343. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

by kerwin · December 9, 2017

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Why Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Note: I originally wrote this post and then asked Suzanne from Boomeresque for some photos. She came back with photos and some great suggestions. So what you see here is a collaboration. All photos are from Suzanne a resident expert of Philly.

Well, it is the home of Liberty Bell. It’s also one of the characters in the Rocky movies and also the hometown of the songstress, Patti Labelle. Plus it has a ton of history as well as being the capital of the nation at one point.

In addition, Suzanne says: Philadelphia is the USA’s 5th largest city and has the most historic square mile in the country. Both the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the United States Constitution (1787) were debated and adopted in Philadelphia. The city was laid out by William Penn in 1683 between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers and Center City and is very walkable with several pleasant parks in case you need to rest. It is also a city with world class museums and you can channel your inner Rocky by running up the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s front steps.

She’s more of a historian than I am. So what are you waiting for? Let’s go visit.

Where

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is located south of Trenton and north of Wilmington, Delaware.

How To Get Here

By Bus

Bolt, Greyhound and Megabus serve the city.

By Train

Train service is provided by Amtrak.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – 30th Street Station

By Plane

The nearest airport is Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), one of American Airlines’ (AA) hubs. Once here you can take the train into the city.

The following airlines serve the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL):

Aer Lingus (EI), Air Canada (AC), Alaska Airlines (AS), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Delta Air Lines (DL), Frontier Airlines (F9), Icelandair (FI), JetBlue Airways (B6), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Qatar Airways (QR), Southwest Airlines (WN), Spirit Airlines (NK), TAM (JJ), United Airlines (UA) and Virgin America (VX).

By Car

If you are already in the region you can take the drive. Just use a service like Google Maps for directions.

Where To Stay

This city does not have a shortage of hotels. All the major brands are represented. If you stay in any of the Center City neighborhoods you will be within walking distance of the major tourist attractions. There are hotels, Bed and Breakfasts and several hostels in all 3 Center City tourist areas:

Old City: the colonial Philadelphia historic area along the Delaware River
Center City West: Rittenhouse Square area–nice brownstone streets and Center City’s equivalent of Rodeo Drive (only less expensive) for shopping along Walnut Street.
Hotels on Benjamin Franklin Parkway which is the main museum area.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – Rittenhouse Square in the spring

==>> You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.

Where To Eat

Lots of great food can be found all over Philadelphia. Of course you must have a Philly Cheesesteak. It’s an amazing greasy sandwich that’s worth every bite.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – Philly Cheesesteak

Here are some tips from Suzanne:

Have lunch at the Reading Terminal Market (you can get a Cheesesteak there, if you must)
Visit the City Tavern in Old City for lunch or dinner with colonial era recipes
Have lunch or dinner at one of the Rittenhouse Square restaurants: Parc, Rouge, Devon Seafood, La Croix in the Rittenhouse Hotel, Barclay Prime (steakhouse)

==>> You can find a list of restaurants from TripAdvisor here.

What To Do

Check out the museums, the Liberty Bell which is next to the Park Service Visitors’ Center and across the street from Independence Hall in its own Liberty Bell Museum and Pavilion. It’s also visible from outside on Chestnut Street. There are also a a host of walking tours around the city.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – Liberty Bell

If you like trains and train stations, you should check out the 30th Street Station as it is pretty spectacular. Head over to http://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/ for tons more things to do in Philadelphia.

Suzanne also had this to say about some areas to check out:

Old City Colonial Philadelphia

Start at the Visitors’ Center for Independence National Historical Park where you can plan your visits to Independence Hall (with a Park Ranger-led tour only), and the Liberty Bell & Museum https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/independencevisitorcenter.htm
Do a guided Mural Arts tour starting from the Visitors’ Center and other city locations. Info available at the Independence National Historical Park Visitors’ Center
National Constitution Center https://constitutioncenter.org/
Museum of the American Revolution (just opened in April 2017) http://www.amrevmuseum.org/
Get info about other specialty museums at the Visitors’ Center

Benjamin Franklin Parkway Museums

Philadelphia Museum of Art (with the Rocky steps)
Rodin Museum
Barnes Foundation Museum (requires timed tickets)
Franklin Institute Science Museum
Museum of Natural History

Shop on Walnut Street from Rittenhouse Square towards Broad Street

Quirky Philadelphia Museums worth Visiting

Philadelphia Magic Gardens http://www.boomeresque.com/philadephias-magic-gardens/
Mutter Museum http://muttermuseum.org/

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – Magic Gardens

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA – Museum of Art

==>> Here is a list of things to do from Trip Advisor.

==>> Check out some tours from Viator.

==>> Lonely Planet has some additional information.

Additional Information

Language: English

Currency: United States Dollar (USD)

Visit Philadelphia

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Suzanne’s blog Boomeresque has a lot of information on Philly as well. Ensure you check it out.

343. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Why Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Where