Philadelphia is the murder capital of the USA. Given the frightening enough statistics nationwide for the US, that might be enough to put some people off going there. But actually, it's a surprisingly pleasant place to make a short stop between New York City and Washington DC. I gave myself one day there which was sort of enough (even though it was a not very energetic day at that due to rather brutal summer heat) but it was well worth it. It's not like tourists being touristy are often randomly murdered anywhere, is it?
There are at least two major tourist 'sights' in the city. Coming straight from Washington DC, and with the local tourist literature admitting you can expect long queues, I decided to skip Independence Hall, the site where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and adopted. However the Liberty Bell has no such queues and is easy to drop by. The former bell in the Pennsylvania State House, urban legend says that it was struck to mark the public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The museum devoted to the bell admits that there's no evidence this is true, but never mind eh? Because nonetheless it became a great symbol of American independence and, later, of freedom across the world. Notably it became an icon of the anti-slavery movement in the US, and delegations from newly independent African nations also posed for symbolic photos with the bell. Alas the bell hasn't actually been in service since at least 1846, because of a massive crack which now runs down it rendering it useless. It was apparently beyond the powers of American engineers in this era to design a bell which this wouldn't happen to sooner or later. Since its decommissioning it has done various tours around the US, with literally millions keen to take a look. As a slightly eccentric piece of distinctly American political symbolism, the bell and its museum is a good place to spend half an hour or so.
Philadelphia is also a notably pleasant city to just go for a walk, especially if you're based (as I was) in the historic east of the city near the Delaware River, where you genuinely feel history and heritage. It's full of pretty period red-brick townhouses, many of them with ornate wooden shutters at the windows which may reflect the strong Italian influence on the city. South Street is one of the more appealing shopping streets I've seen, and here as elsewhere in the city a strong culture of massive street murals is very much in evidence. Downtown Philadelphia is probably less to write home about, but the City Hall is absolutely enormous, apparently the largest in North America, and festooned with fancy columns and classical carvings. Unfortunately unlike San Francisco City Hall but as so often with New York landmarks, the area all around is too built up for it to be easy to appreciate fully.
Philadelphia's main "culinary" claim to fame (I use the word 'culinary' very loosely) appears to be the Philly cheese steak. Available from street stalls and fast food joints everywhere, it's shavings of grilled beef steak served with melted cheese and optionally onion in a white bun. I sampled one, and while it's probably the biggest nutritional disaster you'll find this side of Glasgow, it kind of hit the spot and it's not hard to see the appeal. I think somebody told me that Philadelphia has the highest obesity rate in the USA, which may not be unrelated...
While I'd frequented a distinctly American cafe in San Francisco, it was when looking for breakfast in Philadelphia that I found one which totally fulfilled the picture I had in my head of a quintessential American cafe. No tables in sight - the only seating it had was stools at the elliptical-shape bar, from the inside of which the waitress took all orders. Having to eat breakfast on a barstool was a bit strange somehow, but a bit of authentic culture to tick off.
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2393690&id=61207375&l=974458dec5
There are at least two major tourist 'sights' in the city. Coming straight from Washington DC, and with the local tourist literature admitting you can expect long queues, I decided to skip Independence Hall, the site where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and adopted. However the Liberty Bell has no such queues and is easy to drop by. The former bell in the Pennsylvania State House, urban legend says that it was struck to mark the public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The museum devoted to the bell admits that there's no evidence this is true, but never mind eh? Because nonetheless it became a great symbol of American independence and, later, of freedom across the world. Notably it became an icon of the anti-slavery movement in the US, and delegations from newly independent African nations also posed for symbolic photos with the bell. Alas the bell hasn't actually been in service since at least 1846, because of a massive crack which now runs down it rendering it useless. It was apparently beyond the powers of American engineers in this era to design a bell which this wouldn't happen to sooner or later. Since its decommissioning it has done various tours around the US, with literally millions keen to take a look. As a slightly eccentric piece of distinctly American political symbolism, the bell and its museum is a good place to spend half an hour or so.
Liberty Bell
Philadelphia is also a notably pleasant city to just go for a walk, especially if you're based (as I was) in the historic east of the city near the Delaware River, where you genuinely feel history and heritage. It's full of pretty period red-brick townhouses, many of them with ornate wooden shutters at the windows which may reflect the strong Italian influence on the city. South Street is one of the more appealing shopping streets I've seen, and here as elsewhere in the city a strong culture of massive street murals is very much in evidence. Downtown Philadelphia is probably less to write home about, but the City Hall is absolutely enormous, apparently the largest in North America, and festooned with fancy columns and classical carvings. Unfortunately unlike San Francisco City Hall but as so often with New York landmarks, the area all around is too built up for it to be easy to appreciate fully.
Philadelphia's main "culinary" claim to fame (I use the word 'culinary' very loosely) appears to be the Philly cheese steak. Available from street stalls and fast food joints everywhere, it's shavings of grilled beef steak served with melted cheese and optionally onion in a white bun. I sampled one, and while it's probably the biggest nutritional disaster you'll find this side of Glasgow, it kind of hit the spot and it's not hard to see the appeal. I think somebody told me that Philadelphia has the highest obesity rate in the USA, which may not be unrelated...
While I'd frequented a distinctly American cafe in San Francisco, it was when looking for breakfast in Philadelphia that I found one which totally fulfilled the picture I had in my head of a quintessential American cafe. No tables in sight - the only seating it had was stools at the elliptical-shape bar, from the inside of which the waitress took all orders. Having to eat breakfast on a barstool was a bit strange somehow, but a bit of authentic culture to tick off.
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2393690&id=61207375&l=974458dec5
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