Now that we are finally getting warmer temperatures I decided to take a road trip. My sister and I drove 300 miles to have a couple of days to walk around Philly and take in all the history. I loved it.
Thursday - we left a little after 11:00 am making sure we missed the morning rush hour. Unfortunately we met the afternoon rush hour so next time I would leave around 9:30 am. We stopped in Connecticut to eat a late lunch at a small family Italian restaurant so that gave us an hour break from the road. Then we got back on the highway to continue. I did not drive over the George Washington bridge, but instead went over the Tappan Zee bridge. That what a very pretty sight and no traffic jams! With the frequent bathroom breaks and all the traffic we encountered in New Jersey, we did not arrive at our hotel until after 7:30 pm.
We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Plymouth meeting, which is approximately a 30 minute drive to Philadelphia.
The hotel room was great. King size bed, sleep sofa, and small kitchen with stove, microwave, dishwasher and full size refrigerator. The hotel served a decent breakfast each morning but nothing elaborate. I found the staff to be friendly. The cost was $490 total for 3 nights. There are several area restaurants that deliver to the hotel so we had food delivered for our late dinner.
Friday - we were up early to eat breakfast and head into the city. We parked at Autopark at Philadelphia visitors center which costs $24 per day. Then we started our day in the city with an open bus tour of the city and all its historical landmarks. The busses run all day at about 20 minute intervals so if you want to get off at any place you can and then catch another bus. The bus tour cost $34 for the entire day.
We rode the entire route which was 90 minutes then on our second time we got off at stops that interested us. Like the art museum with the rocky statue and the famous stairs that rocky ran up. I am happy to report that I did climb that stair case (but did not run up)
We also spent time walking through the "Love Park" the walk there as pretty with all the flowers in bloom.
While on the bus tour we went by lots of places that were "firsts" in our country. Like the first ever hospital.
We ate lunch at a place called Reading terminal. That was a sight. Lots and lots of restaurants and shops all in one building. so crowded!!! After that we had to get a authentic Philly cheese steak so we went to Geno's. DELICIOUS!
After a day of lots of sights and walking we headed back to our hotel and went to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays which was very close to the hotel. I was excited because all the Ruby Tuesdays in Massachusetts are closing.
Saturday - Today was a day with all kinds of walking. We parked in the same place then walked to the liberty bell which is free but you have to go through security. We walked through the Christ church burial grounds where Ben Franklin and his family are buried. That has a $5 admission cost. We took a tour of Independence Hall to see where the first supreme court took place and where both the declaration of Independence and the constitution were signed. You need a ticket to enter but they were only $1 online and you have to go through security. After this we walked several blocks to the house of Betsy Ross and took a tour of her house which was $8. On this walk we passed a firehouse with gigantic and gorgeous mural. There was a little park there that had a water fountain and a bust of Ben Franklin. Along this walk there were so many places to sit and rest. Philadelphia does a good job of catering to tourists.
If you look closely you can see to imprint of 1000 keys in the bust of Ben Franklin. This is titled "Keys to the Community"
Our final stop on Saturday was at Cira Green. This is a park on top of a parking garage. The garage has 11 levels of parking then you walk up to the 12th floor which is an open park. There is a restaurant, big screen with movies (showing Disney ducktales while we were there), tables, lots of seating and some beautiful views of the city. I should mention that the chicken sandwich and fries I had for lunch were very tasty!
Sunday - after a few exhausting days in Philadelphia it was time to head home. Check out time was 11 am but we were reading to leave before that so off we went.
If you are planning to take a road trip to Philly I should mention that gas was as much as $4.65 but cheaper on route 95 service areas. $4.25
If you are a history buff you should definitely go to Philadelphia. I know I will go back again one day.
Here are some other sights we saw....
The thinking statue at one of the museums. So many statues all around the city
vie from the visitors center
you can get up close to the liberty bell
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