On urban travel: Philadelphia Faces

The Signer / Commemorates the spirits and 
deeds of all who devoted their lives
 to the cause of American freedom. 

In October 1682, the Quaker William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia between the banks of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers in the English Crown Province of Pennsylvania. Within a century, Penn’s “greene countrie town” in eastern Pennsylvania became one of the largest cities in the British Empire with 25,000 inhabitants. By 1790, the year in which the federal capital moved to Philadelphia, the city’s population exceeded 44,000.

Second Bank of the U.S.

Among the positives of Philadelphia’s rapid 18th century growth, which included the creation of many broad avenues and large city blocks, one need only look at the addition of many languages and cultures to the city’s streets (north-south streets are numbered while east-west streets are named). I learned through a recent visit to the Portrait Gallery at the Second Bank of the U.S. in Philadelphia’s historic Old City district that Europeans throughout the Western world arrived here “to be able to worship freely, to lobby political leaders,” and “to pursue economic gain.” Also, “other cultures brought by free blacks from the Caribbean and enslaved Africans transported across the Atlantic added to Philadelphia’s cosmopolitan character and bustling economy.”

Meanwhile, Philadelphians also experienced many of the same challenges that a young American nation faced, too. As a city, Philadelphia was trying to transform from being a colonial outpost into an independent nation. “Personal experience with the political, economic, and cultural changes sweeping America after the Revolution made life for Philadelphians a mixture of tradition and innovation.”

Benjamin Franklin

Walk about the city – especially in Independence National Historic Park (which includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall) and in the Old City – and you’ll see that Philadelphia is Benjamin Franklin’s city. He was the city’s favorite son as well as an innovator and a difference maker.

Franklin’s likeness is found on banners and especially in paintings and sculptures. Beyond, the football stadium on the Ivy League campus of the University of Pennsylvania is named Franklin Field.

Franklin (1706-1790), I learned, was a “true son of the Enlightenment – a self-educated, runaway apprentice who translated his skill as a printer into a prosperous business.”

Although Franklin portrayed himself as a self-made man, in truth he benefited from the assists of many en route to achieving prosperity. In return, Franklin founded many organizations, including the Leather Apron Club and the Library Company of Philadelphia to benefit others. “His civic contributions improved safety, education, and health care in Philadelphia.”

Walking in Rittenhouse Square

During our brief stay in Philadelphia, we enjoyed a pre-dinner stroll through Rittenhouse Square, which at 7 o’clock on a Friday evening was lively with a mixture of millennials, families with dogs, and tourists snapping photographs of the many sculptures that dot the landscape. Of note, on the western side of the square is the Romanesque-style Church of the Holy Trinity, an Episcopal church designed by the Scottish architect John Notman. The first service was held there on March 27, 1859. Afterward, we enjoyed a sausage pizza and glass of wine at Pietro’s (1714 Walnut St.) that was followed by dessert at Capogiro Gelato Artisans (117 S. 20th St.).

On Saturday, we walked from the Hotel Palomar (117 S. 17th St.) to the lively Reading Terminal Market (corner of Market and N. 12th St.) for breakfast crepes at Profi’s Crêperie and a sinfully delicious maple bacon doughnut from Beiler’s Bakery followed by a walk around Independence Square. Later, we rode the Broad Street SEPTA train to Citizens Bank Ballpark to enjoy an afternoon Phillies-Mets baseball game. A quiet Saturday evening dinner at Le Pain Quotidien (1425 Walnut St.), a favorite of ours wherever we travel, was a nice way to relax after the ballgame. A steady, Sunday morning rain after breakfast kept us inside our hotel until it was time to return to the 30th Street Amtrak Station for our trip home.

Citizens Bank Ballpark

Today, the “city of Brotherly Love” (and sisterly affection) is an exceptional cultural and business center, easily accessible by Amtrak train (about two hours north of Washington, D.C., and 1.5 hours south from New York City’s Penn Station).

From Fairmount Park, home to major museums and sculpture gardens, the Philadelphia Zoo and 215 miles of biking and jogging paths, to South Philly, home to Philadelphia’s professional sports teams at Citizens Bank Ballpark (Phillies), Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles) and Well Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers), Philadelphia is a city where independent thinking – and free expression – is both revered and celebrated.

Photos: By Michael Dickens © 2018.