Philadelphia
On your first day in Philadelphia, do what everyone does as soon as they arrive: Run Rocky-style up the museum steps, and eat a cheesesteak. Once you have all that out of your system, see what the city really has to offer: Fine dining, high culture, beautiful architecture, and the chance to see where so much American history was made.
Activities and Attractions:
Philadelphia has earned its place among America's top cities for sightseeing. Just for starters, there’s the Liberty Bell. The Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed in Philadelphia, and you can visit the room where it happened. When you see the very inkwell the founding fathers dipped their plumes in, it all starts to seem very real.
You can also tour Betsy Ross’s house (she of the American flag fame), visit a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution, and get a glimpse of everyday colonial life on meticulously preserved Elfreth's Alley, the country’s oldest continually inhabited street.
Sample one or more of the city’s fabulous museums. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is first-class, as is the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. If you have the time, trek to the Barnes Foundation, just outside Philly in Merion. You’ll find a museum where literally every inch of wall space is covered by impressionist and modern masterpieces.
You’ll find, though, that the City of Brotherly Love lives very much in the present. Well-heeled Rittenhouse Square pulsates with energy emanating from happy, well-caffeinated shoppers comparing the day’s boutique finds. The ironically named Old City neighborhood brims with the tantalizing scents coming from cutting-edge restaurants. And in Washington Square West’s Gayborhood area, 21st-century families make history (and independent bookstores) of their own.
Insider Tip:
During the first weekend in June, every house on time-capsule Elfreth’s Alley is opened up to the public, a remarkable sightseeing opportunity.
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
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