Guest post by Megan G. 

A Quick Introduction:

I’ve known Aileen for almost 22 years. Since graduation, I’ve lived in 5 different cities in 2 countries.  I work in the public service sector, so I have to be cost-conscious to afford extensive travel on a limited salary.  A recent relocation to New York City has opened a new world of possibilities for budget-friendly adventuring.

To celebrate MLK weekend 2020, I booked a trip to Philadelphia, PA. I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable the city was; so many of the attractions are free, and most of the others offered discounts.

Day 1:

I took Megabus down from NYC in the morning. The round-trip ticket cost $15, and the drive down lasted just under 2 hours. Now, I’m not a bus person. At all. I’ve had some bad experiences (bus crash, violent passenger, but hitting an old lady, etc), but I used Megabus when I lived on a very limited budget in Europe, so I have some trust in them.  Their rates fluctuate, starting as low as $1, which makes them very budget-friendly, and their presence in the US is expanding. If buses aren’t within your comfort zone, you could also take a train or fly into Philadelphia, obviously for more money. 

Once I arrived in Philly, I hit the ground running.  Philadelphia has a metro system, but I wanted an immersive experience, so I walked everywhere.  The downtown core isn’t too big, so using SEPTA wasn’t necessary. I explored the cute historic streets south of Market, which looked especially quaint in the light snowfall, then headed to Reading Terminal Market for lunch. 

Reading Terminal Market:

This is an indoor food hall located underneath the 1893 train station. The historic market, also hailing from 1893, houses over 80 merchants, from small goods shops to food counters to bakeries, butchers and grocers.  With so many dining options, there is something for every palate. Seating inside the market is limited, so after I purchased my food, I snagged a standing table in a back corner and watched the Chinese New Year parade while I ate.  After lunch, I wandered west. 

City Hall

The next stop was city hall, a Parisian style building in Center City with an internal courtyard containing an elaborate compass inlay, complete with a map of Penn’s original plan for the layout of Philadelphia, and a statue of William Penn on top of the clock tower.  When they constructed City Hall, there was a gentleman’s agreement that they would build nothing in Philadelphia taller than the statue. After they broke this informal agreement in the 1980s, Philadelphia sports teams suffered turmoil. After placed on top of the new, taller building, a statue of Penn allowed it to lift the sports curse too. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the west side of town.

Dilworth Park

I visited Dilsworth Park which during the holidays is home to a Christmas Market, but at this point in January, contained an ice skating rink and a warming hut. Then I walked down to Rittenhouse Square and the surrounding neighborhood, where you’ll find high-end stores like Apple and Tiffany’s and more expensive restaurants.

LOVE Park

Perhaps the most underwhelming spot in Philadelphia was the famous LOVE Park. Having seen photographs of the LOVE letters for years, I expected them to be 12ft tall and the centerpiece of the park.  Instead, I found that they were about 4ft tall and set on top of a silver metal frame you could stand inside of for a photo. It was disappointing.

Rocky Steps and Statue

From LOVE Park, I made my way to the Rocky Steps and Statue. (Spoiler: I haven’t seen the movie, so the steps and the statue didn’t mean much to me). Along the way, I passed the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I’m not much of a museum person, so I forwent visiting any of these, but I thought the animatronic dinosaurs wearing scarves and legwarmers in front of the science museum were hysterical.

I finished out the day by having dinner at Reading Terminal Market again (so many delicious options) and checking into my hotel. I got a great deal at the Philadelphia 201 by being a Marriott Rewards member (free) and using my AAA card for a reduced rate. 

Day 2:

I spent Sunday in the old town section of the city visiting all the historic sites. After walking through Chinatown, I arrived at Independence Visitor Center, which contains a small museum exhibit, Hershey store, and a gift shop.  Next, I visited the “ruins” of the original Presidential House. I didn’t think the signage at the actual site was very good; I didn’t realize it was the 1700s equivalent of the White House until seeing signage elsewhere later in the day. Maybe I just missed the placards; who knows? 

