Friday 5 August 2011

Wachovia Center, Philadelphia

The Wachovia Center, home to both the NHL's Flyers and the NBA's 76ers, is a state-of-the-art sports facility located in Philadelphia. This arena was opened on what was once the site of the Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, on the southwestern corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The venue offers excellent seating for good views of the action, as well as numerous concession stands. Visitors can book hotels near Wachovia Center Philadelphia to make sure they have easy access to the arena and the box office to avoid missing the start of their event. Boasting a seating capacity of about 21,000 for basketball and hockey games, the arena has also hosted several memorable events including musical concerts by stars such as Metallica, Britney Spears, Coldplay, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


One of the best features of the Wachovia Center, and one that sets is apart from most other sports facilities, is its environmentally friendly operation. Being a registered member of the U.S. Green Building Council means the arena has adopted various green alternatives; including use of single-stream recycle bins, a thermal ice-cooling room, eco-friendly cleaning products, and recycling old computer equipment. This comprehensive green campaign, called "Step Up," ensures the center reduces its carbon footprint, which also makes it popular among eco-friendly travelers.

The Wachovia Center seating is designed to avoid any obstructed views, and the unique oval design of the stadium ensures clear views anywhere in the arena. Of the roughly 21,000 seats for basketball and 19,500 for ice hockey, there are more than 1,000 club seats and 126 suites for fans who want the best possible place to watch the game. In addition there are several restaurants and an excellent Fan Gear retail shop that offers Philadelphia sports memorabilia such as hats and jerseys. Located in the northwest concourse and easily reached from any Wachovia Center seating options, the gift center also offers extended shopping hours during the holiday season.

Visitors who are planning to attend an event at the arena will find plenty of options for packages, as there are different Wachovia Center tickets available for groups, such as school trips, and there are also special tickets for Premium Seating, which offers access to the 82 luxury suites, 18 club suites, and 26 balcony suites. This luxury option for Wachovia Center seating provides great opportunities to see any event comfortably, and the premium luxury suites, for instance, are equipped with elegant furnishings, including leather armchairs, plasma televisions, and bar stools.

The Wachovia Center also tours to give fans an opportunity to go behind the scenes and get a closer look at the magnificent sports facility. The tours are generally arranged for a group of roughly fifteen people and provide exclusive access to visit the Arena Vision control room, the press box, and the official NHA and NBA locker room. Fans can also personalize their tour with a catered lunch inside the arena restaurants, though this does require reservations in advance. The Wachovia Center Event Services department can be contacted for more information on personal guided tours, which can be an entertaining and unusual thing to do during a visit to Pennsylvania.

There are plenty of hotels near Wachovia Center Philadelphia with excellent amenities and services. There are three-star properties nearby that offer a complimentary continental breakfast, for instance, and guests seeking good value for the rates can consider booking rooms at the Howard Johnson Express Inn or the Doubletree Hotel, for instance. Both properties are located within a few miles of the arena and are also near other attractions including the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House, and Independence Hall. Hotels near Wachovia Center Philadelphia are available for a variety of budgets, so fans seeking cheap rooms and luxury accommodations should have no trouble finding something to suit them.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Philadelphia

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a practice utilized throughout the world to memorialize soldiers who have died in modern wars without being identified. The first monument of this kind was the Tomb of Unknown Soldiers in Fredericia, Denmark (1858), which memorialized unknown soldiers who died in the First War of Schleswig. Another such Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was erected in 1866 to honor those soldiers who died during the American Civil War.

The history of Tomb of Unknown Soldier begins in modern times in 1920. A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was erected while burying an unknown soldier who had fallen, unidentified, during the First World War. The soldier was buried to commemorate all of the unknown soldiers and was laid to rest in the famous Westminster Abbey. Throughout history, Westminster Abbey has been the burial place for British monarchs and nobles, and as such erecting a Tomb of Unknown Soldiers at this spot was seen as a highly significant and meaningful gesture. This first Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in modern times has the inscription, "They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and Toward His house".

Since that time, many other countries have also created a Tomb of Unknown Soldiers to honor veterans from following wars, including France, also after the First World War. The history of Tomb of Unknown Soldiers also extends to the United States, where such a tomb was erected to honor fallen during the Revolutionary War, and later came to commemorate all soldiers fallen during wars involving American soldiers, including the American Civil War. The history of Tomb of Unknown Soldiers also includes a long and moving letter written by John Adams in 1777 after he toured the site himself.

