I made things a little difficult for him (and me). There was absolutely no way I was going to visit Philadelphia without running up Rocky Steps, but they were in the exact opposite direction from the other more traditional tourist sites. As a result, we walked 9 miles during our 10-hour excursion. Both of us tried not to look too exhausted, but by the end, neither of us could hide it.
The day started and ended with Amtrak. It is a two-hour ride on a sleek, comfortable train. The only complaint I had with the experience: it was over 30 minutes late on our return trip. The William H. Gray III 30th Street Station is an imposing and impressive building along the Schuylkill River.
So did I run the "Rocky Steps"? Absolutely. Did I pose at the top? Absolutely. It is a tourist thing to do, and I was a tourist. How can a movie buff go to Philadelphia without doing it at least once?
The Rocky Steps are actually part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. My tour guide highly recommended we pay $25 to walk through some of the exhibits. He was right (again). As much as I enjoyed the art, I was really taken aback by the exhibit rooms that combined the art, statues, and artifacts with authentic architecture and facades. I wandered through a medieval church, a Chinese palace hall, a Japanese teahouse, and a 16th-century Indian temple hall. It felt more interactive to see it in a period realism. I will need to go back and spend more than a few hours.
It was a hike to the other end of the city to check out the Independence National Historical Park. I loved the opportunity to visit America's most historic square mile. There were no more tickets available to tour Independence Hall, but I got to see Liberty Bell and spend time in Congress Hall. IT WAS SO COOL!
I have no idea where to find the best Philly Cheese Steak, but I figured I better have a good one before I returned home. We stopped by Sonny's Famous Steaks. I am not a big fan of the sandwich, but I liked it enough to recommend it.
I will be going back, so I didn't want to do all my deep exploration on the same day, but I did ask if we could walk past or through some areas so that I would be able to find them in the future. What did I see?
As you can see, it was a very busy day that would not have been possible without my personal tour guide. I can't thank him enough for taking the time to really show me around. He went above and beyond. I have still so much more to see and do, but this was a solid introduction that I will never forget.
Check out my Philadelphia Photo Album.
