Vacation in Philadelphia
Go World Travel is reader supported and may earn a commission on purchases made through the links in this article.
Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is the birthplace of American democracy. Filled with colonial history, rich in art and culture, the City of Brotherly Love is an ideal tourist destination.
Spring, early summer, and fall would be the best time to visit with perfect weather, parks full of cherry blossoms, and fewer crowds.
Combine it with a trip to the surrounding countryside for a splendid holiday.
Philadelphia was founded by William Penn, a Quaker, after he reached North America in 1682 and established the colony of Pennsylvania. Penn's goal was to establish a peaceful community without persecution based on Quaker ideals.
His urban planning ideas of a grid with public plazas in each quadrant became the basis for many future American cities. Our hotel faced Rittenhouse Square, one of four green spaces designed by Penn some 350 years ago.
Interestingly enough, the first change to Penn's plan came with the construction of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 1917 when Paul Philippe Cret and Jacques Greber began creating the tree-lined boulevard following the City movement Beautiful, rooted in the Beaux Arts style. from France.
And so I enjoyed the distinctive Parisian feel of walking down the Champs-Élysées as my husband and I strolled along the promenade on a beautiful spring morning. We passed sculptural fountains, monuments and Beaux-Arts style buildings as we strolled along the leafy path.
Philadelphia's Free Library, built in the classic French Louis XV style of the buildings along Place de la Concorde in Paris, was well worth admiring.
We were heading towards Philadelphia City Hall, a lavishly glorious marvel, reminiscent of a wedding cake that can stop you in your tracks. Constructed from white marble, brick and limestone, it is the largest freestanding masonry building in the world.
The Second French Empire Baroque-style building with approximately 700 rooms that occupies the center of Penn's 1682 town plan, was also the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1894.
Upon arriving, we followed other visitors and looked up to see the bronze statue of Penn adorning the top of the clock tower.
Sculptures abound in City Hall, over 250 to be exact and all built by Alexander Milne Calder, the grandfather of the famous 20th century sculptor Alexander Calder.
Looking for...
Go World Travel is reader supported and may earn a commission on purchases made through the links in this article.
Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is the birthplace of American democracy. Filled with colonial history, rich in art and culture, the City of Brotherly Love is an ideal tourist destination.
Spring, early summer, and fall would be the best time to visit with perfect weather, parks full of cherry blossoms, and fewer crowds.
Combine it with a trip to the surrounding countryside for a splendid holiday.
Philadelphia was founded by William Penn, a Quaker, after he reached North America in 1682 and established the colony of Pennsylvania. Penn's goal was to establish a peaceful community without persecution based on Quaker ideals.
His urban planning ideas of a grid with public plazas in each quadrant became the basis for many future American cities. Our hotel faced Rittenhouse Square, one of four green spaces designed by Penn some 350 years ago.
Interestingly enough, the first change to Penn's plan came with the construction of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 1917 when Paul Philippe Cret and Jacques Greber began creating the tree-lined boulevard following the City movement Beautiful, rooted in the Beaux Arts style. from France.
And so I enjoyed the distinctive Parisian feel of walking down the Champs-Élysées as my husband and I strolled along the promenade on a beautiful spring morning. We passed sculptural fountains, monuments and Beaux-Arts style buildings as we strolled along the leafy path.
Philadelphia's Free Library, built in the classic French Louis XV style of the buildings along Place de la Concorde in Paris, was well worth admiring.
We were heading towards Philadelphia City Hall, a lavishly glorious marvel, reminiscent of a wedding cake that can stop you in your tracks. Constructed from white marble, brick and limestone, it is the largest freestanding masonry building in the world.
The Second French Empire Baroque-style building with approximately 700 rooms that occupies the center of Penn's 1682 town plan, was also the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1894.
Upon arriving, we followed other visitors and looked up to see the bronze statue of Penn adorning the top of the clock tower.
Sculptures abound in City Hall, over 250 to be exact and all built by Alexander Milne Calder, the grandfather of the famous 20th century sculptor Alexander Calder.
Looking for...
What's Your Reaction?
