Resources // Philadelphia & Gettysburg

“The City of Brotherly Love”

Philadelphia, located in southeastern Pennsylvania, on the southern fringe of the mid-Atlantic region, is the fourth-largest urban area in the United States and the country’s sixth-largest city. Often referred to as “Philly,” the city’s metropolitan area encompasses twelve counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

History

Perhaps best known for its role in the American Revolutionary War, Philadelphia saw the convening of the Continental Congress as well as the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Shortly after the nation’s inception took place in Philadelphia, the city was named the nation’s capital, a role it filled from 1790 until 1800, when Washington, D.C. took over.
Benjamin Franklin, probably the city’s most famous resident, was responsible for the city’s alternative title, the “new Athens.” While Franklin’s most famous experiment dealt with the conducting of electricity, he was also responsible for the country’s first insurance company, the city’s first public library and the first fire department; Franklin also played a great role in establishing the city’s postal system as well as inventing new conveniences such as bifocal lenses and the Franklin Stove.

Philadelphia has seen its skyline and its name in lights throughout the years in such famous films as the “Rocky” series, as well as films like namesake “Philadelphia” and many of Philadelphia native M. Night Shyamalan’s thrillers.

The Liberty Bell is located right in the center of Philadelphia inside of a pavilion near Independence Hall. The Liberty Bell is a major piece in Philly’s history. The Liberty Bell was rung to announce the news of the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1828 in Great Britain. John Sartain in his book, Reminiscences of a Very Old Man, claims the Bell was cracked during this announcement: “The final passage of the Emancipation Act by the British Parliament is linked to a bit of Philadelphia history. On receipt of the news in Philadelphia the Liberty Bell in the tower of the State House was rung, and cracked in the ringing. When I was up in the tower in 1830, two years after, viewing the cracked bell for the first time, Downing, who was then the custodian of Independence Hall, told me of it and remarked that the bell refused to ring for a British Act, even when the Act was a good one.”

The Philadelphia area’s 6.2 million inhabitants comprise a diverse group of almost every nationality. Philadelphia’s primary cultural influences can be seen in its plethora of Irish pubs, the city’s Italian Market, the Chinatown District, and the Reading Terminal which plays host to a diverse crowd of merchants - from first-generation European and Asian immigrants to the area’s local Amish and Mennonite farmers.

Philadelphia’s economy is as diverse as the population that inhabits the city. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the oldest one in America, has been in operation since 1790. In addition the city is host to several Fortune 500 companies, including Comcast (one of the nation’s largest cable television provider), CIGNA insurance, and Lincoln Financial Group.
Dating back to the city’s roots as the nation’s first capital, the federal’s government presence is also strong in Philadelphia. The United States Mint is located near Philadelphia’s historic district and the Philadelphia division of the Federal Reserve Bank is close to that. Thanks to this governmental presence Philadelphia plays host to a large number of prestigious law firms and is considered one of the nation’s centers of law.

The Pennsylvania Railroad, once the largest railroad company in the world, continues to influence Philadelphia’s economy under the Amtrak name. Amtrak’s second-busiest station, 30th Street Station, is located on the west bank of the Schuylkill River and employs many Philadelphians in customer service and ticketing jobs.

Finally, many medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, and medical technology firms make their homes in and around Philadelphia, arguably making it the nation’s healthcare capital.

This information is based on the efforts of multiple WikiTravel contributors. The original article can be accessed at: http://wikitravel.org/en/philadelphia . It is reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareALike 1.0. USA Tours Pros accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies in the information presented and merely offers the article as a resource for the Tour Professional.

Neighborhoods

Philadelphia truly is a mixture of many racially-diverse neighborhhoods.

-Center City - home to LOVE Park, the Chestnut and Walnut shopping and dining districts, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia’s beautiful city hall, and many museums and cultural attractions. Skyscrapers, designer shops, major restaurants such as Susanna Foo and Brasserie Perrier, and hotels such as the Ritz can all be found in Center City.

