Philadelphia: Independence Hall (Declaration signed July 4 1776, Constitution signed September 17 1787, Liberty Bell cracked), Philadelphia Museum of Art (240,000 works, Rocky Steps Stallone 1976, Duchamp Large Glass, Barnes Foundation 800 Renoirs 69 Cezannes), Philadelphia food (cheesesteak Pat's 1930 vs Geno's 1966, Whiz wit order ritual, Italian Market oldest outdoor US market, Reading Terminal Market 1893 train shed), African American heritage (Mother Bethel AME 1793 first Black denomination, Philadelphia Mural Arts 4,000 murals, Great Migration 650,000), Philadelphia sports (Eagles Super Bowl LII 2018 Philly Special, Phillies 1980 and 2008 WS, Flyers Broad Street Bullies 1974-1975, Santa Claus booing 1968), Practical (SEPTA walkable city, PHL American hub, Old City Rittenhouse South Philly Fishtown, Valley Forge Gettysburg, Acela to NYC 75min)
Philadelphia highlights: Independence Hall (Declaration July 4 1776 adopted August 2 1776 signed, Constitution September 17 1787, Liberty Bell anti-slavery symbol from 1830s, National Constitution Center), Philadelphia Museum of Art (240,000 works third largest US, Rocky Steps 99 steps Stallone 1976, Duchamp Large Glass 1915-1923, Barnes Foundation 800 Renoirs 69 Cezannes 59 Matisses), food culture (cheesesteak Pat's 1930 vs Geno's 1966 Passyunk Ave rivalry, Whiz wit ritual, Italian Market oldest outdoor US, Reading Terminal Market 1893 Pennsylvania Dutch Wednesdays), African American heritage (Mother Bethel AME 1793 Richard Allen 2.5M worldwide members, Philadelphia Mural Arts 4,000 murals 300 artists, Great Migration 650,000), sports (Eagles Super Bowl LII 2018 Philly Special Nick Foles, Phillies Schmidt Utley, Flyers Broad Street Bullies 1974-1975 back-to-back Stanley Cups, Santa booing 1968 legend), practical (SEPTA El and Broad Street Line, PHL American hub, Old City Rittenhouse Fishtown Passyunk, Valley Forge Gettysburg, Acela NYC 75min).
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Philadelphia - Birthplace of American Democracy
Philadelphia (Philadelphia County, coterminous with the City of Philadelphia, population approximately 1.57 million city, 6.2 million metropolitan area including Camden NJ, Wilmington DE, and surrounding suburbs): the largest city in Pennsylvania, the sixth largest city in the United States, and the birthplace of American democracy. Philadelphia founding: William Penn (the English Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania) established Philadelphia in 1682 on the land he received from King Charles II in payment of a debt owed to Penns father. Penn designed the city on a grid plan (the first major American city planned on a grid), named Philadelphia from the Greek (meaning city of brotherly love), and established it as a Quaker city of religious tolerance. Independence Hall (at 520 Chestnut Street, Old City Philadelphia): the most important building in American democracy, where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed (August 2, 1776 — the formal signing day, though the document was adopted July 4, 1776) and where the United States Constitution was drafted and signed (September 17, 1787). The Liberty Bell (at the Liberty Bell Center, 526 Market Street, adjacent to Independence Hall): the most recognizable symbol of American freedom, cast in London in 1752, cracked on its first use in Philadelphia and recast twice, famously cracked again sometime in the early 19th century. The bell was rung to call citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776 and has been the most powerful symbol of the abolitionist movement (anti-slavery activists adopted the bell as their symbol in the 1830s, calling it the Liberty Bell). The National Constitution Center (at 525 Arch Street): the only museum in the world dedicated to the United States Constitution.
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Philadelphia Art Museum - Rocky Steps and the Barnes Foundation
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Fairmount neighborhood): the third largest art museum in the United States, with a permanent collection of over 240,000 works and one of the great encyclopedic art museums in the world. The Philadelphia Museum of Art Rocky Steps: the 99 wide granite steps at the main entrance to the museum (known as the Rocky Steps after the 1976 film Rocky, in which Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa runs up the steps to the triumphant sound of Bill Contis Gonna Fly Now): the most visited filming location in Philadelphia, with a bronze statue of Rocky (installed 1980, moved to the base of the steps 2006) that is one of the most photographed sculptures in the United States. The PMA collection highlights: Marcel Duchamps Large Glass (The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, 1915-1923): the most important work of Dada art and one of the most influential artworks of the 20th century, displayed in a permanent gallery. The PMA also owns Van Eyck's Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata (1430-1432), Cezanne's Large Bathers (1898-1906), and the most important collection of Thomas Eakins paintings in the world (Eakins was born in Philadelphia and spent his career there). The Barnes Foundation (at 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, 2 blocks from the PMA): the collection of Albert C. Barnes (the Philadelphia physician and art collector who purchased approximately 800 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, and 46 Picassos in the 1920s-1930s), moved from its original home in Merion to a purpose-built building in Philadelphia in 2012.
