Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Philadelphia Bucket List

So to make the most of my somewhat short time in Philly, I'm going to make a list of all of the MUST DO things in Philly!  Suggestions are appreciated :)


  • Go on a walking tour of Philly, at least the historic area.  And go on my own running tour of Philly.
  • Do the "Rocky" run
  • Visit the rare book department of Philadelphia's Free Library (yes, I'm a nerd.)
  • Independence National Park (duh.) - We've actually already been, but it was at night, so I'd hopefully like to make it over there sometime during the day.
  • Eat a Philly pretzel:
Philadelphia's most famous snack is the salted soft pretzel, which, while shaped with the three holes like soft pretzels everywhere else, are distinctive in that they are flattened into a wide rectangle and are made in long chains in which the wide sides of the pretzels are attached. A person may typically buy two, three, or more attached pretzels at a convenience store or from a street vendor. The price is low, especially compared to national vendor brands sold in other cities and in malls. Unlike pretzels served in many other cities, Philly pretzels are not served hot, but at room temperature and often eaten with mustard.

Art:

(deserves its own section, of course.)

I of course want to visit all of the amazing museums in Philly, but also, according to WikiTravel, Philly has the largest amount of public art in the Nation.  According to the all-knowing wiki authors, 
"The Clothespin" is a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg that resembles a clothespin located just across from City Hall on West Market St. LOVE Park, serving as a terminus between City Hall and the museum-laden Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., features a famous LOVE statue that has come to represent the brotherly love that Philadelphia was founded on. The site once was the city's (and perhaps the nation's) most popular skating attraction until new legislation and remodeling efforts outlawed skating in the park. Just across the JFK Blvd. from City Hall at the Municipal Services Building, visitors can find many larger than life game pieces from popular board games as well as a statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo.
I've seen the giant game pieces on some of my runs, but I definitely want to be able to take some pics of these things, so this will probs be part of my walking tour.  

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