‘Philadelphia’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, PA}

June 24, 2019 · Narrative

Looking for a little day trip adventure and something a little different? Let’s visit the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia!

I have a running list on my phone to refer to any time we have a free afternoon, weekend, fill in the blank. I add to it as I find things. Some of the items on the list are free and local. Some are a bit of a drive. Just a hodge podge so that when we are looking for something to do, I have a list to refer to easily, instead of wasting time trying to find something to do. The Eastern State Penitentiary has been on the list for a few years, and we were finally able to cross it off. My kids and I like to do off-the-beaten path stuff, mixed in with straight up touristy stuff, and this certainly fit the bill.

I put the address in my Waze app and away we went. It was about an hour and a half drive for us, and very easy to find. There is an adjacent parking lot, with plenty of space. The admission to the Penitentiary is inexpensive, and you can save a few bucks if you purchase your tickets ahead of time online, like we did.

The prison was operational from 1829 through 1971, and it now operates as a charitable non-profit organization and is a National US Historic Landmark. It seriously oozes history around every corner. It was once the largest and most expensive prison in the United States and even housed many “celebrity” criminals, including Al Capone (his cell block is pictured below). This particular prison was said to be the model for 300+ prisons that were erected after it. Unlike many other prisons, each of the cells here had its own faucet and flush toilet, which was controlled remotely by the guards. The prison design changed a bit while it was being built because it became very overcrowded very quickly. The original design called for seven one-story cell blocks, but halfway through, it was already past capacity, and second floors started being added. In the early 1920s, there was even an actual dog sentenced to prison for allegedly the Pennsylvania Governor’s wife’s cat!

…

Visit: The Famous Rocky Steps {Philadelphia, PA}

March 31, 2015 · Narrative

If you’re a fan of the Rocky movie franchise, or Sylvester Stallone in general, a visit to the famed Rocky Steps in Philadelphia is a must.

And when my friend, Beth, and I had a Girls Weekend in Philadelphia last August, this was a definite on our list.

Right after eating our way through Reading Terminal.

#priorities

The 72 stone steps are located at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is relatively easy to find.

Parking, on the other hand, was not.

It was like the work-out before the work-out, if you know what I mean.

There were a few crews cleaning up from some sort of art show the evening before, and some areas were under construction, so between finding a good parking space, and navigating how best to get to our destination … well, we were determined and we got it done.

It was a warm, gorgeous day with beautiful blue skies. Which means hello photo op!

Because, besides perhaps running up and down the stairs and channeling your best Rocky moments, what else would you do?

At the bottom of the steps, there were a few, um, entrepreneurial types offering to use your camera to take your picture, for your donation of a few dollars, of course.

It’s the American way.

And there were also a few people selling t-shirts. I wanted one, but had left my wallet in the car.

Next time.

…

Visit: Oyster House {Philadelphia, PA}

September 30, 2014 · Narrative

Looking for a slightly casual, but slightly fancy restaurant in Philadelphia? The Oyster House is a not-to-miss visit.

A friend and I took a weekend girls trip to Philadelphia last month, with pretty much one thing in mind.

To eat our way through the city.

And I’m pretty sure we managed to accomplish that.

Although we were only there for one night, we made the most of our time, which pretty much means our weekend was packed with epic proportions of food deliciousness.

Say oysters and I’m there.

No questions asked.

Our hotel was pretty centrally located, and within walking distance to Reading Terminal, the famous LOVE sign, and the Oyster House restaurant, which we planned to visit for our starters that Saturday night.

Because, you know, oysters.

The restaurant is slightly on the small side, so if you’re going during the height of dinner time, and especially on the weekend, call ahead for reservations. Luckily we were there early and managed to snag a small table, but it was crowded at 5 pm, and packed when we left.

Dimly lit, and simply decorated, I could not love the décor more. Rustic and brick throughout, the walls were focused on one theme: oyster plates. Modern ones. Colorful ones. Sparkly ones. There are over 100 of the vintage plates throughout the restaurant, and they are part of the owner’s collection. Each one more beautiful than the next, I loved this out-of-the-box idea for decorating, and it was, obviously, perfect for the restaurant.

I can’t post the photo here because of its width, but this shot gives a great view to the place. …

Photos in Review {Philadelphia}

August 27, 2014 · Photos

A friend and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia, pretty much eating ourselves silly from one end of town to the other. And walking nearly eight miles during the course of it.

And now the random photo dump from our travels.

…

Visit: Magic Gardens {Philadelphia, PA}

August 25, 2014 · Narrative

A not-so-secret little hideaway tucked into the South Street neighborhood of Philadelphia, the Magic Gardens is a must-visit next time you find yourself in the area.

A friend and I were on our way to visit the 9th Street Italian Market when we passed by the Magic Gardens. They weren’t quite open yet, and a crowd was slowly gathering outside. We ended up parking just around the corner, which turned out to not be as close as we thought it was to the Italian Market. A fact which I decided was fate telling me I should steal a few minutes to visit the Magic Gardens.

…

Visit: Philadelphia

March 25, 2014 · Ad-Free

Looking for a quick getaway? Philadelphia is a great city to visit, filled with kid-friendly and adult-approved fun places to check out, history to soak in, and a massive amount of good eats.