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Philadelphia Food Culture - Cheesesteaks and Italian Market
Philadelphia food culture: Philadelphia has one of the most distinctive regional food cultures of any American city, built on the intersection of Italian immigrant cooking, African American soul food traditions, and a remarkably strong farm-to-table movement centered on the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch farm country. The Philly cheesesteak (the thinly sliced ribeye steak cooked on a griddle and served on a hoagie roll with either Cheez Whiz, provolone, or American cheese and optionally with sauteed onions and peppers): the most internationally famous Philadelphia food and one of the most iconic regional sandwiches in the United States. Pat's King of Steaks (at 1237 E Passyunk Avenue, South Philadelphia, founded 1930 by Pat Olivieri): the restaurant that claims to have invented the cheesesteak; Geno's Steaks (at 1219 S 9th Street, directly across the intersection from Pat's, founded 1966 by Joey Vento): the rival claimant and the most theatrical cheesesteak experience. The order at Pat's and Geno's: visitors are expected to order in a specific Philadelphia manner (Whiz wit for a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and onions, or Whiz witout for one without), and ordering slowly or incorrectly can result in being sent to the back of the line. The Italian Market (South 9th Street, between Wharton and Ellsworth Streets, South Philadelphia): the oldest and largest working outdoor market in the United States, established by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century — the filming location of the Rocky opening scenes. Reading Terminal Market (at 1136 Arch Street, Center City): the most beloved indoor food market in Philadelphia, housed in the 1893 train shed of the Reading Railroad terminus, with over 80 vendors including Pennsylvania Dutch farmers (selling fresh butter, scrapple, and shoofly pie on Wednesdays and Saturdays), fish and seafood, prepared foods, and produce.
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Philadelphia African American Heritage and Mural Arts
Philadelphia African American heritage: Philadelphia has one of the most significant African American cultural and political heritages of any American city, including the first African American church in the United States, the first African American newspaper, and the oldest African American neighborhood in any major US city. Mother Bethel AME Church (at 419 S 6th Street, Society Hill, Philadelphia): the founding church of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1793 by Richard Allen (a formerly enslaved person who purchased his freedom and became one of the most important figures in the history of African American religion and culture). The AME Church is the first and oldest African American denomination in the United States, with approximately 2.5 million members worldwide. The Philadelphia African American Museum (at 701 Arch Street, Old City): the first institution built expressly to house and preserve the culture and history of African Americans, opened 1976 for the US Bicentennial. The Great Migration: Philadelphia absorbed approximately 650,000 African American migrants from the South between 1910 and 1970, transforming the racial composition of the city from approximately 5% African American in 1900 to approximately 44% African American today. The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (founded 1984 by Jane Golden as an anti-graffiti program, now the largest public mural program in the United States): with over 4,000 murals on the walls of Philadelphia buildings throughout the city, the program has created the largest outdoor art gallery in the United States, employing over 300 artists annually. The program includes major works by internationally recognized artists and murals celebrating Philadelphia community heroes, civil rights leaders, and neighborhood histories.
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Philadelphia Sports - Eagles Phillies and the Intense Fan Culture
Philadelphia sports: Philadelphia has one of the most passionate and famously demanding sports fan cultures in the United States, with a reputation for booing even their own teams and players (the most legendary moment in Philadelphia sports fan lore: the incident where Eagles fans booed Santa Claus and threw snowballs at him during a halftime show at Franklin Field on December 15, 1968 — an act that has become the defining symbol of Philadelphia fan intensity). Philadelphia Eagles NFL (playing at Lincoln Financial Field, 1 Lincoln Financial Field Way): the Eagles won their first Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl LII (February 4, 2018, in Minneapolis: beating the New England Patriots 41-33), in the game where backup quarterback Nick Foles replaced the injured Carson Wentz and threw for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns, also catching a touchdown pass from Trey Burton on the Philly Special trick play in the first half. Philadelphia Phillies MLB (playing at Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Park Way): 2 World Series championships (1980 and 2008), with Mike Schmidt (the greatest third baseman in Philadelphia baseball history, 1972-1989, 3-time NL MVP, 548 career home runs, Baseball Hall of Fame 1995) and Chase Utley (the most beloved Philadelphia Phillies player of the modern era, 2003-2015). The Broad Street Bullies: the Philadelphia Flyers NHL team of the early 1970s (Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Bill Flett, the Broad Street Bullies era 1973-1975) who won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975 with a physical, intimidating style of play that matched the Philadelphia fan culture perfectly.
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Philadelphia Practical Guide - Neighborhoods and Getting Around
Philadelphia practical visitor guide: Philadelphia is one of the most walkable major cities in the United States, with a compact, gridded center city and excellent transit connections. SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority): the public transit system with subway lines (the Market-Frankford Line/the El, the Broad Street Line), trolley lines, bus routes, and the regional rail network connecting Philadelphia to the suburbs, Trenton NJ, Wilmington DE, and Amboy NJ. Philadelphia Airport (PHL): the largest airport in the Philadelphia region, served by American Airlines as its third-largest hub, with direct transatlantic connections. Neighborhoods for visitors: Old City (the Independence Hall and Liberty Bell historic district, the most visited neighborhood in Philadelphia), Rittenhouse Square (the upscale neighborhood with Philadelphia's best restaurants and a beautiful urban park), South Philadelphia (the Italian-American neighborhood with the cheesesteak shops, Italian Market, and the sports stadiums), Fishtown and Northern Liberties (the hipster neighborhoods with craft breweries, restaurants, and music venues), East Passyunk Avenue (the restaurant row and independent retail strip). Philadelphia day trips: Valley Forge National Historical Park (35 km northwest: the winter encampment of the Continental Army 1777-1778, where approximately 2,000 soldiers died of disease and starvation during the brutal winter), the Brandywine Valley (50 km south: the du Pont family estates and the Longwood Gardens), and Gettysburg (180 km west: the site of the deadliest battle of the Civil War, July 1-3, 1863, with approximately 50,000 casualties). Amtrak Acela to New York Penn Station: 1 hour 15 minutes, making Philadelphia the most convenient day-trip base for New York without paying New York hotel prices.