{"id":36067,"date":"2023-02-15T15:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=36067"},"modified":"2023-02-11T10:24:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-11T09:24:40","slug":"philly-one-of-americas-oldest-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/philly-one-of-americas-oldest-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Philly – one of America’s oldest cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that Philadelphia<\/strong>, Pennsylvania<\/strong>, is one of America’s oldest cities? After over a year of living in the United States<\/strong>, I finally took a bus and visited Philly. It’s only a 2-hour bus or train ride from NYC<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Photo 1: Love Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

I arrived in midtown Philly on a rainy night and started my trip with my first Philly Cheesesteak hoagie, a signature sandwich from Philadelphia<\/strong>. Then, I realized that the streets were full of cheerful people and a great atmosphere. That night, a baseball team from Pennsylvania<\/strong> – The Phillies, was playing at the National League Championship<\/strong>. And they won!<\/p>\n

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Photos 2 & 3: Beaux Arts Philadelphia City Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n

The following morning, I started exploring the city at a nearby coffee shop. There are plenty of coffee houses in Philly with the finest quality and the freshest product. I even saw a place where they roast coffee beans on site, inside a food market.<\/p>\n

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Photos 4 & 5: Inside a busy food market: Reading Terminal Market<\/p>\n

Caffeinated, I visited Rittenhouse Square<\/strong> and Love Park. This part of Philly felt busy, and the high-rise buildings reminded me of midtown Manhattan<\/strong>. The difference is that the main streets are slightly narrower, and also there are small alleys in the middle of a block. There are many pedestrians, city bikes, trams, buses, and subways. The public transportation structure seems to be working well in Philly.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Photos 6 & 7: Narrow alleys in midtown Philly<\/p>\n

From the Rittenhouse<\/strong> area, I headed East toward the old city. The oldest part of Philadelphia<\/strong> has a different feel. It’s somewhat European, with its brick houses, parks, and cobbled streets.<\/p>\n

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Photos 8 & 9: Old Town residential area<\/p>\n

Walking down the streets of the old town, my friends and I went to an old Irish restaurant The Plough & the Stars<\/strong>, where we had Sunday brunch. The place had a big open fireplace that gave a lot of warmth and comfort. We had an Irish breakfast and other Sunday specials. After that, we headed north to see the oldest street in the United States<\/strong>. Shortly after, we want to see the Liberty Bell<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Photo 10: Elfreth’s Alley, known as the oldest residential street in Philly; Photo 11: The Liberty Bell<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last point of the trip was visiting the famous Rocky Steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/strong>. I walked up the steps, humming Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti, and finally felt that my Philadelphia<\/strong> trip was complete. I’m impressed with Philadelphia, or at least the parts of it I saw. Someday, I’ll be back to explore more!<\/p>\n

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Photo 12: Philadelphia Museum of Art Rocky Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

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