The main thing to know about Philadelphia is that the United States of America was "born" here. Therefore, all the main attractions in one way or another affect the topic of the acquisition by the States of independent imosti.
When I worked in America under the Work and Travel program, the guys from the souvenir shop and I decided to go to Philadelphia for 1 day. The company was selected international: Belarus, Russia, Moldova. Drive to Philadelphia from Cape May - about 1.5 hours. Since we worked in a modest town, we had to take the car in a neighboring town, getting up early in the morning.
Well, goodbye, provincial Cape May.
And hello, progressive American metropolis.
Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest cities in the United States. Every American considers it his duty to visit here at least once, because it was in Philadelphia that the country's independence was proclaimed. By the way, a middle-aged American couple who rented a house to us in Cape May lives right here, and comes to the sea only for the summer to earn money on students. Not a bad increase in your pension, isn't it?
So, Philadelphia. Her story is closely connected with the name of William Penn, who comes from the family of a British admiral, who, after the death of his papa, inherited not only an impressive fortune, but also a debt from the Crown of “many thousands of pounds sterling”. English King Charles II, don't be a fool, decided to pay off with the least losses for the treasury and presented Penn with a decent piece of land in North America west of the Delaware River. The places were good, wooded, that's why they called these lands "Penn Woods", that is, "Pennsylvania." It was in 1681, and a couple of years later, the main city of the future state, Philadelphia, appeared.
Despite the fact that we entered the city "from below", we began to see its sights "from above". I am a girl, I explain as much as I can, it will be more logical only on the map (look for it closer to the end of the article). The car was parked outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art to explore the city on foot. Well, let's go?
Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rocky Monument
The museum is located in a rather picturesque place - a huge Fairmount Park(Fairmount Park), stretching along the banks of the Skulkill River. The park is so large and quiet that the proximity of the metropolis begins to seem like an illusion. But no, here it is - a city with its skyscrapers.
We did not go to the museum itself, because you need to spend a lot of hours on any galleries, and chasing through the halls with the agility of a young antelope is a useless waste of time and money. However, if you are in Philadelphia for a long time, know that it is one of the largest museums of fine art in the United States.
Near the museum there are several remarkable trifles for which crowds of tourists come here. The art gallery is outraged because of them: everyone reaches the entrance and turns around. And fans of Sylvester Stallone and the Oscar-winning film of the 70s, for which he himself wrote the script, crowd here. What kind of attraction is this? The stairs in front of the museum! So that's it. And all because it is Rocky's Ladder... It was on these steps that the main character of the cult movie trained before the battles. And here is the first reminder of this (well, Sylvester's size!).
Second reminder - boxer monument... The statue was made for the third film about Rocky Balboa and somehow took root right there, not far from the stairs.
And here is the famous view of the city from the steps, which also featured in the movies: Benjamin Franklin Alley(Benjamin Franklin Parkway) and downtown Philadelphia in the distance.
Do you see a classic Western European building to the left of the skyscrapers? This is Philadelphia City Hall. Almost like elven, only Philadelphia. Actually, we go there, just make a stop at the monument and fountain to George Washington.
At first glance, it seems illogical that George is looking at Benjamin's Alley, but this is only at first glance. Because, in fact, America was created by the hands of these people. But more on that later.
Philadelphia City Hall, LOVE Park, Freemasons and the Good Phyllis
Philadelphia's City Hall (in the common people, the town hall or city hall) is further away than we had hoped. On the way to it, we occupied ourselves with the fact that we looked at the flags of different countries of the world, hung on both sides of the alley. These are the flags of the countries that have the sister cities of Philadelphia. Follow the flags and they will lead you to the Town Hall.
When the Philadelphia City Hall was first built, it was planned that it would become the tallest structure in the world. And she was, but only for 7 years. It is now the tallest masonry structure in the world. Among the gaudy glass cubes standing nearby, she looks like a stranger from the past.
On the way to the City Hall, we come across the letter sculpture “LOVE”. In honor of her, a wasteland with a fountain, where she is located, was even named Park of Love(Love Park). It would seem that what is easier, but attracts the attention of tourists. There is a similar art object in New York, only there is much more sculpture.
One of the highlights of Philadelphia is this sudden street art. Here and there, there are certainly some unfounded monuments or metal squiggles. Like these:
Near the city hall there is an information center, where you can borrow a map of the city for free, and opposite it there is a small area with various sculptures. Chess pieces, falling dominoes, clothespins, rakes, irons ... Yes, yes, this is an iron, just a bad photo. In general, I always have a lot of complaints about photographers, so no one goes anywhere with me. It's a joke, they drive, of course, but with caution.