Liberty Bell

I then went to see the Liberty Bell, and its accompanying exhibits. Much more my speed museum-wise, although the Bell created in Europe, it arrived damaged, thus John Pass and John Stow made a mold of it, melted it down, and re-cast it with the addition of their names. When it first cracked years later, it was repaired and worked as good as new for many more years.  The final cracking occurred during George Washington’s birthday celebration, rendering the Bell mute forevermore.

Independence Hall:

After seeing the Bell, I crossed the street and got in line for Independence Hall, the Bell’s original home.  The grounds at Independence Hall include the locations where the Declaration of Independence was penned, the halls where the Continental Congress lived, and where Congress and the Supreme Court met pre-Washington DC. They limited the official tour to Independence Hall, but rangers were available in the other rooms and buildings to explain their history and answer questions.  I opted not to visit the National Constitution Center a few blocks away because I ran out of time, but they were advertising discounted tickets on their website. 

Afternoon Activities 

Ravenous I went to lunch at Campos for the obligatory Philly Cheesesteak; it was delicious.  Afterward, I walked up to Elfreth’s Alley, an Instagram worthy block dating back to the 1600s, then visited the Betsy Ross House. I used a student ID to get 50% off my admission.  I loved seeing the replica of the original flag they had in Betsy’s room and got a good laugh out of the 2 actors staged in the house who were attempting to speak in a British accent, but only succeeding on every 3rd word. Not sure it’d be worth the full price of admission, but 50% off was a decent value.

Besides the aforementioned places, I also stopped by Ben Franklin’s Grave, (you can see it from the street, so don’t bother paying for admission), Christ Church, the Second Bank of the United States, and the American Philosophical Society. I was looking forward to visiting the US Mint (money!), so it deflated me to learn that it is closed on the weekends and for MLK.

Shortly before sunset, I crossed back to the other side of town for One Liberty Observation Deck.  This is my favorite time of day to go to viewing platforms because you can get the best of all worlds: daytime photos, picturesque sunsets, and twinkly night lights. My admission ticket was half price because I bought it during the Ben Franklin birthday promo. This might be the most consumer-friendly deal ever. I can redeem purchase a ticket on January 17 for half price until December 30 of that same year. Then, it is good for another year from redemption date, so you can buy a ticket for almost 2 years in advance, giving you all the flexibility you could need on a visitation date.

Dinner: 

For dinner on Sunday, I took advantage of Philadelphia Restaurant Week, $35 for a 3-course meal.  I ate at Red Owl Tavern, and while it wasn’t bad, it also wasn’t the greatest.  They had a new salad chef who forgot half the ingredients in my salad (how does that happen?), and the restaurant just kinda shrugged when I brought it to their attention.  My entrée was decent, and I enjoyed my dessert.

Day 3:

Ben Franklin Museum

 The Ben Franklin Museum was free for MLK Day, so that was my first stop of the morning.  The museum was just big enough to be comprehensive, not so large that I got bored.  Outside were a couple other Ben Franklin related sites to see. Things like the ruins of his old house, and the post office out front. 

City Tavern

I also walked by City Tavern, a restaurant from colonial times that maintains that authentic, period-style in its recipes, ambiance, and wait-staff attire.  Many of the Founding Fathers and other prominent historical figures ate here back in the day. Although I did not dine here on this trip, I did on a quick overnight about 5 years ago. It’s worth the splurge for the experience of joining history.

McGillin’s Olde Ale House 

The highlight of this trip for me was having lunch at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, the oldest bar in Philly. It’s been open since 1860, and plenty of important figures have graced this tavern. The bar even has every liquor license from 1860 onward hanging on the wall. A reasonably priced menu and every patron gets a complimentary self-serve bowl of the soup of the day. This continues the tradition started during Prohibition where the owners gave a free baked potato to every customer. I ate another cheesesteak and ordered an adult beverage. Who goes to the oldest bar and doesn’t get a drink?

I wrapped up my visit by checking out of the hotel and catching my bus back to NYC.