Philadelphia Tour
16th August 2009
July 2009 saw my second trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have to say that the flight out was smooth and uneventful, unlike last year when there was strong turbulence due to very stormy weather conditions. The flight staff had never experienced it so rough, and many passengers were feeling at least a little queasy. At least we didn’t have to be diverted and wait to refuel this time. Another difference during this visit was that there was also some time to have a better look around the city.
One evening saw us head out to the Victor Cafe. This restaurant, which is slightly out of the central area (at 1303 Dickinson), has a long history, and is a rather different experience. All the waiters and waitresses are accomplished singers. Every twenty minutes or so a small bell is rung and a member of staff sings something from an opera (usually) or a musical. If it’s your birthday, they’ll sing Happy Birthday and bring in a cake topped with a lighted sparkler. All this would be nothing if the food wasn’t good, and I’m happy to say that it was very good! The restaurant is the location used in the Sylvester Stallone film Rocky Balboa (released in 2006).
The week had been hectic with little time to fully relax, and so by the Friday evening a group of us headed out to the Piano Bar on 20th and Arch Street. It’s a small venue by any standard, though that really helps the atmosphere. A different pianist each night plays and sings request, with the customers often joining in and sometimes dancing too. The bar closed at 1 am, so it was time for some of us to walk the several blocks back to the hotel on 17th, while the others took a cab as they were across town.
I describe this situation, because at this point nothing had been decided as to what to do the following day. It all just came together. I’d had light breakfast, not particularly early and had decided to take the open top bus tour around the city. I was half way through sorting this with the concierge in the lobby when D made a timely appearance. With the concierge on one phone and, by way of a four way conversation involving the other members of our group on another, we all arranged to meet up at our hotel and the pick up for the tour. Sounds a little crazy but it worked!
With an hour or so to kill, we headed into the diner across the road. Breakfasts all round, though I made this an ‘early lunch’. D ordered not only a breakfast (bacon, eggs, fried potato and two slices of toast) but a burger too. Now, this being the land of the big portion, even the waitress was rather concerned at this. Imagine her surprise when it was all eaten up.
Our pick up arrived and we were ferried down to the start of the tour near the Liberty Bell. The tour takes in all the main attractions of Philadelphia, and some of the lesser known ones too. The guide provides plenty of information in a running commentary. It’s a hop on hop off tour, so when you reach a point you want to explore, off you get. It’s a very good introduction to the city, and worth spending some time on. It helps you plan where you’d like to go and perhaps more importantly gives a good appreciation of where all the locations are with respect to each other.
It wasn’t until later that I realised there was something odd about the bus. It was right hand drive, something I wouldn’t think about when getting on a bus in the UK. It’s perhaps strange to think how quickly you can forget something with which you’re familiar. Or maybe it’s because you don’t expect it in that situation. In fact I had the same odd sensation looking at a tour bus outside Washington DC rail station – it took a few seconds or more to work out what wasn’t ‘quite right’ about it!
Our stop was at the Art Museum which, to many a Philadelphia resident, many outsiders refer to with some reference to Rocky. Indeed, the Rocky statue is nearby, and T-shirts are on sale, but that’s more or less it. We wandered back from the museum to the centre of the city. Two of our number caught a cab as they had an early evening flight to catch. The rest of us headed to a bar and had a couple of drinks before rejoining the bus tour. Not before a bit of drama. D just happened to let go of his bus ticket. A gust of wind carried it down the remainder of the block. It hung in the air at the crossing and T almost caught up with it before another gust of wind took it up several storeys in the air and up the middle of 15th street. Just as we gave up hope of finishing the tour and resigning our afternoon to time spent in the bar, the ticket wafted down, right towards T, just a stone’s throw from the bus stop. It doesn’t just happen in the movies!
We finished the tour and decided to walk the 15 blocks back to the centre. This didn’t take too long at all, and gave us chance to have a better look at the city from ground level.
Philadelphia is reportedly one of the top crime spots in the US. However, I was the only one of us three who noticed a guy being arrested as we walked past on the sidewalk. Shooting from the hip, photojournalist style, I caught the moment!
This was the hottest and most humid week of the year so far, so it was good to get back, have a cold drink and a shower, meet up with some more people and head out for an evening meal.
I can recommend the bison burger!