Personally, my favorite among the city statues is Mr. Phyllis- a symbol of the local baseball club and, in general, of Philadelphia itself. Once upon a time there was a "gentleman's rule" in the city: do not build houses higher than the hat of William Penn, who stands at the top of the Town Hall. However, there are always upstarts who are up to the lilac star of all these conventions, and in the 1980s skyscrapers began to appear in Philadelphia. Since then, no city sports team has been able to take first place in international competitions. And people started talking about Penn's Curse. I had to make a tiny copy of the statue from the top of the City Hall and install it on the top floor of the tallest skyscraper. After that, the Philadelphia Phillies team won the World Baseball Championship in 2008. This is an urban legend that explains the presence of their symbol near the Town Hall. Kind Phyllis seems to say: "Hadzi, abdymu". And you go.
Rumor has it that the Freemasons helped to remove the curse. Since its inception, Philadelphia has been considered the unofficial capital of freemasons. The secret society is not hiding too much here: the members of the brotherhood proudly wear massive rings, and the main Masonic Temple located right next to the Town Hall.
In general, there is nothing to be surprised at. The Masonic movement appeared here long before independent America. Almost all of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons, led by Benjamin Franklin.
The old town and its main attractions
If you look at the map of Philadelphia, then the narrow part "from river to river", where the City Hall is located, will look very "crowded". And this cannot but rejoice, because the rest of the city is very spacious for a hiker. And here you can get around everything quickly enough.
So, we go to the Old Town area, but on the way we will look at a large covered farmers market(Reading Terminal Market).
It's a good place to grab a bite to eat along the way. Here you can buy not only the products of local farmers, but also ready-made meals that you can eat right on the spot. The market is located in the building of the old station, which adds color to it.
Farther - Old city... There are so many different historical sights here, but the main things to see are Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross's house, the oldest street in Philadelphia and maybe the local cemetery. It is easy to navigate thanks to such pointers.
Independence Hall, or Independence Hall - one of the key historic buildings in Philadelphia. I do not like to talk about sights in the style: "Here in 1776 ..." Who cares? Even I never read that. In general, once (but, if anyone is interested, in 1776), the Declaration of Independence was signed here. And here the time has come to tell a little about Benjamin Franklin.
After the death of William Penn, who was actively fighting for the acquisition of independence by the British colonies, Benjamin Franklin continued his work. Subsequently, he became the only founding father who put his signature under three key historical documents that contributed to the formation of the new state:
- The United States Declaration of Independence,
- The Versailles Peace Treaty (according to which 13 British colonies finally gained independence),
- The US Constitution.
Rumor has it that for all his greatness, this man was modest and humorous. For example, I wanted to see a turkey instead of an eagle on the US coat of arms, but serious guys did not approve of it, so that is what it is.
There is another confusion near Independence Hall: the documents were signed by Franklin, and the monument - again to Washington. And again, everything is logical, you just need to know the history: George Washington is the first president of the United States, elected in 1789 and holding on to power for 2 terms. Today, the figure is quite controversial, because he actively supported the slave system. And yet, the "first president" is solid enough to have monuments in his honor and be printed in dollars. True, only on the "one", while Franklin can be seen on the "hundred". Such are the endless competitions of historical persons.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed at Independence Hall, people were notified of it Liberty Bell... So this attraction smoothly follows from the previous one. Once the bell was kept in the Independence Hall itself, but now it has its own separate pavilion nearby. Every year on July 4 (when Americans celebrate Independence Day), the bell is rung 13 times.
If you have already received an American visa, look at its upper right corner - and you will see the cherished bell there.
Another building on the same topic - US Constitution Museum... In general, all these buildings form a whole complex called the National Historical Park of Independence. The old part of Philadelphia is located between it and the Delaware River.
If you want to see Franklin's grave, you can take a look at Church of Christ cemetery... In addition to him, other founding fathers are buried here, as well as some famous people of Philadelphia.
The cemetery is old and therefore cinematic, here it would be like to shoot "The Vampire Diaries", or something gloomy in the same spirit. For those who are especially interested, they conduct excursions here.
Then it is logical to go to Betsy Ross's house who is believed to be the author of the American flag. True, in her version there were only 13 stars (according to the number of colonies), and they were located in a circle. Now there are 50 stars on the flag - as many as the states.
Although the first version of the banner is called the "Betsy Ross flag," its direct involvement in the production of the state symbol is questioned by some historians. However, the legend is good, everyone likes it, so no one disputes it. But there is another nuance: the house that is shown to tourists is the "possible" house of Betsy Ross. That is, there are inaccuracies here as well. However, it is one of the most visited places in Philadelphia. The house is now a museum, and Betsy is buried in the backyard under a large elm tree. I would like to believe that at least this is true.
