A historic day trip to Philadelphia

America’s birthplace beckons

Philadelphia has history, culture, fantastic food and a NY Mets nemesis

by Michael Gannon

Senior News Editor

Just about 95 miles and a little over two hours away by car is the place that brought America independence and Rocky Balboa, and invented the cheesesteak.

Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, has history, museums of art and science and Penn’s Landing, its own answer to the South Street Seaport, on the Delaware river.

It makes a great place for a road trip, and you can even catch the Mets there seven times this year. Information on the following attractions and more is available online at visitphilly.com. A representative of visitphilly. com told the Chronicle that the city does not have any mandatory Covid protocols in effect. Masks are optional in most places.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell

The birthplace of the United States, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed, is on Chestnut Street. Built in 1732, it also is the place where George Washington was appointed to head the Continental Army in 1775.

It is operated by the U.S. National Park Service, as is the Liberty Bell Center in the park just across the street. Independence Hall visits are by tour only, with reservations available between 9 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. Free timed tickets can be reserved for a $1-per-ticket fee at recreation.gov or by calling 1 (877) 444-6777 from 10 a.m. to midnight. The Liberty Bell Center is at 526 Market St. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.

First American flag

The Betsy Ross House, at 239 Arch St., is where Ross sewed the first 13-star American flag. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Self-guided tours are $8 for adults and $6 for children, students, seniors and members of the military. Audio tours are $10 and $8.

The house is nearly 300 years old, and the website historicphiladelphia.org states its narrow, winding stairs are not accessible to strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, or motorized scooters. For guests with mobility issues, the museum offers a “first-floor tour,” which includes some walking and two steps up and down. The courtyard, including Ross’ grave and a seasonal garden, the museum store and exhibition gallery, gift shop and restrooms are accessible. For those who cannot tour the house due to mobility challenges, Betsy will come out and visit if she is available. More information is available by phone at (215) 629-4026 or by email at visitorservices@historicphiladelphia.org.

A Founding Father

The gravesite of Benjamin Franklin, the scientist, statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence, is in the Christ Church Burial Ground on Arch Street, two blocks west of the Betsy Ross House. It is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.

The arts, Rocky and Harry

Moviegoers are familiar with the montage of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa training in the streets of Philadelphia, ending with a sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. far to the west of the historic district. One can pose with a bronze statue of Sylvester Stallone’s Hollywood heavyweight outside the museum before heading up the steps and checking out the works inside.

The collection includes works of some of history’s most acclaimed artists, including Edouard Manet, Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens, Paul Cézanne, Georgia O’Keefe and Auguste Rodin.

Hours are Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults; $23 for seniors 65 and over; $14 for students with valid ID; $12 for guests of members; and free for members and those 18 and under. Advance tickets are recommended, and can be bought online at philamuseum.org/visit.

Three blocks away at 2151 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. are more works of the French sculptor Rodin (1840-1917) at the Rodin Museum. It is open Friday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults; $11 for seniors 65 and over; $7 for students with valid ID; and free for members and those 18 and under. Two-day tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased at rodinmuseum.org/visit.

Back at 222 North 20 St., the Franklin Institute Science Museum is dedicated to science, technology and discovery. It has a planetarium, an observatory and numerous educational programs.

A special attraction going on now is “Harry Potter: The Exhibition,” an interactive and immersive experience incorporating modern technology on a journey to Hogwarts and its surrounding environs.

The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., while “Harry Potter: The Exhibition is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Last entry to the exhibition is 6:30 p.m.

General admission tickets not including the Harry Potter exhibit are $23 for adults and $11 for children 3 to 11. Combination tickets for general admission and “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” are $43 for adults; $39 for children; and $41 for seniors and members of the military from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last exhibit entry at 3:30 p.m.; and $30 to visit the exhibition from 5 to 8 p.m., which does not include the normal museum general admission). VIP tickets are $59. Tickets and information are available online at fi.edu.

Congregation Mikveh Israel, founded in Philadelphia in 1740, was known as “the synagogue of the American Revolution.” The founders’ descendants in 1976 founded the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, located at 101 South Independence Mall East, just up the block and across the street from the Liberty Bell Center. The galleries are temporarily closed, but the museum’s collection and exhibits can be seen in a virtual tour online at theweitzman.org/visit.

Visitors to Philadelphia flock to the Liberty Bell Center, across the street from Independence Hall. Admission is free. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Food and recreation

The City of Brotherly Love also loves and prides itself on the five-star dining delicacy known as the cheesesteak, in which beef can be combined with chopped peppers, onions and maybe mushrooms on a long roll and transformed into a religious experience augmented with one’s choice of cheese.

Among most noted locations, in no particular order, are: • Pat’s King of Steaks, billing itself as inventor, at 1237 E. Passyunk Ave.; • Geno’s Steaks, billing itself as the best in Philly, at 1219 South 9th St.; • Joe’s Cheesesteaks + Soda Shop, billing itself as having perfected the cheesesteak, at 1 W. Girard Ave. in Fishtown and 6030 Torresdale Ave. in Torresdale; and • Sonny’s Famous Cheesesteaks, billed by GQ Magazine as the best in the city, at 228 Market St.

Back at 1136 Arch St., #400 is the famed Reading Terminal Market where one can find an eclectic assortment of fresh or prepared produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, sitdown dining and more. Details are available at readingterminalmarket.org.

Penn’s Landing is named in honor of William Penn’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1682. It offers parks, recreation, entertainment, cultural offerings and fine dining year ’round on the west bank of the Delaware River. Details are available at visitphilly.com.

Play ball

Unable to make the Philadelphia Phillies’ visit to Citi Field April 29 to May 1 and want to add a road trip aspect to a Mets game with a heated rival in the National League East?

The Amazin’s play at PNC Park on May 5, 6, 7 and 8; and again on Aug. 19, 20 and 21.