-Old City - features the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Independence Hall, as well as a burgeoning young artist and student community; this part of Philadelphia was also the location for MTV’s The Real World: Philadelphia. Old City hosts a lot of night life activity: expect to see a young, professional crowd here on weekends.
Washington Square West - 7th to Broad Street, Chestnut to South Street, squished in between Rittenhouse Square and Old City/Society Hill. Home of Antique Row and Mid-Town Village, two great shopping districts. Historic cobbled streets, theaters, restaurants and more.

-South Philly - famous for its Italian heritage as well as being featured in Rocky, South Philly is also home to FDR Park and all of Philadelphia’s major professional sports teams. You want a cheese steak? South Philly’s where it’s at: 9th and Passyunk Ave. That’s all you need to know.

-South Street - arguably the center of night life and urban activity in Philadelphia, South Street encompasses almost every kind of urban attitude you’d expect in a major city. Tattoo parlors, cheese steak joints, local designer clothing stores, restaurants, music venues, and local cafes line South Street from Penn’s Landing up to about 10th street. Every night it seems as if there is a street festival going on here.

-West Philly - From the Schuylkill River to Cobb’s Creek. Includes University City, Powelton Village and the Philadelphia Zoo. West Philadelphia is also well known for its turn of the century architecture found in its unique, brick “twin” style homes. From UPenn to 47th Street along Spruce or Pine is a great place for a stroll. West Philly is also home to much of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park system. Fairmount Park, the largest municipal park in the country, is home to Mann Music Center, the Philadelphia Zoo, and soon the Please Touch children’s museum. On Sundays MLK Drive is closed to traffic so bring your Rollerblades!

-University City - home to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; not surprisingly, this area has a distinct college town feel and is the source of controversy over gentrification. However, before redevelopment this area of Philadelphia had crime enough to deter people from coming to school here. University City is also know as the “Left Bank” (an homage to Paris’ Latin Quarter), as well as Philadelphia’s “international” neighborhood because of the multitude of ethnicities living here. For a respite, check out Clark Park on Baltimore Ave at 43rd Street.

-Manayunk - known as the “city on a hill,” Manayunk is home to many unique stores and shops as well as a thriving student and artist community. Manayunk also hosts an annual Arts Fest and the main climb for the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship in summer months.

-East Falls - home to Philadelphia University, Drexel University College of Medicine, and Women’s Medical College (the first women’s medical school in the world), which is currently being renovated into a mixed-used development by a team that includes Philadelphia’s own Wulff Architects. The end of Kelly Drive culminates at East Falls; take the bridge over the Schuylkill River to MLK Drive to continue your 8 mile bike ride back down to the Art Museum.

-Art Museum Area - The Art Museum area is more than just that. Though it is the seat of one the finest art collections in the world (you must see the Impressionist gallery), it also encompasses the Philadelphia Free Library, the Franklin Institute, the Eastern State Penitentiary (where Al Capone sat idle for many years), and an up and coming residential neighborhood that includes galleries, restaurants, and bars just east of the Parkway off of Spring Garden Street and Fairmount Ave. Kelly Drive, the most popular recreational destination in the city with bike and running paths, as well as historic Boathouse Row, begins just behind the art museum.

-Mt. Airy - North By Northwest. Mr. Airy is a residential neighborhood that could be described as eclectic, with its main streets crossing at the site of a natural food co-op. Young families tend to live here on many tree-lined streets.

-Northern Liberties - the latest trendy neighborhood in Philadelphia among students, young professionals and artists is also home to many galleries and shops worth seeing. NoLib, as its residents call it, is fast becoming Philadelphia’s version of SoHo with artist lofts, architecturally-conscious condo developments, and plenty of entertainment from bowling, to clubs, to restaurants.

-Society Hill-Queen Village - one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods, site of Gloria Dei (Old Swede’s) Church. Walking around Queen Village will give you a taste of what Ben Franklin might have experienced in Philly when he was alive, as well as give you a peek at Philly’s old European roots.

-Templetown - neighborhood of Temple University’s main campus, one mile north of City Hall.

-Northeast - for bargain shopping, Northeast Philadelphia is home to Franklin Mills Mall, with many popular brands having large outlet stores there

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