Day 7 - The City of Brotherly Love

Thursday, May 07, 2015
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Yesterday we took the bus downtown because we thought traffic would be awful, today we drove. For one of the biggest cities in the US we were amazed that the traffic wasn't bad. Maybe they really use public transportation here. We also thought parking would cost an arm and a leg, but parking all day right down town was $13.00. Memphis charges $20.00 in the evening when it's an "event", and it seems always to be an "event".

We walked past the Convention center to where the City Hall is - what a beautiful building!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 


















 














 
































 





 
Also there is the Masonic Temple. 
 

 
 We kept walking to Logan Square, which was actually a circle with a great fountain with Neptune and others. Trish, the frog is for you. 
 
 
 The Cathedral Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul was in this square....we walked inside but there was a funeral so we didn't stay or take photos but it was beautiful. 
 
 Then we walked down Benjamin Franklin Parkway where all the museums are. We stopped at the Rodan museum and took a photo of "The Thinker" - me thinking of where we are going next - but decided to go to the Franklin Institute Science Museum instead.
 




















 

By the way, for my friends who know something about trees - does anyone know what this tree is? The leaf looked sort of like a maple but the bark was weird and pretty.
 
 
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is at the end of the street where Rocky Balboa ran up the stairs. The guide book says to run up the stairs and take a picture, but we decided to take the photo from several blocks away with the zoom.
 
 















 


 

The Franklin Museum was a lot like the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago - a lot of science stuff - brain, nervous system, environment, electricity, a train, space, an IMAX, a lot of hands on stuff that was really fun, except that there were 2000 kids there that day on end of school field trips so it was hard to see some of the stuff.
 
 
 
Then we went to the Reading Terminal Market to have lunch. This is a huge market under the train station. They have meat, fish and fruit and veggie markets, but most of the space is restaurants....the Grand Bazaar of Places to Eat. We had a Philly Cheesesteak.
 
 
 
 
 
 
We then tried to visit the Fabric Workshop and Museum but it was between exhibits and we could only see the gift shop.


 
We walked through Chinatown right next to the market, and then made our way home. We ended the day doing laundry.
 
 
 
My feet are tired!!
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Comments

crazy.travelers
2015-05-08

Jeanie make hold the laundry to say I was doing it.

crazy.travelers
2015-05-08

He WAS doing it!

Juda
2015-05-08

The tree is either a London Plane tree or another type of sycamore.

Jeff
2015-05-09

Okay, so where is the abridged version -- the executive summary?

Nora Williams
2015-05-09

So how yummy was the Philly cheese steak?

Research Department
2015-05-10

"The City of Philadelphia has over 25,000 vacant buildings. Probably 500 of those are considered imminently dangerous. A stiff wind could push them over." [Glenn Corbett, professor of fire science] You are lucky to have survived your visit there.

Romy
2015-05-10

Definitely appears to be a sycamore tree.

susie
2015-05-14

My first thought was a sycamore because of the leaf shape and the white trunk with shedded bark. Thanks for the tour information. When we visit Evan, we will know where to eat!

2025-02-08

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