Although the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Pennsylvania began simply as a place to bury the masses of soldiers who died during the Revolutionary War, in later times it would be dedicated to the memory of George Washington and the soldiers he commanded. Visitors today will see a life-sized statue of George Washington resting above the site, which is located within Washington Square in Philadelphia. Although there are a number of inscriptions found on the wall of the memorial found just behind the statue of George Washington, perhaps the best-known is the statement, "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness". The tomb itself bears the inscription, "Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty". An eternal flame also burns here at the site, and the eyes of the George Washington statue purposefully look directly at nearby Independence Hall, which is adjacent to the Liberty Bell. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is within easy walking distance of both of these historical sites, and is also within walking distance of the Franklin Institute of Science and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia

Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square is a living memorial to founder William Penn's original ideas for the city of brotherly love. In the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. there is a map of Philadelphia from the 1680s. Some of the street names may have changed and one or two new thoroughfares have been cut at the outskirts of Center City, but the layout of central Philadelphia has remained remarkably unchanged in the last 300+ years. Penn envisioned a "greene countrie towne" with five public squares spread around the city at its corners and at its center. Of these original squares the most famous is without a doubt Rittenhouse Square. The central square is now dominated by Philadelphia's impressive Third Empire-style City Hall; the northeastern square, now named Franklin Square, is home to a popular mini golf course; the northwestern square is now beautifully crafted Logan Circle on the Ben Franklin Parkway; the southeastern square is up-and-coming Washington Square, part of the sprawling park complex that includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Rittenhouse Square is Penn's original southwestern square and gives its name to the upscale neighborhood that surrounds it. It is named in honor of David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) an important figure from Pennsylvania history. Rittenhouse was a noted Philadelphia scientist and politician and the first director of the U.S. Mint.

Rittenhouse Philadelphia has been a prestigious neighborhood since the mid-1800s and many elegant Victorian houses still line the nearby streets. More recent constructions have made the Rittenhouse skyline worthy of note. Large apartment buildings surround the urban park, and a place in a Rittenhouse skyline building is one of the most sough-after addresses in the city. The exquisite building at 1801 Walnut Street stands out on the Rittenhouse skyline. The 1898 beaux-arts building was once home to the Pennsylvania athletic club. That it is now home to a leading national clothing store is indicative of Rittenhouse Philadelphia's status as the city's premier shopping district. The block between 17th and 18th streets on Walnut Street, known as Rittenhouse Row, is home to both national box stores and some local independent boutiques.

In recent years Philadelphia has established a reputation as a great restaurant town, and the area around Rittenhouse Square is dotted with some of the city's finest dining establishments: Barclay Prime (237 South 18th Street), Le Bec Fin (1521 Walnut), and Opus 251 (251 South 18th Street), among others.

Rittenhouse Square is also the site of one of the most luxurious of all Philadelphia hotels. Rittenhouse Hotel is located at 210 West Rittenhouse, overlooking the square. The views from Rittenhouse Hotel are amazing, but the secluded tearoom and indoor garden make the hotel an oasis from the busy urban life outside. The rooms at Rittenhouse Hotel are uniformly excellent, with large layouts and luxurious marble bathrooms.

Acclaimed director Robert Downey Sr. recently released a cinematic homage to Rittenhouse Square. As captured in Downey's film, Rittenhouse Philadelphia is a perfect place to watch the vibrant urban life of the city or to sit with a book and rest after a day touring Philadelphia's attractions and museums.

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia

Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed, bustling marketplace in downtown Philadelphia. Located at the intersection of 12th and Arch streets, the Reading Terminal Philadelphia brings together merchants of food, flowers, clothing, and books for a unique shopping experience. This market in Philadelphia is a bit different from the Italian Market in that it is enclosed versus outdoors, and it also offers a wider variety of goods. This market is historic as well, as it has been serving the population of Philadelphia and visitors to the city since 1893.

One section of the stalls is known as the Pennsylvania Dutch Market. A small but significant portion of the Reading Terminal Market, these merchants usually don’t operate Sunday through Tuesday. The rest of the market in Philadelphia is open seven days a week, with limited hours on Sunday of 9 am to 5 pm. All stalls in Reading Terminal Philadelphia are rented out by merchants, and many of them have been in the same family for more than 100 years. Sometimes called a farmer’s market, popular items include fresh produce, baked goods, ethnic food, ice cream, meat, and fish.

