrak seats are rated slightly less uncomfortable with stays than the car. ALSO: lacing stays from the bottom may have saved our marriage.

We went at the request of the immortal MOAR of course. Here I am in the locker room waiting for the kick off. Tyler and Meg are wonderful hosts. Staff asked us repeatedly if we needed water and if we had eaten. This was welcome since we walked in the exhibits for two days, interacting with some fraction of 3,000+ people each day.

My unindicted co-conspirator and I lack the skills to approach strangers. That said, I am the appointed family liaison with the humans. The vast majority of my interactions were about photographs (four times in 30 seconds at one point.) All those social media posts I’ll never see.

If you haven’t been to the Museum of the American Revolution it’s worth a visit or two. You enter a grand foyer with special exhibits on the first floor and a wide staircase that takes you to the main hall. Replica full-scale flags from an 18th-century ship’s locker hang around the rails. Kitty made the British naval flag at center for them, miles of French-seamed wool. Bunting was only made so wide, so flags were sewn from strips. The centerpiece of MOAR’s collection is Washington’s war tent, which visitors waited in long lines to view.

Initially, we tried occupying a hall relevant to our interests and area of study. I chose Pennsylvania’s radical 1776 Constitution and the Oath of Loyalty required to vote (or even live) in the state. First-person did not work for this. Most visitors avoided eye contact, and as the room filled up it was a question of staying out of the way. For a time, we formed a husband and wife duo in 1775: she took importation vs. non-importation and I the difference between Tory and Whig propaganda. Eventually, the crowds drove us out.

By far the best decision was roaming the open spaces, there were lots of photo ops, but for every 50 people who ignored us, one approached directly and talked for 30 or 40 minutes. Kitty lives for the little girls. I spoke to an earnest group on Sunday about my life as a street thug for the cause, only to find they were from my hometown. There were Belgians, New Yorkers, Texans, the World Cup crowd, and part of a marching band from Michigan (the parade was cancelled due to heat.) Kitty and I work best as a team.

Ideally, your character should be someone specific. This is Anne Pearson Sparks. She emigrated to Philadelphia from England and ran a millinery business with her sister, Mary. She owned property on 2nd Street between High Street and Chestnut Street. She signed a 1765 non-importation agreement although her business relied on imports. More on her here. One can only imagine how she felt about war with her home country.

This type of impression requires more work, but leads to richer interactions with the public. “I am not Betsy Ross, I am an ordinary person like you.”