"Philadelphia, You're in my heart"

Philadelphia: An amazing four years of college



What to love:Philly has a lot to offer...which is one of the reasons I love the city so much. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is always bringing in new exhibits. I can spend hours in there going in room after room looking at the pieces. Not to mention the top of the steps is my most favorite view of the city (see above).

The Franklin Institute is more fun then you'd think. A museum? For learning? And you're how old? Yup, I love it...it's fantastic to know that between 18-22 I can walk through a giant heart, push buttons to see lightening, see what Ben Franklin researched and invented, try on a pair of bifocals and just be a kid again.

Now, those are just 2 of the many other museums in Philly, they have everything from art to science, animals to former penitentiaries. It's a place that it'll be hard not to learn something during your visit.

Not only can you go off and expand you're brain, but you can see shows galore. The Kimmel Center, Walnut Street Theatre, The Theatre of the Living Arts, and tons more. Whether you want to see your favorite artist, a brand new play, an orchestra or a musical. You can do it in Philly. They've got a place that offers it all.

Now, if music, small paintings and sculptures aren't the type of art you're looking for just take a drive through the city. Philly is famous for it's murals and large sculptures. I've actually had the privilege of helping out with one of the murals in Fishtown a few years ago. But all throughout the city you'll find murals celebrating cultures, historic events, you can see massive whales, and tribal art. You can find giant dominoes or the biggest clothespin you'll ever see. Every corner you turn is a new form of art.

And if art just isn't your thing let's talk sports. The Eagles, The Flyers, The Phillies, 79ers. If you like sports, you'll find them in Philly. Now, don't trash talk any of them too much...because Philly loves their teams. It's almost impossible to go a whole day without passing someone who is sporting one team shirt or another...and sometimes you'll see all of the sports represented on one person too. Not to mention, it's kind of nice that most of the sports venues are located right next to each other.

Now, if you're the athletic type...there's beautiful Fairmount Park that you can take a bike ride or a run in. It's a gorgeous area. If your not so athletic and want to take a picnic to the park...that's ok too (and more up my alley..mmmm...picnic).

Now, is hustle and bustle of city life a bit too much? Take a ride over to Chestnut Hill and you'll get that quaint small town feel as you pass by farmer's markets; boutiques, yarn shops, old fashioned toy stores and tiny cafes. Speaking of cafes...that makes me hungry...

There's TONS to eat in Philly. You can get anything and everything. There's a few places that I adore. 1. Located on South Street in Philly is Lorenzo's Pizza...there's no place to sit in there and it's a tiny shop. If you don't feel like carrying your slice around you can go in the small room in the back were there's a counter and stand to eat. But the pizza is delicious and HUGE. You'll only need one slice. The last time I went it was a slice for $1 and a drink for $2....and I was stuffed. Not to mention...it's literally just a few steps away from the Theatre of the Living Arts so it's perfect for after a show. 2. My absolute favorite place though is Reading Terminal Market. It's almost overwhelming the amount of choices you get. It's a big market that combines food, knickknacks, vegetable stands, a bar, and a lot more. It's amazing. It's a fantastic place to take a group if you've got a lot of picky eaters...because you can pretty much get anything.

What not to love: I won't try to deny it. Philly is dirty. There's trash and dirt in most locations. In fact on Sperling's Best Places...it made #16 for the Worst Places for Respiratory Infections list. But the place I'm currently living made it higher on that list...and a place not too far from where I was living before was at number 1...so I'd say Philly was an improvement...much to my boyfriend's dismay.

Oh Philly...how I love you.


Tips for traveling: I've mentioned most of these in the what I love section. But here's a few more...Love Park...it's not too far from City Hall which you should definitely at least pass through. But the big red LOVE sculpture that has the L & O on top of the V & E. That's in Philly...in the warmer weather the fountains are going...just beware though. There's almost always people there asking, "Oh do you want me to take your picture for you?" Unless that person is with a big group of people, say no. 'Cause they'll just start trying to sell you Philly maps, etc.

And the public transport isn't the best...I've been on more then enough of the rails that have broken down mid-trip. Just an FYI.

There's way more then I mentioned so I'm just going to list some places/things to do that I have liked, loved, or at least visited:

Jeweler's Row
The Historic District
Rittenhouse Square
Society Hill
Elfreth's Alley (And if you were/are a big Real World fan...the Real World-Philadelphia house is not too far from here. Also if you don't care at all about reality TV you can visit the Betsy Ross house..which I've been to at least 6 times).
Get a street pretzel!
Try a cheese steak. You can either experience the competition between Pat's and Geno's or go to another place without all the hype. Either way...it's something Philly's famous for, so give it a go.
Water Ice (no, it's not a glass of ice water...it's a delicious treat known more commonly around the country as Italian Ice).

OK, I'll stop rambling about this city. It's incredible...and there's lots of cool small towns that surround it too. Again, if you're a history buff/nerd/geek you're not to far away from Fort Washington either. But basically, you're not going to run out of things to do!