Philadelphia is the closest major city to me yet I have barely explored it. Of course when I was a kid I went to all the historical sites and museums but it has been years since I really walked around and travelled this very historic city. To remedy this, I decided to do a little travelling closer to home this past weekend. My friend and I took the train into Philly on Sunday, which was a real scorcher, but we did not let the heat slow us down. Of course trip plans never turn out exactly as you expect them to. Part of the fun of a trip is the unexpected occurrences that arise. The unexpected just came a little sooner than my friend and I thought it would.
We drove to catch a train at the Malvern station. As we were getting out of the car all happy since we were early and parking is free on Sundays, we noticed a group of people surrounding a bus. As we approached the station, a man in a Septa uniform kindly advised us that the regional rail line was shut down from Malvern all the way up until Bryn Mawr. We could get on a shuttle bus to the Bryn Mawr station but we might not catch the first train to center city. After a pause, we got back in the car and drove to Bryn Mawr, not wanting to waste any time that we could spend in the city.
On the way to Bryn Mawr we probably passed at least a dozen colleges and catholic schools. There are so many stuffed into one little area and the campuses for each of them are beautiful: lots of green open land, ornate stone houses and building bordered with plenty of foliage. We soon found ourselves at the Bryn Mawr station with a train to center city waiting on the tracks. Ironically, we beat the shuttle bus by only a few minutes but the drive was worth it since we got to go straight home on the way back instead of traveling to Malvern first.
From then on it was fairly smooth sailing for the rest of the day, well except for the heat. We had to do a couple of lemonade stops to cool down. The heat only made the cold drink taste even more delicious and sweet than it already is.
Since neither my friend and I have done the touristy Philly attractions in a while, we focused our day trip on iconic spots like the Love Statue (now in the JFK Plaza) and Reading Terminal Market. We got off at Suburban Station which is about a one minute walk from the Love Statue. We took plenty of photos with the Statue as well as an I Love Philly sign, with the imposing William Penn figure atop City Hall in the background. William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia in 1682 and has kept a watchful eye from his bronze mount on City Hall since 1894. The Love Statue is directly in line with the Ben Franklin Parkway where a lot of festivals and parades are held every year. We headed in this direction to start. From the Love Statue we walked Northwest, up the parkway, passing flags of countries all over the world, The flags represent countries with significant populations in Philadelphia, and almost all are hung alphabetically. It really is a pretty sight to see all these colorful flags line the Parkway leading up to the Art Museum. Before reaching the Art Museum, we went into the Rodin Museum, which was selling discounted tickets since it was a Sunday. The inside of the museum was very clean and open with a high arched rounded ceiling like a greenhouse. The museum was also heavily air conditioned which felt amazing at that point of our day. We didn’t stay long before continuing up the Parkway to the Rocky steps and statue! A huge crowd of tourists were swarming the Rocky Statue to get their picture with it. Even more people lined the steps. Some people were sitting and relaxing while others were running up the steps and doing a champion dance at the top like in the Rocky movies. There were a few serious athletes doing the run as a workout. I saw one man with his hands taped up like boxing gloves running the steps repeatedly, looking like a real boxer. We could have continued our walk to Boathouse Row which was just a little further up but we were hungry and so very hot by this point that we turned back down the parkway, heading for the Reading Terminal Market.
We had to stop inside a café on the way to buy some ice-cold lemonades since the heat was so oppressive. We did not have to walk too much further past the Love Statue to get to Reading Terminal. Reading Terminal, which lies right off of the Convention Center, is an incredible market for local cuisine, produce and artisan specialties. If you want a good meal you go to Reading Terminal. Some of the businesses were closed because it was a Sunday but Tommy Dinic’s was still open. From there we got some absolutely delicious sandwiches. My friend got the roast pork while I got the roast beef. Both were hot and fresh. Large broken pieces of sharp flavorful provolone made the sandwich amazing. Though a little pricey, Dinic’s is worth every penny. There was a large seating area in the middle of the indoor market which was where we sat before heading back outside.
From Reading Terminal, we continued walking to Old City, the home to the most historic attractions such as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Constitution Center. There were huge lines for the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall so we decided to walk around the green space next door and people watch. We saw one boxer running around with a cameraman recording him do a boxing routine over and over again. The Liberty Bell was just a few yards away from him.
We walked further into Old City, passing Christ Church and the Betsie Ross House before stopping at Elfreth’s Alley. This National Historic Landmark is a short little street that has been preserved since the early 1900s to save its Georgian and Federal-style houses. A line of cobblestones runs through the center of the street and offers a picturesque little walk into history.
Elfreth’s Alley is very close to the waterfront which was where we went next. We walked on to Penn’s Landing. This strip, which borders the Delaware River, always has something going on, whether it is classes, a festival or other entertainment. On Sunday, there was a little fair open with your classic carnival games like mini-golf, ball and bucket toss, basketball and a small ferris wheel. With the Ben Franklin Bridge, Battleship New Jersey and Adventure Aquarium in sight, it’s a nice place to relax and cool down with a pretty view to look on at.
Penn’s Landing was our last tourist stop for the trip. We got to see so much of the city in one day but we just grazed the surface of what Philly has to offer. Music, art, food, history and much more abound. As one of the most historic cities in America, Philadelphia is rich in culture and community pride. I am excited to explore it more in the future.
Wishing you cool drinks in this hot weather,
Maria
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