I spent the weekend in Philadelphia with my East Coast Adventure Pal. When I shared my travel plans with friends, their reactions were decidedly poor.
Why would you go there?
Oh…. Is that safe?
THAT place is the armpit of the world! I hated it there!
I was a little taken aback. After all, I don’t judge the people in my life for their travel choices. A desire to go and see is different for everyone. Besides, no place is truly safe as there are different kinds of threats everywhere you go in this world.
I am pleased to say that I had a splendid long weekend despite the negative reviews from friends. I met up with Nichola in Pittsburgh where we began my first ever train journey.
We stayed in Old City Philadelphia and were within easy walking distance of many historic sites and a short Uber from some other things we wanted to do.
It’s a city and a very old one at that with lots of interesting architecture, murals, museums, pocket gardens and stories of their history. There are signs of prosperity all around. There’s also trash and stink in some places. The homeless population that we encountered was mostly passive but troubling. The very thought of having no place to call home made me sad.
We witnessed no violence and had no trouble anywhere we went. However, there are certain parts of the city where middle aged, white tourists simply do not belong and we had no trouble making that distinction.
We walked the streets where our founding fathers lived and worked. We sat in Betsy Ross’ pew at Christ Church and toured Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed. I stood next to the Liberty Bell, experiencing an unexpected sense of pride and sadness that mixed into an emotion close to bittersweet.
I got to see the works of the only woman to join the French Impressionist movement and who did so at a time that women simply didn’t travel in those circles.
All of these things and many more represent acts of defiance and courage in our nation’s past. It all made me wonder if I would have been brave enough to get involved if given the chance back then.
I still don’t have an answer to that question.
It was a wonderful trip. We saw lots, ate well and learned so much I’ll still be unpacking these stories for a long time to come.
I don’t know what preconceptions my friends had that their opinions were so negative but I had a great time and can’t wait to tell you about it!
What a delightful post, Brandi! I love how you embraced your adventure with such an open mind, despite the less-than-enthusiastic reactions from your friends. It sounds like Philadelphia offered you so much more than what others may have expected. Your description of Old City’s rich history and vibrant culture really shines through. The mix of pride and bittersweet emotions at the Liberty Bell must have been a powerful moment. I’m so glad you enjoyed your first train journey too—there’s something special about traveling by rail, isn’t there?
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful reflections. It’s a great reminder that every place has its beauty and stories, if we’re just willing to look. Cheers!! Mike
Thanks for your kind remarks, Mike! I have found that some of the very best destinations are the ones you least expect. I was surprised at the reactions and pleased they were all wrong.
I love Philadelphia!!! My 2 favorite art museums are there!!! I always make a stop at the Rodin Museum, worth a visit if you go back!!! The Philadelphia Museum of Art is my favorite art museum, I just wish they didn’t put that Rocky statue at the top of steps, ruins the look for me and makes it too touristy!!!
Oh my gosh, the line for that statue is nuts! We loved that museum and the Penn Museum. We had hoped to visit Rodin but ran out of time. Another day!!
We went to Detroit over Labor Day weekend. We weren’t sure we wanted to tell anyone because we didn’t want those kind of comments.
Downtown Detroit was safe and vibrant. As we drove out of downtown, things quickly got sketchy.
Detroit is a very cool place but can turn scary very quickly. I am glad you had a good experience!
We visited Philadelphia a couple years ago when we took a road trip to Savannah. I don’t understand why the city has such a bad rap as we had a wonderful time there as well. My only complaint was that we were just there for one day, which wasn’t nearly enough time!
Oh yeah! You have to go back! For that matter, I need to return as well. There’s so much to see and do!