My Visual Travel Experience: Philadelphia

My association with Philadelphia goes back a long time. I grew up hearing about Philadelphia, because way back in 1951, my father finished his graduation from Wadia College, Pune, and went to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, as a Full Bright Scholar for his Masters in Political Science. In 2003, I visited the East Coast of the USA. I made it a point to visit Philadelphia on that trip. Later, I went to New York on a company workshop in 2006, and this time too, I visited Philadelphia. Then in 2008, my company sponsored me for a 5 day workshop at Wharton Business School in Philadelphia, and that was my third visit to the city. Staying at the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, I managed to visit the street (Spruce Street) where my father had lived for 2 years, more than 5 decades earlier! From there, I phoned him back in Delhi, very excitedly, to tell him about it, and it was a moment of great connection between father and son!

Philadelphia is the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania, and has a population of over 1.5 million. This makes it the 6th largest city proper in the USA, after New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix. Philadelphia has a very interesting history, and is one of the oldest cities in the USA. It was founded by William Penn, an English Quaker, in 1682. Philadelphia is Greek for “brotherly love”, and Penn signed a peace treaty with the local American Indians, with “brotherly love” being the theme of the treaty. Being a Quaker, Penn believed in religious tolerance and this led to the city being a peaceful one and it saw rapid growth and development. The city was an important place in the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence was signed here in 1776, as was the Constitution in 1787. Till 1790, Philadelphia was the largest city in the USA, before New York overtook it. It was also briefly the country’s capital from 1790 to 1800, before it shifted to Washington DC. Philadelphia has many landmarks that commemorate its rich historical legacy.

Independence Hall is the building where the US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were debated and signed. The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4th, 1776 and read out to the public. The date is celebrated as Independence Day in the USA. The Constitution was completed in 1787 and came into effect from March 4th, 1789. The building itself was completed in 1753 and served as the Pennsylvania State House till 1799, when the state capital was shifted to Lancaster.

Independence Hall

Liberty Bell lies opposite Independence Hall. It is a symbol of American Independence. It was once situated inside Independence Hall. It was commissioned from London in 1752 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. It was one of the bells that were rung on July 8th, 1776, to celebrate the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell acquired its large crack in the early 19th century.

Liberty Bell

Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of government for the city. It was completed in 1901 and stands at a height of 167 meters. The tower is topped by an 11 meter bronze statue of William Penn, the city’s founder.  

Philadelphia City Hall

The Masonic Temple dates back to 1873. The grand structure was designed in the medieval Norman style. It features the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania. It has seven lodge rooms and the Free Masons still conduct their meetings there.

Masonic Temple

City Tavern is a 20th century building that is a replica of an 18th century building which stood at the site. It currently serves as a restaurant, with staff dressed in period costumes. The tavern was used by the founding fathers of the USA, and was used for important events, like the first anniversary of the country’s independence.

City Tavern

Betsy Ross House is the house where Betsy Ross (1752 – 1836) lived. She was a seamstress who stitched the first flag of the USA. Historians are not sure if she lived in this exact house or if it was one of the houses adjacent to it.

Betsy Ross House

First Bank of the USA was set up in 1791. It was a national bank, set up with a charter of 20 years by the US Congress.

First Bank of the USA

Second Bank of the USA was set up in 1816, again with a charter of 20 years.

Second Bank of the USA

Christ Church was founded in 1695 by members of the Church of England. The structure with its 60 meter tall steeple was completed in 1754. In later years, the church underwent major changes. The church has the original baptismal font where William Penn was baptized. 

Christ Church

Benjamin Franklin’s Grave lies in Christ Church Burial Ground. The versatile and talented writer, politician, scientist, inventor died in 1790 at the age of 84.

Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Philadelphia Museum of Art was completed in 1828. It lies along Benjamin Franklin Pathway , at a circle called Eakin Oval, which has the Washington Memorial Fountain (featuring a bronze equestrian statue of the leader surrounded by native Americans and animals). The museum has over 240,000 exhibits. There are collections from China, Japan, and India. 

Philadelphia Museum of Art

The museum has an impressive collection of European paintings (including the likes of El Greco and Rubens), impressionist art (featuring artists like Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Lautrec, Manet and Monet) and modern art (with artists like Picasso and Dali).

Monet's Japanese Bridge at the Water Lilly Pond,
Philadelphia Museum of Art

Cezanne's The Bathers, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art

Renoir's The Large Bathers, Philadelphia Museum of ArtPublic Domain, Credit: Google Art

Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Philadelphia Museum of ArtPublic Domain, Credit: Google Art

Rubens' Prometheus Bound, Philadelphia Museum of ArtPublic Domain, Credit: Google Art

Rogier van der Weyden's Cricifixion Diptych,
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Public Domain, Credit: Google Art

Rodin Museum opened in 1929 and has the largest collection of the artist’s sculptures outside Paris. The museum has works like The Thinker, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell.

Rodin Museum

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and art school in the USA. The museum features works of art by famous American artists like Thomas Eakins.

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

Washington Square is a large park in the heart of the city. In 1954, a decision was taken to construct a monument which had the remains of an unnamed soldier. The monument was called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and it has a bronze cast of Houdon’s statue of Washington at the centre. The monument was dedicated to the soldiers of the Revolutionary War. There are a large number of bodies buried under the park.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Washington Square

Love Sculpture at JFK Plaza is inspired by pop art made by Robert Indiana. The original was featured in a Museum of Modern Art Christmas card in 1965. It was the symbol of hippie free love in the 1960’s.

Love Sculpture, JFK Park

Liberty Place is a skyscraper complex in the heart of the business district. It consists of two towers. One Liberty place has 61 floors and a height of 288 meters (945 feet). Two Liberty Place has 58 floors and a height of 258 meters (848 feet). The towers were completed in 1987 and 1990 respectively, and went against a gentleman’s agreement that no structure in the city would be taller than the City Hall. They house office complexes, a hotel and a shopping mall.

Liberty Place

Logan Circle is a circle in the city centre, that has the famous Swann Memorial Fountain. The fountain is dedicated to William Cary Swann of the Philadelphia Fountain Society. The fountain has Native American figures symbolizing the regions major rivers. The fountain also features sculptures of frogs and turtles.

Logan Circle

University of Pennsylvania is a private ivy league university founded in 1740. Benjamin Franklin was the university’s founder and first president.

Benjamin Franklin Statue,
University of Pennsylvania

Benjamin Franklin Statue at Locust Walk,
University of Pennsylvania

I enjoyed visiting Philadelphia and learning about its fascinating history. Along with Boston, it is the city that is most closely linked to the American Independence movement. It's barely a one and a half hour train ride away from New York, so that makes it very accessible for anyone visiting New York.