For the second and final time this year, I am now on 'intersession' - that wonderful bliss period between one session of kids and the next. This time, I am in Philly with a group of 4 others. Including myself, we have two Brits, two Malaysians and an Australian. Just two hours south of New York City (and only $20 return on Megabus!) Philadelphia is pretty easy to get to from camp.
We are staying at the Apple Hostel in Philadelphia's Old City. It has been voted as one of the top 5 hostels in America, and it is easy to see why. With an ISIC (Student Card) and Hostelling International (or YHA if from the UK) membership, it cost me $72 for the two nights. On the first night we arrived, we were treated to a complementary pasta dinner. Given they were cooking en-masse, the pasta was actually pretty good! The hostel is also very modern, clean and very close to main attractions and the Megabus stop. 100% would recommend!
Free Pasta!
We started our day at the American Jewish Museum, after a recommendation from someone on camp. My morning was rounded off at the Independence hall - a key place in American history. This was both the place the Bill of Rights was signed, and housed the Senate and House of Representatives before its permanent move to Washington DC ten years later (with the whole city built specifically to house the Capitol and White House).
We had lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. We expected it to be a cheap place to be, but wasn't - as it was perhaps more touristy than we expected. Regardless, I opted for some cajun fries at a place called Beck's Cajun Cafe. These were basically fried potatoes, topped with jalapeños, onions, red peppers and Cajun spices - which tasted fantastic! One of my goals for intersession was to get some proper coffee - given the stuff on camp is dreadful. I visited a place at the market called Old Street Coffee. I opted for their Coffee of the Day - today a French style medium/dark roast. The coffee even came with tasting notes: full-bodied with hints of orange (which I could detect) and black pepper (which I couldn't), meaning I knew I was in for a good coffee. And was I right? I certainly was. And at just $2 a cup, it was also cheaper than Dunkin' and Starbucks - and tasted just fantastic! My final "foodie" (I am really not...) experience was the Philly Chesesteak. A local staple, the dish is essentially just a steak and cheese sandwich, but regardless was an experience, tasted pretty good and (unlike the deep fried Oreos) did not make me ill.
Late afternoon we visited the Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP). Closed in 1979, the Eastern State Penitentiary was one of America's first prisons and defined how most modern prisons, especially in Europe, are built and run today. The prison blocks were slightly intimidating - with long tunnels with cells on either side. The cells (some restored to their original condition) themselves were tiny and very basic - as you'd probably expect. ESP's most notable prisoner was Al Capone. His cell had been restored to show just how it was originally also. It was a stark contrast to the other cells - his was decked out in nice furniture, had more natural lighting and was far larger. Given he was supposedly one of America's most notorious criminals, this struck me as unusual - although I suppose it may well have been because of his 'nature' and 'connections' that he had that cell... There was also an exhibit on the breakdown of the American prison population which certainly shocked me. For every 100,000 white males in the USA, 600 are part of the prison population. This rises to 4300 if you are a black male - 6x the rate of the white male population. Make your own assumptions about that, but some still deny racism exists. ESP was certainly worth a visit, and was one of the highlights of the trip. Plus at $10 for students, it wasn't too prices either.
No trip to Philadelphia would be complete without a trip to the Rocky Steps. Like Times Square in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Leicester Square in London (but never ever go to MnMs World or Angus Stakehouse though), it just has to be done. So naturally we all posed for photos at his statue, ran up the steps and posed at the top. The next morning, we visited the other Philadelphia tourist trap - the Liberty Bell. If I'm honest, this was a bit underwhelming. Queued to get through security, got a photo, and went...
That feeling where you have now completed 2/3 sessions of campers
Both evenings were spent at Penn's Landing - the newly refurbished peers and waterfront area along the Delaware river. We stumbled upon this slightly by accident. It is very close to our hostel, and we came across it after going for a walk on the first night. Penn's Landing isn't too dissimilar to the South Bank in London - one of my favourite places in London - so I naturally fell in love with the place. Penn's Landing plays host to Summer Fest, featuring various food stalls, bars and attractions, including mini golf, arcade games and an outdoor cinema. The main thing we opted for was the roller rink. Like ice skating, which I do every winter in London, I am always a little surprised that I am actually any good at skating. Given I'm rather clumsy, have no balance and fall down the tent stairs most mornings, somehow putting a set of skates on me corrects all of those things. Penn's landing was definitely the unexpected highlight of the trip. It isn't quite living like a local, but neither the less this was great for getting a better feeling of what summer is like in the city.
Overall, my few nights in Philadelphia were fantastic. Despite not being here long, our group packed in a lot. We only had 5 of us - a far more manageable size than the 50+ in Jersey Shore. We all wanted to do this intensively and had similar interests, making the whole trip very enjoyable.
Need To Knows:
- Philadelphia is easily accessible from New York with Amtrak and NJ Transit Trains, and various buses running from NY. Megabus cost me just $20 return and took two hours.
- Apple Hostel is located in the Old City, and is five minutes from Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, the Liberty Bell and Megabus drop off. It costs approx $35/$40 per night (depending on dates) with a HI/YHA membership and an ISIC/IYIC and can be booked directly or via Hostelworld.
- Most attractions (such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell) falling under the National Parks and Monuments service are free, but require prebooking onto specific tour times.
- Other attractions cost. The Jewish Museum was $11, and Eastern State Penitentiary costing $10 (all student rates).
- Be warned that the Old City (Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, Liberty Bell etc) are about 2 miles from the Rocky Steps. It could be walked, or buses are $2.25 one way.
- All correct at time of writing.
