We had a free hotel night that was about to expire (it was from an SPG stay one night get one free promotion in 2013). With no time to travel anywhere far and only one night to spare, we decided to use it at the Westin Philadelphia, which is within easy driving distance for us. As one who has lived for a good portion of 40 years in the surrounding area, having attended both college and graduate school in the city, I don’t think I ever fully appreciated it until I had kids of my own to schlep around to all of the wonderful sites to see in Philly.
On this weekend trip we went to the Franklin Institute, did the Philadelphia Trolley Tour, walked around Chinatown, visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and ate too much food.
We have been to the Franklin Institute many times, but this time we were going for the temporary Pompeii exhibit. My son is studying this ancient culture in school, so this was a great opportunity for some hands-on learning. That is the best thing about the Franklin Institute. The kids (and adults) are learning without even realizing it. There are many exhibits focusing on science (physics, biology, earth science & all the other things that sound really boring but are actually very interesting in this environment). You can walk through a giant heart, see an IMAX or 3D movie, fly airplanes & go inside a train. A family favorite is the Sports Challenge area where as you ” test your athletic prowess throughout the state-of-the-art sports challenges, you will also be learning about the physics, physiology, and material science that is a major part of all your favorite sports. Once you understand the role science plays in your favorite sports, you can be on your way to becoming a better athlete.”
While we were at the Franklin Institute, a kind stranger approached and gave us the unused portion of 4 CityPass books. I was psyched because you know how I like free stuff! One of the attractions they had not used was the Philadelphia Trolley Works/Big Bus Tours. We decided to use these tickets, and were so glad that we did! I love taking an overall tour in a new city to get a lay of the land, but it turned out to be just as useful for a city where I have been countless times and have even lived! It is nice to get the tour guides’ commentary on familiar places, and even to find some new places to see.
I mean, it’s THE Liberty Bell, so I shouldn’t have to do too much describing here, right? Other than the fact that the kids were very interested to find out how it became cracked & the answer is pretty anticlimactic. But another good hands-on learning experience.
“Independence Hall is the birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building.” Wow, that’s pretty cool. I admit it took me about 40 years to really find this to be interesting (I’ve never been a huge history buff), but taking the (free!) tour and seeing the actual chair where George Washington sat kind of gave me chills.
5. Chinatown
We, as a family, are strangely really into Chinatowns. There is just something about the vibe, architecture, cheap stores, and food. This is our 3rd Chinatown visit (others were New York and San Francisco) in 6 months. We ate at a great restaurant at the suggestion of a friend & tried a red bean bun (much better than it sounds) at the suggestion of the tour guide.
There are tons of places to choose from…these are the ones we tried this time -
1. Max Brenner – it’s a restaurant based on chocolate. ‘Nuf said. We went for dessert.
2. 500 degrees burger – I’m told the burgers were great. They have truffle fries and a vegetarian mushroom burger, so we were all happy.
3. Federal Donuts – They looked better than they tasted.
4. Vietnam Restaurant – So. Good. And good vegetarian/pescatarian choices.
5. Franklin Foodworks – the cafeteria style restaurant in the Franklin Institute. Not bad for this type of restaurant & they did have decent salads.
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