I am not scheduled to travel internationally until December and the majority of my trips will be in the States. So on Halloween, I traveled to Philadelphia for a work week assignment. On this trip, I decided that I wanted to be a tourist and explore the City of Brotherly Love.
My hotel (Courtyard by Marriott) is situated in Downtown Philadelphia next door to the historic city hall. I joked that I can get married and divorce all on the same day lol.
Anyway, as I was exiting my hotel and approaching the entrance of City Hall, I attempted to take a picture of a statute. Unfortunately, the lighting was not good. I noticed a guy next to me doing the same thing and I mentioned that the lighting was not great. We started to converse and he stated he was in town on a layover and was sightseeing. I said the same. He then asked what area I was going to explore. I said I was just going to walk. He gave me a perplexed look and said you don’t have a map. I said no. At that point, I was embarrassed. Here I am a world-traveler and I don’t have a plan. The gentleman pulled out his map and showed me his plan. He then said, why don’t we explore the city together.
You have to understand me, I don’t engage in long conversations with strangers while in a new city. My vocabulary is limited to “hello” or “hi”. I looked at him for a second and said okay. I truly don’t know what prompted me to explore Philadelphia with a stranger especially a stranger from another country.
Anyway, as I was exiting my hotel and approaching the entrance of City Hall, I attempted to take a picture of a statute. Unfortunately, the lighting was not good. I noticed a guy next to me doing the same thing and I mentioned that the lighting was not great. We started to converse and he stated he was in town on a layover and was sightseeing. I said the same. He then asked what area I was going to explore. I said I was just going to walk. He gave me a perplexed look and said you don’t have a map. I said no. At that point, I was embarrassed. Here I am a world-traveler and I don’t have a plan. The gentleman pulled out his map and showed me his plan. He then said, why don’t we explore the city together.You have to understand me, I don’t engage in long conversations with strangers while in a new city. My vocabulary is limited to “hello” or “hi”. I looked at him for a second and said okay. I truly don’t know what prompted me to explore Philadelphia with a stranger especially a stranger from another country.
Now you are wondering what can you do in several hours in the City of Brotherly Love. Well, we started with….
The LOVE Statue
The City of Brotherly Love’s best-known landmark is LOVE itself — the Robert Indiana sculpture.
Franklin Statue in front of the Franklin Institute
The Three Shades – Dante’s Inferno
Gazebo along the Schuylkill River Trail
Schuylkill River
Rocky Steps
One Liberty Observation Deck
View of Philadelphia from the Observation Deck
The Liberty Bell
Independent Hall
Ben Franklin Bridge
China Town
We walked over 6 miles for 3 hours from City Hall to the Rocky Steps to the Observation Deck to the Independence Hall to the Bridge and back to the hotel. We talked, laughed, and found out we had a lot of similarities. One of them is our love of traveling.
It was an afternoon that I will never forget because
(1) I made a new friend;
(2) I went outside my comfort zone;
(3)My feet ached after walking 6 miles in about 3 hours in a new pair of boots (lol); and
(4) I had a chance to experience Fall in the Philadelphia
(1) I made a new friend;
(2) I went outside my comfort zone;
(3)My feet ached after walking 6 miles in about 3 hours in a new pair of boots (lol); and
(4) I had a chance to experience Fall in the Philadelphia
Even though your time may be limited in a city, there is so much you can see and do in just a couple or several hours. Don’t miss an opportunity to explore and have an adventure.
Wow! I’m surprised by how many famous sites in the city I knew but had actually not known they were in Philadelphia. Now I know! 😉
Philadelphia really is one of the best cities in the USA for travel, there are so many different things there and it really looks like it has something for everyone.
Love the photos, you really have captured the beauty of Philadelphia!
This is such a great walking tour itinerary for a short stay in Philly. I also loved the ‘Love’ statue, Liberty Bell and Rocky Steps. It is such a beautiful, historical city and you really have seen the best parts! Great post!
What a gorgeous city!! On my visits to the US I haven’t had a chance to visit it, but next time for sure! Thanks for the awesome guide x
Wow, looks like there is more to Philly than I thought. Lovely pictures! 🙂
Jacky
What a fun day you had! Meeting new people is one of the things that I love about travelling. Did you end up getting married and divorced at City Hall? ?
So glad to see that you managed to be a tourist while on a business trip and you got outside of your comfort zone as well…! Good on ya 😀
I haven’t been to the States as an adult so I reckon one day I’m going to have to do a great American roadtrip. Looks like it was sunny in Philadelphia 😉
This is awesome! Lucky chance meetings are my favorite. Philly is definitely on my list.
Such gorgeous photos! Lovely captures. What a fun day you had! Philadelphia is one of the best cities in the USA, so many things to do.