Category: Philadelphia

Five More Reasons to Visit Philadelphia We’ve already devoted full stories to a number of our favorite places in Philly: Eastern State Penitentiary, The Neon Museum of Philadelphia, Laurel Hill Cemetery, and Philly Magic Gardens. We’ve also shared some of our favorite Philly foods. But other spots deserve some love, too. How could we not… Continue reading Philly: Best of the Rest

Fred’s Favorite Philly Foods  As you may know, we are not foodies. But we do like food.  Fred was especially excited about Philly food. He had a long list of cheese steak stands and sandwich shops he wanted to visit (but no Pat’s or Geno’s, which he declared too touristy). [1]Shout-out to John’s Roast Pork,… Continue reading Philadelphia Eats

A Place Where Those Who Did the Crime Did Their Time Imagine for a moment you’re a pickpocket in 1830s Philadelphia. You tried to lift someone’s watch just as a constable looked your way, and now you find yourself being led through the imposing stone walls of your home for the next year: Eastern State… Continue reading Eastern State Penitentiary

Illuminating American History, Sign by Sign I’ll confess to feeling a little disappointed when we first walked into The Neon Museum of Philadelphia. [1]We see this HUGE building, and I foresee us wandering around for hours. The actual museum was difficult for us to find within the building because I am not descended from a… Continue reading Neon Museum of Philadelphia

Mosaic Masterpieces from a Madcap Mind There are no gardens at Philly Magic Gardens, but there is definitely magic. Artist Isaiah Zagar spent decades creating his “gardens,” transforming two vacant lots on Philadelphia’s South Street into something beautiful—sculpting multilayer walls out of found objects and covering every inch of available space, including the floors, with… Continue reading Philly Magic Gardens

You’ll Find History & Serenity in this Philadelphia Cemetery Until the 1830s, Americans mostly buried their loved ones in church graveyards. But as cities grew, space shrunk. People rethought death rituals. Planners began developing cemeteries outside cities—beautiful, sprawling public parks where the living could enjoy a little peace and maybe a Sunday picnic.  Philadelphia’s Laurel… Continue reading Laurel Hill Cemetery