Based on an Interview with Harriet, a Philadelphia native.
Philadelphia is the major city of the State of Pennsylvania, on the East coast of the United States. It was founded in 1682 by William Penn. Philadelphia went on to be the main port of the American Colonies, after Boston. The name Philadelphia means: The City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia in History
Philadelphia was an important part of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence was written and proclaimed there on July 4, 1776. The city was also the capital of the United States while The District of Columbia was being built.
Philadelphia, a beautiful city
Philadelphia is a gorgeous city. It is loaded with unique private homes, the one of a kind type that span all kinds of architectural periods. A number of them may be very old in very old neighborhoods that are loaded with character. In these older neighborhoods you often might find quaint stores on tree lined streets.
The trees, plants, bushes and flowers are breathtaking and wonderful to behold in all seasons as they change and show the glory of nature. The city has a huge park system, maybe even bigger than Central Park in New York, so you see nature with all of its splendor in both the neighborhoods as well as when you drive around because the city is so filled with such a variety of foliage. There’s also two major rivers, the Delaware and the Schuylkill and many creeks all over the place.
It’s a city made up of many neighborhoods. A few decades ago and perhaps now too, but maybe to a little lesser degree, these neighborhoods might be dominated by certain ethnic groups like an Italian neighborhood or an Irish neighborhood, or a Polish neighborhood or a Jewish neighborhood.
To do in Philadelphia
A very unique museum is the city is the Barnes Foundation. Albert Barnes, a very unconventional and very rich entrpreneur went to France during the 1920’s and bought a great many paintings from fledgling European artists. His collection recently moved from a private house on the exclusive Philadelphia Main Line to a building very close to the renown Philadelphia Art Museum (the one that has all the steps that Rocky climbed every day when he was getting in shape for his big fight). It houses the world’s largest private collection of French Impressionist Art such as Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Manet, Monet and others.
When you visit Philadelphia you have to go to a sporting event. There are many famous teams based in this city. The Phillies are the baseball team, they are due to win a championship, they won the last one only in 2008. The 76ers play basketball, The Eagles play football and the Flyers, Ice Hockey.
There are many specialty markets, such as the Italian Market, and the Reading Terminal Market. There are many Malls. Liquor, anything that is not beer, is still sold at the “State Store,” make sure you buy enough for the weekend, because they are closed on Sundays.
Certain areas are also very hip and upscale and often expensive like Center City where you find townhouses that may go up several floors and will be attached on both sides by your neighbors. Your greenery might be in your backyard or sometimes if you’re lucky maybe you’ll have an inner courtyard though I think that’s more rare. The variety of interesting stores and restaurants in Center City makes your pulse race. This is where you’ll find the best of Philadelphia’s theaters and the famed Academy of Music where Eugene Ormandy used to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Art Museum, The Rodin Museum and The Barnes Foundation are on the outskirts of Center City.
If you are going to the East Coast of the US, make Philadelphia a stop over, you will get a mix of the old and new.