Visitors may be surprised that the center of the Reading Terminal Market has an open area in the center for seating and tables. An affordable, indoor picnic can be had at this market in Philadelphia. Families can explore the culinary options, baked goods, and ethnic foods for an affordable midday meal. The bustling marketplace doesn’t show signs of the struggles it has endured in the past, but at certain points in history, it did struggle to survive. The Great Depression of the 1930s was one such difficult time for the market, but as a result of the passion of the merchants, a tradition survives through to today.

Reading Terminal Philadelphia has been the backdrop of American films including National Treasure and Trading Places. Visitors to the market are always charmed by Philbert, a pig sculpture that has become the market’s mascot. In close proximity to a few popular Philadelphia chain hotels, the market has become a popular choice for quirky merchandise and sweet treats. History buffs and book-lovers will find something to browse through or buy, and if you’re looking for information about Philadelphia and the history of the city, you’re sure to find it in this market.

One attractive quality about the market is its diversity. From Amish specialties to handmade pottery and jewelry, there are few markets in the US that combines this range of goods in one place. Located in Center City, the market is easy to reach if you’re visiting other popular attractions such as the Liberty Bell, and it is also conveniently located within walking distance of many hotels. Whether you’re looking for cookware or an interesting restaurant to spend an hour people-watching, you’ll find a perfect fit at the Reading Terminal Market. From flowers to crafts, seafood to artisan cheese, you will be tempted to get out your wallet and take home some unique gifts and souvenirs.

Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia

The Please Touch Museum is a must-see if you're bringing kids on your trip to Philadelphia. This children’s museum is focused on kids ages 7 years and younger, and it encourages them to throw away all rules that usually apply to museums. Located in Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, it is easy to combine a morning at Boathouse Row or the Eastern State Penitentiary with a visit to this children’s museum in Philadelphia. Interactive exhibits, a cafĂ© that features healthy foods, and even a walking piano all make a trip to the museum an especially fun learning experience.

The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia is open seven days a week and is closed only on major national holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day). A great day to visit the Please Touch Museum is on a Monday, when school groups aren’t scheduled for a visit. In addition, another popular attraction, the Italian Market, is closed on Monday, making it a great day to visit this children’s museum in Philadelphia. If you’re concerned about larger groups during your visit, arrive in the afternoon versus the morning. School groups tend to arrive at the museum during the morning and return to school in the afternoon, leaving the exhibits free and open for visiting families.

One of the most popular experiences at the museum is the walking piano. Made famous in the movie Big, the walking piano allows children to make music by walking over the keys. Bringing together playtime with music and dance, this exhibit is a favorite for all kids who explore the museum. Another favorite exhibition is the replica of the arm and torch from the Statue of Liberty. The Alice in Wonderland play area is especially popular, and many children run straight toward the Flight Fantasy exhibit. All areas of the children’s museum in Philadelphia encourage kids to learn by touch, feel, experience, and sound.

The Please Touch Museum has one price for children and adults, $15 per person. Members are granted access for free, so if you live nearby or plan on visiting often, you may want to consider becoming a member. While some children’s museums ignore the youngest clientele, this museum in Philadelphia has crafted play areas for toddlers as well. Throughout the museum there are play areas that are designed for toddlers and their parents. In addition, it's worth coming back for a return visit, as not all exhibitions at the museum are permanent. For example, in early 2010 a nature exhibit called Exploring Trees: Inside and Out exposed kids to bird’s nests, the sounds and smells of nature, and as always the "sensation stations," which encourage kids to use their sense of touch to learn.

Older kids will enjoy exploring the opportunities for their future careers in the City Caper exhibit, where they can pretend to be architects, city planners, shopkeepers, or medical professionals. A theater features special performances as well. Check the daily schedule when you arrive at the museum to be sure to schedule in a 20-minute show in the theater. To top it all off, a historic carousel is available for kids as well. At more than a hundred years old, the carousel has now been refurbished for the pleasure of another generation. Specializing in thrilling kids in a variety of ways, the Please Touch Museum is a must for any parent who wants their kids to know from a young age that museums can be exciting.

Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo was the first zoo of its kind in the United States and can be found in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The Philly Zoo first opened its doors in 1874, after the close of the American Civil War. To this day, the zoo in Philadelphia remains one of the most successful zoos in the world for breeding animals; particularly endangered species and animals that are typically difficult to breed in the wild. The Philadelphia Zoo also plays an active role in working to protect animal habitats throughout the world and is one of the favorite Philadelphia attractions for children and animal lovers of every age.

The Philly Zoo is also one of the larger zoos in the United States and features a number of interesting and unique attractions. The Dodge Rare Animal Conservation Center features animals and specific species of animals that many visitors may not have even heard of before visiting the zoo in Philadelphia, including naked mole rats, tree-kangaroos, blue-eyed lemurs and many other fascinating species. Another popular exhibit here at the Philadelphia Zoo is the Reptile and Amphibian House, which hosts more than 125 species of reptiles and amphibians and is one of the most popular Philadelphia attractions at this zoo. Carnivore Kingdom is home to groups of animals who love to eat meat and is another of the favorite attractions of the Philly Zoo. Snow leopards, red pandas and other interesting carnivores are found here.

The zoo in Philadelphia is also home to the largest Animal Health Center in the world which treats thousands of animals each year and conducts research. Another of the most popular Philadelphia attractions at the zoo is the channel 6 Zooballoon, which is a helium balloon which is tethered to the ground and rises directly off of the ground to a height of 400 feet, from which passengers can see the zoo below, the Philadelphia city skyline and the Schuylkill River. The balloon ride lasts for about 15 minutes and is priced separately from admission tickets to the zoo itself. Expect to spend about $15 more on your zoo admission ticket to ride the Zooballoon.

One of the newer exhibits at the zoo is the Jungle Bird Walk, which is an enclosed area where guests can walk freely through an area where birds fly freely. An enormous Treehouse is also found here; it costs an extra $1 and is a playground of sorts for children to enjoy. The tree is a large ficus tree and rests at a height of about four-stories. Children can not only climb the tree, but gaze around at the park below from atop the treehouse. The zoo also features a small Children's Zoo which basically functions as a petting zoo with domestic farm animals which small children can pet and sometimes help feed, if they happen to arrive at the right time. Admission prices to the zoo are around $11 for adults and $16 for children. The large parking lot charges $8 per vehicle to park all day.

Museum of Art in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the oldest art museums in the United States and first opened its doors in 1877. Though somewhat moderate when it began its collection in the late 19th century, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has grown to house one of the largest collections of art in the United States and is in fact the third-largest of its kind. Inspired by the Kensington Museum in London, this is one of the most popular Philadelphia museums in the city, along with the Franklin Institute and a few small others.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has an eclectic collection of pieces from around the world and from many different eras. One of the largest collections of any Philadelphia Museums of Pennsylvania German art is found here, as well as an extensive collection of 18th and 19th century handmade furniture and other handmade wares that are on display. Fans of the artist Thomas Eakins will want to come to the museum, as the Philadelphia Museum of Art has the largest collection of his work found anywhere in the world. Guests of this and other Philadelphia Museums will be struck by the depth of history found within the museum structure itself, which is a simple shape yet ornately decorated.

In addition to being a great place to see art, the courtyard in front of the museum also works as an excellent venue for a number of Philadelphia Museum of Art shows, including parades and some big name concerts. In July of 2005 the Live8 concert was the main Philadelphia Museum of Art show, drawing crowds from around the city and from other parts of the world. Other Philadelphia Museum of Art shows include special touring art exhibitions which change each year. In general, the Philadelphia Museum of Art hosts between 10 and 20 of these special touring exhibits each year. In addition to being famous for the great art and shows happening here, many people love the Philadelphia Museum of Art for its role in the original Rocky film. Like the character in the movie, many guests come to the museum to run the long set of stairs which ascend to the museum and happen to provide an excellent workout. Runners will see the imprint of "Rocky's" feet in the cement at the top of the stairs before entering the museum.

Whichever of the myriad of reasons brings travelers to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, admission prices for touring the interior are around $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 12 — 18; children under age 12 are free. If you want to visit without the price tag, schedule time to see the museum on Sunday, when visitors simply make a donation of their choice to enter the museum. The museum also features its own parking lot — a rarity in downtown Philadelphia, which is free during the week to guests of the museum. On the weekends a spot will cost $5.