Philadelphia is a city that has enjoyed being home to a lot of ‘firsts’ in American history. It has a ridiculous amount of sights and experiences
which are envied by other cities. From boring facts like being the birthplace of America’s daily newspapers, The Philadelphia Packet, and Daily Advertiser back in 1784, to entertaining facts like having the oldest active performing arts theater in the English speaking world, The Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia is ripe with temptations and history.
The City of Brotherly Love
spreads its unique charm in different ways, from historic landmarks to its local food. Let’s now delve into what makes Philly pop up in the news!
Cheesesteaks and The Wing Bowl
How can a mixture of bread, cheese, onions, and meat be the most famous thing about this iconic city? Well, because it’s really good! There are more than 70 active cheesesteaks stands in Philadelphia, and they all do extremely well business-wise. More than 60,000 Philadelphian citizens and tourists patronize these stores daily! The directness of the food is part of the reason that holds so much sway over people. So, if you find yourself in that zone, try out at least three different cheesesteak shops, just in case one is a dud.
Also, Philadelphia hosts a very large eating contest that draws an enormous crowd that sometimes exceeds 20,000 people. A tribute to the city’s love of food.
The Independence Historic National Park
, a landmark in Philadelphia, is famous because it tells the tale of so many different pieces of history. Not just Philadelphian history, but important bits of United States history. In the park, there is the Liberty Bell – which has signified the hard-fought freedom since its march around the country, Independence Hall – where this freedom was declared, and the famous Franklin Court. Philadelphia is also the mother to renowned political structures like Congress Hall, the National Constitution Center, Carpenter’s Hall, and many other buildings that tell different tales of the journey of America as a political institution.
Being such an old city, Philadelphia has recorded its history so carefully through the myriad museums situated across the city. The Philadelphia Museum of Art
probably stands out as the most popular, no less for the “Rocky Steps’, which was popularized by the 20th-century classic titled “Rocky’. Aside from the Rocky steps, the museum boasts so many instances that scream of its rich stock of American cultural heritage.
In what would be a different take of a museum, the Please Touch Museum
helps kids to thread the fine line between work and play so amazingly that few places on earth can match its activity for children. Science-themed experiments and fun games come together so seamlessly that you cannot help but laugh and smile no matter how old you are. Other honorable mentions include the Museum of American Revolution, the Penn Museum, Mutter Museum, Independence Seaport Museum, the National Museum of American Jewish History, The African American Museum of Philadelphia, among other stellar names.
Also, Philadelphia is only second to the romantic city of Paris when it comes to the production of impressionist paintings. It is dubbed the ‘mural capital of the United States’ since more than 2,000 beautiful murals color the walls of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is also wrongly credited with being the birthplace of the first person to stitch the first American Flag, giving Philadelphian native, Betsy Ross the honor. While she is not the one who accomplished the feat, her home still garners attention.
While it might not indeed be always sunny in Philly, the 5th largest city in the United States of America is sure to brighten your horizons with its illustrative ambiance, and its unique pull for the community. One fact is, one week is not enough to take in the sights Philly has to offer.
