During a recent business trip to Philadelphia, we took a couple of personal days to see historic sites in the area. We found Philadelphia an easy city to navigate without a car. After our plane landed we picked up our luggage and took the SEPTA train into City Center. The conversations between clueless travelers and a patient train conductor were entertainment itself.
We started our afternoon with a bowl of pho (Vietnamese soup) for lunch at a small restaurant on Race Street in Chinatown. Huge bowls of extremely hot soups were served very within minutes of our order. Bring cash, as several restaurants in town require a minimum charge for credit cards.
Your first stop in the historic district should be the Independence Visitor Center. Stop to see the National Park Service Rangers at the desk to pick up a map of the National Park area. They also distribute tickets to Independence Hall. There is no free for these time stamped tickets but they are usually gone early in the day. This is the only area of the Independence National Historic Park which requires a ticket.
At many sites in this district, you must enter though a security line. You can reduce your time in line by leaving all packages in your hotel room or car.
Once you have your ticket to Independence Hall, take a walk across the street to view the Liberty Bell. The building has exhibits on the history of the bell including how it was made, the fateful crack and repair attempts. There are photos of the bell as it traveled around the county.
Make your way across the street allowing plenty of time to get through security before your tour of Independence Hall. If you are early for your timed tour, check out Congress Hall while you wait. You can also tour the East and West Wings before the tour of Independence Hall.
We ended our day with a variety of options from vendors at Reading Terminal Markets. Product, cheese, wine, candy and prepared meals are a treat for the eyes and tummy. Stop at multiple vendors and snack your way through the aisles. We had Adsl Speed steak and falafel sandwichestopped off with a piece of chocolate cake.
- Dinner at Effie's on Pine at 11th. We were all but in the kitchen and interacted with chefs, waitstaff and hostess. check the photos
- Observed Earth Hour 2009 with 1 billion fellow inhabitants of the world. Aramark headquarters and satellite offices went dark.
Things we did on Sun. Mar. 29, 2009
- Free breakfast at the hotel before heading out. Cold and wet today.
- Went back to pick up tickets for Independence Hall and took another look at the Liberty Bell
- Met a Free Quaker at the historic Quaker meeting house. Great place to sit and contemplate the world.
- Stopped in the Betsy Ross house for a tour.
- Headed to the Reading Terminal Markets for lunch: Philly Steak and Falafel sandwich
- Afternoon temps rising and fog and drizzle are clearing
- Walked through Sts. Peter nd Paul Cathedral, Beautiful carvings.
- Saw the Greek Independence Day Parade kick off
- Walked passed the Masonic Temple
- Toured the Christ Church Broadband Package Grounds where Ben Franklin and 4 other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried.
- Checked out the Franklin Market print shop and museum for exhibits of prints and implements.
- Did some geocaching along the way back to hotel.
- Dinner at Mixx Asian Sushi. Good food, service and reasonable prices.
Things we did on Monday Mar. 30, 2009
- Off to the Philadelphia Mint self guided tour.
- Tried to see the Federal Reserve Bank tour but they had school streamyx internet trips scheduled so regular folks like us not allowed in.
- Talked with the archeologist at the Independence Living History Center about finds at digs within the historic Philly Independence National Historical Park.
- Lunch at Jake's pizza on Race and Broad. Great Philly sandwiches, and of course, pizza.
- Picked up vendor badges for the On Demand/AIIM show at the convention center and set up the Meadows Publishing Solutions booth. Visited with partners on the exhibit floor
And now I would like to offer you my free weekly newsletter of career and networking tips http://www.AprilMWilliams.com/
April M. Williams, Career Coach, Public Speaker, President CyberLife Tutors
- Have the courage to change!