Right next to the house of the most revered American seamstress, there is a modest but ambitious Alfreth's Alley(Elfreth's Alley) - the oldest street in the city (began to be built up in 1728).
Don't expect to see anything out of the ordinary here. The street is quite small, but very authentic. Lovers of "self" will definitely like it.
More serious people will be able to travel for a couple of minutes to the colonial era, the first years of independence and, perhaps, feel the difficult period of the Great Depression. Only during a historical dive, do not look through the windows trying to see the same ancient decoration of the premises. The street is old, but residential. Therefore, do not disturb the peace of the locals lounging on sofas with home theater remotes.
There is still a lot of things in the old city: the First and Second US banks, a bunch of museums and religious monuments. I only talked about the key points. If you have more time, just walk the local streets. Another option to get to know the city faster is the Hop-on Hop-Off tourist bus. Its route is approximately the same as we walked, and even a little wider.
You can compare it with a map and choose what is more convenient and profitable for you.
If I had more time ...
I didn't get to a few interesting places, but maybe you can. They are marked in green on the map.
University of Pennsylvania- simply because the old American universities with their campuses are also a kind of cultural feature of the country.
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens- an unusual house, completely covered with ceramic and glass mosaics, and a labyrinthine courtyard with arched entrances, staircases and terraces.
Rodin Museum- The Philadelphia Museum, which contains the second largest collection of works by the sculptor Auguste Rodin (after the museum in Paris).
Eastern State Prison- to see where Al Capone was sitting.
Franklin Science Institute- which is actually the center of science and education (that is, a museum).
Philadelphia through my eyes
After wandering around the Old Town, we went to Delaware River... The weather that day was warm, but from time to time the sky was overcast with clouds, and everything was covered with a light drizzle. Therefore, there are no good shots of the evening river at all. I can only offer one with a view of the bridge. It is a pity that the photo does not convey the full significance of this waterway, which with its own "body" draws the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
On the whole, I remember Philadelphia like this: tall, glassy and gray-brown, and also quite "restrained" in terms of the decoration of high-rise buildings.
Perhaps the fault is the changeable weather, which almost did not please the blue sky.
At first glance, the city is not very colorful and even a little monotonous.
However, it would be foolish to draw conclusions after just one day. As in a person, the main thing in a city is not "clothes", but details, which are simply numerous. For example, one of them. Yeah, these are the kittens in the window, which they offer to take home for free. Not fish there, hamsters or chinchillas, but cats. Strange and unusual at the same time.
Here, graffiti easily coexists with Gothic. Anyway, in Philadelphia, a lot of attention is paid to contemporary art.
Tourist buses can be modern double-decker buses, or they can be as follows:
If you look not only under your feet, but also around, looking through the correct window, you can see the layout of Philadelphia.
Back we were coming back through Chinatown... It seems that Chinatown is a must-see for a big American city. If it is, then the place is promising, you can live.
In Philadelphia, I first became acquainted with the Subway chain of eateries, when it was necessary to urgently hide from the rain. Since then, among all the fast food, I consider this one to be the most gentle. A sandwich, if anything, was for two.
Philadelphia seemed like a serious city, where mischievous gnomes in bright caps are hiding behind the backs of strict brown-gray glass. I think it is much more convenient to work here than to rest, but one cannot fail to come at least for 1 day. Especially if you are interested in history or just want to know where and how the United States of America was formed from scattered colonies.
Enjoy your trip to Philadelphia!
Here is a map of Philadelphia with streets → Pennsylvania, USA. Examining a detailed map of Philadelphia with houses and streets. Search in real time, weather today, coordinates
More about the streets of Philadelphia on the map
A detailed map of the city of Philadelphia with the names of streets and towns will be able to show all routes and roads of the state of Pennsylvania, how to get to St. Race St, where is the main or central, which country, the vicinity of the nearest settlement, type of terrain. Located near, United States of America
For a detailed view of the territory of the entire district, it is enough to change the scale of the online scheme +/-. The page contains an interactive map of the city of Philadelphia (USA) with addresses and routes of the region, with driving directions and bypass roads. Move its center to find your home on Wood St now.
The ability to plot a route through the country, measure and calculate the distance - the "Ruler" tool, find out the length of the city and the way to the center, determine your location, addresses of attractions in the region, transport stops and hospitals (type of scheme "Hybrid"), look around the car and railway train stations, Pennsylvania borders
You will find all the necessary detailed information about the location of the city infrastructure. Search for places nearby, search nearby bus stations and shops, squares and banks, highways and highways, metro stations
What to see:
- liberty bell
- Art Museum
- franklin square
- local town hall
- Rodin Museum
- maritime museum
- African American Museum
- Congress hall
- academy of music
- national history museum
- fort mifflin
Accurate satellite map of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Pennsylvania) in Russian with Google search is in its own heading, panoramas as well. Use Yandex search to show the desired house on a city map in the US / world, in real time, full screen.
Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the United States and the most populous city in the state of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is also called Philly and The City of Brotherly Love.
Population
The population of Philadelphia as of 2008 is over 1.5 million inhabitants. Taking into account the suburbs, the number of residents rises to 5.8 million.
Philadelphia is located in the eastern United States. The closest metropolitan area to Philadelphia is Camden (80,000 residents, New Jersey), which is on the other side of the Delaware River. According to 2007 data, 43% of Philadelphia residents are white, 44% are African American, and 5% are Asian.
Philadelphia is a fairly multi-ethnic city. About 23% of the population lives below the poverty line (by American standards). Philadelphia was ranked 22nd among all US cities in 2008 in terms of crime, while Camden was second.
Climate
Philadelphia has a humid continental climate, but the city is in close proximity to a humid subtropical climate. Philadelphia's climate is highly seasonal. Summers are warm and even hot, winters are moderately cold.
The average temperature of the hottest summer month is 25 ° C, but there are days when the temperature is very high, and in combination with high humidity, the heat is difficult to endure. The average temperature in January is around 0 ° C, although frosts down to -10 ° C occasionally occur in winter. The amount of precipitation in the form of snow varies from year to year.
Economy
Philadelphia has a developed and modern economy. The main industries in the region are heavy industry, oil refining, food and textile manufacturing, tourism and healthcare. In addition, Philadelphia is considered the national center of jurisprudence, since it is here that a large number of specialized educational institutions and institutions are concentrated.
As of 2005, the combined gross domestic product in the Philadelphia region is equivalent to more than $ 312 billion and ranks third in the United States after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Philadelphia is the second largest refinery in the United States.
Role in history and landmarks
Philadelphia has always played an important role in the history of the United States of America, and from 1790 to 1800. was their first capital. It was here that at one time American independence was born, since Philadelphia was the largest city among the thirteen revolting English colonies. And it was Philadelphia that became the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and later, in 1787, the US Constitution was adopted.
These events took place in the two-story building of Independence Hall (Independence Hall), which has become the most significant landmark in Philadelphia. Next to Independence Hall in a special pavilion is the Liberty Bell, symbolizing the independence of the United States. Also nearby is the Congress Hall, where the Bill of Rights was signed.
Historic Philadelphia is located between the Delaware River and downtown. It is a very pleasant place to stroll: quiet narrow streets with brick low-rise buildings interspersed with green spaces and parks. Among these streets are attractions such as the Betsy Ross House Museum, Christ Church and Old Joseph Church, the Second Bank of the United States.
Not far from the historic part of the city on the banks of the Delaware River is Penn’s Landing - the landing site in 1682 of the founder of the city, William Penn. The promenade, which offers beautiful views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, is a great place to walk and relax in fine weather. It houses the Maritime Museum, which displays the cruiser Olympia and the Bekun submarine, which are accessible to the public.
Downtown Philadelphia, together with the historic part, form the city center, bordered in the east by the Delaware River, and in the west by the Scool River. Philadelphia's other major boroughs are North, West, Northwest, South, and Southwest.
The first US department store, Wanamaker's, is the most popular meeting place in Philadelphia. Fairmount Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world. The oldest zoo in the country, founded in 1874, is located on its territory.
The tallest skyscrapers in downtown are Comcast Center (297 meters), One Liberty Place (288 meters), and TwoLiberty Place (258 meters). Among the skyscrapers are such architectural masterpieces as the Philadelphia City Hall and the Masonic Temple.
If you walk from the city hall through the park of love, you can get to the open area of Logan Square. And if you follow straight from there, you can go to the grandiose Museum of Art. Its steps offer a beautiful panorama of Philadelphia. The 72 stone steps that lead to the Museum of Art are called the Rocky Steps. Rocky Balboa from the movie with Sylvester Stallone trained before the fight by running these steps. This character became so beloved that a bronze statue was erected next to the Museum of Art, which is very popular with tourists.
A little south of the center is a huge sports complex (South Philadelphia Sport Complex). It includes 3 large sports arenas where professional sports league teams from Philadelphia play: Philadelphia Eagles (American football), Philadelphia Union (European football), Philadelphia Philies (baseball), Philadelphia Flyers (ice hockey) and Philadelphia 76ers (basketball).
