It was the largest settlement in New England at the time of the American Revolution, so there is plenty of history. Elfreth’s Alley is the oldest street in America that is still continuously inhabited in its 18th century form. The Second Empire style city hall can be seen from the five streets that radiate from it, the most notable is Benjamin Franklin Parkway built in turn French boulevard format. The Macy’s next to city hall is home to the world’s largest pipe organ.
Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton both used to live there and their homes, although no longer standing, are clearly marked. Both the First Bank and the Second Bank of the United States are near Independence Hall, but the Second Bank closed after banking powers were distributed to the states for easier access to credit.
A lot of independence history happened in Philadelphia. Liberty Bell was rung when the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time. The declaration and the Bill of Rights was signed there. Washington, Lincoln, and Susan B. Anthony are just a few notable American figures who were inspired and inspired others about what America should be while they visited.
I want to compare Philadelphia’s tourism with New York City’s. Philadelphia is, without a doubt, catering to a more targeted set of travellers who know exactly what they want to see and what they want to do. Let’s start with art. Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, Museum of Art, and Rodin Museum have a much smaller gallery than the Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art and the Met in New York City; but Philadelphia has more notable collections. Besides, the crowds that MoMA and the Guggenheim draw are just crass social media-posting idiot Gen Zs who want to show how “cultured” they are by posting a photo of The Starry Night without really understanding Van Gogh’s insanity.
New York City museums, such as Spyscape and the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, don’t offer much learning, they’re money grabbing institutions that claim to offer an “experience” in return. In contrast, Philadelphia’s Weitzman Museum of Jewish American History and The Franklin Institute are true purveyors of knowledge and history. In other words, there’s nothing in a New York City museum that you can’t see elsewhere, but nowhere else will you be able to see the world’s first battery or 3D printed motorcycle other than in Philadelphia.
New York City has a lot of good food, much of it derived from international tastes that immigrants brought from their home cultures. I can’t think of anything in New York that is as iconic as the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. And, the cheesesteak sandwich is attributed to a particular store—Pat’s—which is still in business almost 100 years later with a rivalry against Geno’s across the street corner. New York City, with all its diversity, doesn’t have a single culinary icon to lean on that screams “It’s a New York Thing” like “It’s a Philly Thing.”
More movies and TV shows have been shot in Manhattan than have been filmed in all of Philadelphia, but people show up to Pat’s and the Philadelphia Museum of Art specifically for Rocky. When people see the Iconic steps, they think of Rocky. However, when people see the New York skyline, it could be the opening sequence to any number of shows.
People can go to New York City for a general experience, but Philadelphia is more my style.
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