Philadelphia
on the Fly
by
Colette Connolly
 The Liberty Bell,
Independence Hall, the Franklin Institute, and the Betsy Ross House are all
familiar landmarks of
America’s fifth largest city, but seeing
them all in a few hours is difficult at best.
So, on a
recent trip to the “City of Brotherly Love<,”
my family and I chose to see America’s
original capital city by bus, a narrated tour that gives visitors a glimpse
into Philadelphia<’s
revolutionary past. The pleasant hop-on, hop-off jaunt gave us the chance to
admire some of the city’s well-known buildings and parks without having to
exert ourselves too much.
 We hopped on the
Big Bus Company double-decker bus at stop three (there are 20 stops in
total) outside the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, where we were staying for
the weekend. The Marriott is in the heart of
Philadelphia<’s Chinatown, the third largest Asian community in
the United States. In addition to the
scores of Chinese restaurants and shops, the 40-foot tall Friendship Gate is
probably the most notable feature of this neighborhood.
 As the bus snaked
through the city’s downtown streets, our guide reminded us of Philadelphia’s
most notable buildings, including City Hall, which is the tallest masonry
building in the world, with granite and brick walls up to 22 feet in
thickness. The building is topped by a 27-ton bronze statue of William Penn,
the city’s founder.
The city
is also home to the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, formerly known as the
Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, which was built in 1932 and at the time
was the world’s only high-rise building. Take a walk into the hotel today
and you’ll see reminders of the past, including Cartier clocks, bank vault
doors and polished granite.
As we
passed by the Wanamaker’s department store, we learned about its founder,
John Wanamaker, who established what became known as America’s first department store.
The concept of using price tags, explained our guide, was first used in
Wanamaker’s. Mr. Wanamaker, a devout Christian, believed that if everyone
was equal before God, then everyone should be entitled to pay the same price
for a product.
 Other innovative
ideas that Wanamaker fashioned included allowing his customers to return
goods for a cash refund. The store was also the first to install a telephone
in the building, pneumatic tubes for transporting cash and documents, and
electrical illumination. Walk through the store’s grand court and you’ll be
amazed by the grandeur and opulence of the space.
 Philadelphia is
an art and museum lover’s paradise, the most notable being the Franklin
Institute, which includes a slew of fascinating exhibits, including a
two-storey replication of the human heart that kids and adults alike can
explore at length.
The Rodin Museum
is also a popular destination, which houses the largest collection of
sculptor August Rodin’s works outside of
Paris<. As we passed by the museum, we could see the
best known of Rodin’s works, The Thinker, located at the entrance to the
building. Further along our journey, our guide pointed out the Philadelphia
Museum of Art and the Academy of Fine Art.
As we
approached the Eastern State Penitentiary, a foreboding-looking building
located at the northwest corner of
22nd Street and Fairmont Avenue, our guide informed us
that the prison initiated a revolutionary system of incarceration that
focused more on reform than punishment. Prisoners had their own cell and
were not allowed to communicate with one another. The only book they were
allowed to read was the bible. Needless to say, mental illness was rampant
as a result of the isolation and confinement.
The old
penitentiary is on the edge of
Fairmont
Park, a sprawling piece of
land that contains 63 separate parks. At one time, it housed homes belonging
to some of Philadelphia<’s
richest families.
  As
the bus made its way through Philadelphia’s many neighborhoods, the city’s
significance in American history was clearly evident, from the site where
the Declaration of Independence was read, to the Liberty Bell, to the many
contributions of native Philadelphian Ben Franklin. Alas, we were out of
time and all of the other exciting tourist attractions would have to be seen
next time.
If
you go:
The Big
Bus Company Philadelphia,
www.phillytour.com
Photos
by: Colette Connolly, except Friendship Arch, courtesy R. Kennedy; and the Wanamaker Grand Court
photo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.
Colette
Connolly is a freelance travel writer living in the New York City< area
| 
