“I’m not a fan of nationalism or heavy patriotism, as it seems to overwhelm an area’s flavor. But I adore places where people deeply love their cities.” – Old Sean
Parks of Philly
After spending a brief time resting with friends and playing in the snow in Baltimore, further north I go.
After the roads had been cleared from sleet and the last slicks of water had dried away, I took my rental car north, visiting Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is among my favorite US cities, along with Boulder CO, Austin TX and Chicago IL for reasons I’ve never quite understood. There are many others I enjoy greatly, such as New Orleans, Omaha and Santa Fe, but Philly remains prominent for me along the East Coast.
Once I arrived, I spent a long time wandering the various parks. The weather was crisp with winter and golden with dawn. I walked through Belmont Plateau, Wissahickon Valley Park and finally, I crossed the Schuylkill River to spend a couple more hours in Fairmont Park.
These walks were spent demolishing a pair of Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Yet unsated, I smothered a pretzel in a hazardous amount of mustard and chomped that down as well.
The parks had an enormous range of activities, aside from stuffing my face. I quietly strolled through Laurel Hill Cemetery, passed the park’s Historic Mansions, lurked past the worn ruins known as The Cliffs, browsed the Underground Railroad Museum, tossed bread into water for ducks near the Fairmount Water Works and finally spent a gradual hour in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I was tempted to attend The Franklin Institute as well, but I decided time was against me.
Downtown Philly
Since Philly isn’t the best city for driving, I decided to leave my car near the park area before summoning public transportation to visit the interior of the city. I probably could’ve walked, but I felt like I’d racked up plenty of footsteps for the day.
This small loop through the downtown area was less entertaining, as my energy had been rapidly depleted by my earlier long walks.
As I gradually moved towards the downtown area, I began wrinkling my nose slightly. Philadelphia in the winter had a faint, vaguely chemical scent upon the air.
However, once I was in the city’s center, I rapidly attended various landmarks. I snapped a couple photos in Love Park, spent a few minutes gazing at Philadelphia City Hall, hunted around the Masonic Temple and gazed at the startling beautiful The Union League of Philadelphia building.
From here, I quietly walked to several of the highly touristic areas. A chill was rising, so there were virtually no crowds as I dodged traffic and pattered through parks.
Starting in Washington Square, I slowly worked my way north past Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell and Franklin Square. For my entire walk, I continued to listen to a long podcast about the American Revolution.
The journey was oddly peaceful. I felt largely disconnected during my meanderings. The only exception to this was when a squirrel ambushed me by springing free from a trash can. Though I’m certain the critter was hoping for a clean assassination-by-heart-attack, I survived easily enough and carried on.
Front Seat Snooze
Sadly, that about completed my time visiting Philadelphia. Because so many attractions exist in high concentration, I didn’t need to range far for work.. All the tourist sites are in walking distance of one another.
Once I completed a somewhat hasty interview, I went back to my rental car. From there, I didn’t linger in Philadelphia, but began driving North once more.
My net stop is the most iconic city of the United States, dominating an entire genre of media. In a few hours, I plan to pull off the highway and snooze in my car. Tomorrow morning, I’m taking the ferry from Staten Island to New York City.
While I’ve been to New York plenty of times thorughout life, this visit will be one of my speediest journeys.
So until my New York Tourism speed run,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written January 15th 2019
Read more about visiting Philadelphia and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.
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