Even though the weather in the Northeast is hardly cooperating, Spring Break is just a few weeks away and, with that, hopefully some sunshine! This year, the kids and I are planning something completely different, and we’re very excited. But more on that next month. In the meantime, we *do* have another trip to Philadelphia planned in the coming months.We have been there a few times over the last couple of years, and it makes a great quick getaway that is a short driving distance away with something for everyone. In case your Spring Break plans include taking a quick trip to Philly, I’ve rounded up some of our favorite things to see and do.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that we visit a lot of zoos. The Philadelphia Zoo remains one of our favorites. It is clean, beautifully maintained, and the grounds are gorgeous. You can check out our complete review right here.
When I took the kids (and two friends) to the Liberty Bell, it was actually the first time any of us had been there, and it was fun that we got to share that experience together. Even if it did take us forever to find it! *This picture is from about a year and a half ago – oh those baby cheeks on Madeline!

Although it is over the border in New Jersey, if you’re making a weekend out of it, add the Adventure Aquarium in Camden to your list. It’s not far from Philadelphia at all, and worth a stop.

On our list for our next visit to Philly?

A stop at the Betsy Ross House to learn about her life and the legend behind America’s most famous flag maker.
A visit to Pennsbury Manor, where there are horses, oxen, sheep, and even a few peacocks roaming the grounds, which is the recreated country estate of William Penn, and situated on 43 scenic acres along the Delaware River. Craft demonstrations, costumed interpreters, interactive activities, gardens and stables of animals whisk modern-day visitors back to the 17th century with.
At the Independence Seaport Museum, kids can explore the Spanish-American War Cruiser Olympia and the World War II Submarine Becuna. Every third Saturday of the month, known as Seafarin’ Saturdays, kids participate in activities
designed especially for them. They can take crafts home with them, or leave them at the museum to be displayed on the Family Gallery wall.
Opened in 1924, the 16-acre Elmwood Park Zoo has nearly 300 species indigenous to the Americas. Many of the animals—the American bison, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, timber wolf and American alligator—represent significant wildlife conservation success stories. The zoo also includes a spacious playground featuring interactive animal sculptures. Guests have a chance to hand-feed the world’s tallest living land animal at the new giraffe exhibit (you know how much we love feeding giraffes!).
Philadelphia’s only all-bug museum and the largest insect museum in the Northeast is the Insectarium, exhibiting thousands of live and mounted insects from Africa, Tanzania and other exotic locations, as well as interactive displays and a movie room.

To encourage you to stay and enjoy all the Philly has to offer, many hotels are offering a Visit Philly Hotel Package, which gives you free parking for two consecutive hotel nights. Not a bad deal!

And, of course, Philly is known for its cheese steak, so you can’t leave the city without trying some of the very best. Pat’s, Geno’s, and Jim’s are usually the top-rated choices for go-to cheese steak, but if you head towards South Philly, you can stop at John’s Roast Pork, which has been serving up deliciousness for over 70 years.

Great. And now I totally want a cheese steak.

Soon.

Another favorite stop of ours is the Reading Terminal Market. Filled with all sorts of food and other vendors, you can spend hours in here, totally shopping from stall to stall, soaking up the energy. It’s a not-to-be-missed stop.

If Philadelphia is one of YOUR favorite spots, do share some must-see places. We can’t wait to go back.

Philadelphia is the perfect spot for a getaway. Stay for any two consecutive nights at one of twenty participating hotels and your car stays free! For more information and to book your room visitphilly.com/overnight.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit Philadelphia. The opinions and text are all mine.

Visit: Liberty Bell {Philadelphia, PA}

October 27, 2012 · Narrative

So when I found out that the Philadelphia Zoo was only 12 miles from where we were staying on Nick’s belated birthday celebration weekend, it was a given that we would visit it.

I mean, seriously. My kids + animals = no brainer.

And when we were renting a stroller at the zoo because we seriously had to walk like a mile just to get to the entrance, I asked the friendly stroller rental girl how far exactly the Liberty Bell was from the zoo.

“Less than 15 minutes.”

So it stands to reason that we couldn’t NOT visit the Liberty Bell.

And I could have totally taken this line of rationale until we ended up somewhere in the middle of the country looking for other national treasures. But four kids, busy weekend, I didn’t want to overdo it, you know?

I mean, a girl’s gotta know her limits.

Which means another trip to Philadelphia is definitely in the offing because there’s still so much to see and do.

But the Liberty Bell? I don’t know, for some reason I was fixated on it.

I’m 42 years old. And, doing some rough math, we’ve lived under two hours from the Liberty Bell for about 30 years of my life.

And I’ve never seen it.

And little facts like those are how my future bucket lists with the kids (oh you should see the things we want to do together!) get made.

Because while I have been to Brussels, and Crete, and Scotland, and Paris. I haven’t seen the Grand Canyon. Niagara Falls. And a million other places in the good US of A.

Growing up, with my Dad’s old job, there was a lot of international travel, not so much domestic.

So there is a lot of ground to cover.

Like literally.

So the bell.

When we left the zoo, it was after 3 pm on Sunday. I seriously debated. Go find the bell or just go home. Should we? Shouldn’t we?

We went for it. I told the kids, who really wanted to go see it, that we would see if we could find it, how busy it was, and the parking situation. We would give it a go.

Using the GPS, I found the area and went up and down the streets. Partially because the Google’d address wasn’t specific. I could tell the general area of where the bell was supposed to be, but couldn’t tell specifically. As in there it is and here’s where I should park.

And part of the problem? Because for some wild reason, in my mind’s eye, I pictured the bell being at the top of some grassy plain, open and out. I know, weird.

Because it’s clearly not.

Which is why I was having trouble figuring out where exactly the darn thing was.

…

Pin It