The drive to Philadelphia from Washington DC is not too long and a gentle way to break into what is going to be the road trip of a lifetime. You need to get quickly used to driving though as this is not a family trip to Florida!
The journey is 149 miles and is estimated to take around 2 hours and 40 minutes. With an early start this means that you can be in Philadelphia for breakfast. You may want to grab breakfast at a diner on route so that when you get into town you can check-in and get started having a look around. If you enjoy casinos then you may want to stop in at Atlantic City on the way. Doing this you can take a little bit more time and maybe aim to arrive in Atlantic City for lunch, enjoy the casinos and then carry on to Philadelphia in the morning.
Before arriving in Philadelphia I would suggest having phoned ahead to book a hotel, motel or hostel so that you are ready to go. One day is all we are planning for Philadelphia, not a comment on the city but we need to get moving if we want to see the whole country without spending a year doing so.
Without a doubt your first stop should be the Independence Hall, get in early and beat the queues that slowly build up throughout the day. If you are like me then queuing, especially when you are short of time, is impossibly frustrating.
There are around 40 historic buildings in Philadelphia and it is obviously going to be impossible to see them all. This is where America began though and there are a few sights that you shouldn’t miss.
- The Liberty Bell – A powerful symbol for America. See it, photograph it and move on
- Christ Church – This is the church where George Washington and Benjamin Franklin worshipped, built in 1727. When you have had a look around head to the cemetery where you can find the graves of Benjamin Franklin and others who signed the Treaty of Independence. I have been told that tossing a coin onto the grave of Benjamin Franklin is similar to making a wish at the Trevi fountain. Whether this is true or not I couldn’t say, always best to make a wish just in case.
- Elfreth’s Alley – The oldest inhabited street in America. Not much to see but nice to have been.
- Reading Terminal Market – A historic farmers market and a great place to get lunch.
- Old City – I have been told that the old city is one of the best places to walk around. It is the artsy area and you can find the hot new artists of America displaying in the multitude of galleries.
Obviously you cannot visit Philadelphia without having a cheese steak. This is the speciality and I have yet to meet anyone from Philadelphia who can agree on the best place to go. As you can imagine there are a lot of places to get one and please make sure that you do. Two of the most famous are Geno’s and Pat’s, you can find out where they are by visiting their websites at http://www.patssteaks.com/ and http://www.genossteaks.com/home1.html
After taking your fill grab a few drinks and head back to get some sleep. We are going to be driving to New York in the morning.
Total Trip – 3 days
Total Driving – 149 miles
Photo by James Loesch Under Creative Commons License
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