Whenever I am with my partner at his home on the East Coast, I also like to get some time in a city. Washington, D.C., is one of my favourite places to spend the day. But at some point, I realised that Philadelphia is also only a relatively short train ride away. So, shortly before Christmas, I decided to go on a little trip and visit the city where the US-American Constitution was born, and which is the home of the famous Liberty Bell. I booked two nights in Philadelphia and got tickets with Amtrak via Baltimore.
Philadelphia, or Philly, has 1,6 million people and is the sixth most populous city in the United States. It was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker, and was a central place for the Founding Fathers during the Revolutionary War. It served as the nation’s first capital from May 1775 until December 1776 and on for subsequent occasions until 1800, when the construction of Washington, D.C., was completed. The city still extensively influences business, industry, culture, and sports. Also, it is one of the nation’s leading centres for higher education and academic research.
My partner dropped me off at the train station close to Baltimore Airport in the evening, and I arrived after nightfall in Philadelphia. I did not really think about the time of day much as walking around in Auckland, where I currently live, feels safe after nightfall. Philadelphia not so much, especially not the public transit system, as no one at their right mind unfortunately uses public trains and buses in the US. However, it is interesting how quickly you can adapt to a place – in my case, Auckland – and how fast you are scared in not-so-safe environments again. Anyway, I safely got to my accommodation: I booked a hotel in the Gayboorhood, a hip and lively district in the city center, within walking distance to the Liberty Bell and the Museum of Modern Art. I was pretty happy with my choice and looked forward to the next day.
It started with nice, clear, and crisp winter weather: perfect for walking around and exploring. I made it to the Liberty Bell shortly after they opened for the day. I didn’t think about it, that no one was around. But the security people at the bell told me I am a lucky visitor: usually, you’d have to wait in line for at least 30 minutes to see the bell. I thanked the cold weather and timing, as it is only very shortly before Christmas and a typical workday.
The so-called Liberty Bell rang for the first time on July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Since then, it has been a symbol of democracy and peace.
After that, I wandered towards Independence Hall. This is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of the United States. It felt quite significant to stand at the very location where two so essential and foundational documents for the nation were born. In December 2024, the country voted, but the world did not know what would come.
As the whole location is of national historical significance (Independence National Historical Park), National Park Rangers help to guide people around and inform them about the US-American history. As I was still almost the only tourist around, I conversed with a ranger who appeared to have been to Germany and Finland often to visit Heavy Metal and Gothic Rock Festivals. He knew all these small underground bars in Erfurt, a city where I lived for many years, and also went a couple of times to the famous Wave & Gothic Festival in Leipzig. After 20 minutes of a very enthusiastic conversation, I headed on as I also wanted to visit a Philadelphia site of more pop cultural significance. But before that, I visited the grave of Sir Benjamin Franklin: he was one of the Founding Fathers, the 6th president of the US, a writer, scientist, and political philosopher – a true intellectual and influential statesman of his time.
Eventually, I put foot on the steps leading towards the Museum of Art on a hill above the city. They became famous as Silvester Stallone ran up these steps in his role as Rocky Balboa. The city and the museum acknowledged this with a bronze statue of Rocky on top of the steps. This seems to be a popular destination for runners, as I have seen several running up the steps, celebrating themselves as Rocky did in the popular movie. Interestingly, the few tourists present are not necessarily at an age when people would expect to know the film. It indeed has pop cultural meaning.
On the way back to the city center, I came across a little Christmas Market, warmed myself up in a café, and strolled through some nice stationary stores (my favs!). After many kilometres through the city, lots of impressions and information later, I called it a day. What a lovely trip, it has been well worth doing.
