This year, my kids’ fall break fell on the same weekend as Columbus Day, a holiday dedicated to the memory of a guy who, by all accounts, was a jerk. Regardless, we have gotten in the habit of using this long weekend to explore some of America’s greatest cities. This year, we set out for Philadelphia.
This was the first time in a while that we flew on an airline other than Southwest, and since Southwest cancelled like a billion flights, it was fortuitous. It was also the first time that we’ve ever flown on Frontier. The overall experience was positive. The flights between New Orleans and Philly were direct, which was great with a 15 month old, and super-cheap. That said, Frontier charges extra for just about everything. We prepaid for three carry-on bags (not included in the price of the flight), and we had to pay to pick our seats. Even with these extras though, it was still about $400 cheaper than the other options, and the experience, while not the best I have ever had, was perfectly satisfactory.
We landed pretty late, after 9 pm local time, picked up the rental car and headed for the Holiday Inn Express at Penn’s Landing. This wasn’t our first choice of hotel, but it was in a cool spot, and again, the price was right. Since we planned to spend little time in the hotel, it was an easy choice.
On our way in, we stopped at a hole in the wall burger place in East Passyunk (everything in Philly has an unpronounceable name) call P’unk Burger. Frankly, it wasn’t anything special, but it was open, on the way and had milkshakes, so we were all happy enough.
The next morning, we woke early (well, the baby woke us early), ate breakfast in hotel, grabbed our passport books and headed northeast to the Valley Forge National Historic Park. Less than an hour outside of Philadelphia proper is the location where General Washington and Continental Army wintered in 1777-1778. This was a critical turning point in the American Revolution in terms of confidence and morale, and in getting foreign support for the cause of colonials.
The site is vast and very inspiring. The Visitors Center is nice, but many of the displays were closed due to COVID, and the area in general seems like a great place to bike or run. We booked a guided trolley tour which hit all the main spots and stopped at some of the replica huts and Washington’s headquarters. The guide was knowledgeable and charming, and it was a really nice way to see the entire Park and learn about its history all at the same time.
The trolley passed by the Memorial Arch, but did not stop, so afterwards, we made our way back and spent a few minutes exploring what I felt like is the best part of the site. If you have time and are in the area, Valley Forge is an important landmark in American history, and the site has been very well preserved.
On our way back to town, we stopped for lunch at a brew house called Puddlers, where they serve high quality bar food and beer from the Conshohocken (pronounced ‘I don’t know’) Brewing company. The restaurant offers great outdoor seating area on the Schuylkill (pronounced ‘I don’t know’) River where Clara could run around without bothering anyone. The beer and food were as good as you’d expect from a local brewery, and we felt right at home.
That afternoon, we parked at Franklin Square where Eileen and JR took Clara on her first carousel ride, an important milestone in the life of every human child. After that, we played a round of mini-golf, which always brings out the best in the older kids, and got ice cream. Franklin Square is one of the original squares planned by William Penn, and was a fun way to spend the afternoon.
We went from there a few blocks over the Betsy Ross House. This is one of the places she lived, and it is really well-preserved. The house itself can be toured in about five minutes, but it is another interesting part of American history. I wouldn’t say this is a ‘can’t-miss’ part of the Philadelphia experience, but if you’ve got the time, it’s an interesting place in a cool part of town.
In fact, it is only a few blocks from Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously lived in residential street in the country. There is a small museum on the block, although it was closed at the time of our visit, but simply walking this area is enough to get an idea as to what life was like as America began to develop as a nation.
We also had tom to swing by the Betsy Ross House, which is a small but unique museum. It did not blow any of us away, but if you have an extra 30 minutes, it is worth your time.
My older brother lives in Jenkintown (JTP!), PA, so that evening, we drove to their house and met he and his wife, daughter and son for dinner. Fun fact, my brother’s house is actually on the same block upon which Adam Golberg grew up, so that was an unexpected, added bonus.
We ate dinner at a nearby bar called The Drake (got to love the Drake). It has a nice menu and is kid friendly, and provided a good opportunity to reconnect with my brother. Since the pandemic has been raging, we have not gotten to see his branch of the family for almost two years. While this had little to do with our plan to visit Philadelphia, it was definitely an added bonus.
On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a church service at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the cede of the archdiocese of Philadelphia. This church is beautiful and awe-inspiring, and Alyson was able to purchase a great rosary from gift shop, her favorite souvenir. This blog is not meant to be a review of different church services, but this one was mediocre. The priest’s homily went on for a good 20+ minutes, primarily saying the same thing over and over. My youngest brother is currently studying to become a priest, and I reiterate to him whenever possible that 8 minutes is where you want to live. Once someone has been speaking for over 8 minutes, 75% of the audience stops paying attention. The statistic is one of which the priest on this specific Sunday, evidently, was unaware.
Despite the long winded-ness, we had plenty of time to find brunch before our next scheduled excursion. We stopped a great cafe called Sabrina’s, which had a menu that everyone enjoyed, and the portions were absurd. Of all the meals we ate, I think Alyson and I agreed that this was our favorite.
Following brunch, we walked to the ‘LOVE’ sculpture so that Eileen could get a picture for her Instaface account, then walked over the Franklin Institute. Not to be confused with Franklin Square or the Franklin House (evidently, someone important named Franklin did something important at some point in Philadelphia), the Institute is a very interactive science museum with exhibits for kids of all ages.
The elder two really liked the sports-science section, and a Gallagher-esque live show where a big hammer smashed a bunch of smaller items. The baby really liked a show put on by two oddly dressed characters who claimed to be from the future (although JR seemed skeptical). We spent about two hours in the institute, but could easily go back for two more and experience a whole set of exhibits that had to skip our first time through.
Still full from our first meal, we drove from the Franklin Institute to the Museum of the American Revolution. My brother, having never been, met us here with his two kids, and we spent the next two hours exploring. When you first enter, there is a great video that gives a succinct, twelve minute recap of the war. It obviously does not dive too deep, but it was a great overview for the kids.
The museum has an area dedicated to younger learners, and several exhibits one can tour chronologically to get a great idea as to how the war progressed. At the end, there is another video, which finishes by revealing the actual tent that George Washington used during the war. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, and a museum that rivals things like the Smithsonian and World War 2 museums.
After that, we went to the Franklin Fountain (I’m not sure for who this is named) and go the kids milk shakes. We said good-bye to my brother and his kids, and headed back to our hotel to relax.
At one point, we were planning to eat at either Pat’s or Gino’s, but it didn’t work out this time. Years ago, I ate at Pat’s, so it would have been nice to try Gino’s for comparison, but the weather at the time was mediocre, so we decided to eat someplace with indoor seating. That said, Eileen wanted another picture for her Snapbook, so we we drove over and grabbed a few photos.
We ended up eating at Oh Brother Philly, where we got two wiz and one chick steak. It was way too much food, and it is really hard to judge where it actually ranks in terms of cheese steaks, but I really enjoyed it and would definitely go back if we were in the area again.
We flew back Monday, but our flight was not until 1 pm, so in the morning we visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. All of us, aside from Clara, had already visited, but none of the kids had gotten their books stamped, and JR was too little to remember. The Liberty Bell is really cool, and the approach to it has a lot of great information about more than just the bell.
Independence Hall is also really cool, and has been well-preserved. Our tour guide, Larry, was very informative and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing.
That said, this was by far my least favorite part of our trip. We have visited over 60 National Park sites and plan to visit many more, and this was the first where the park rangers were specifically unpleasant. Our guide, Larry, was great, but everyone else was rude, short and in more than one instance, downright mean, especially in regards to our one year old.
I am not going to go too greatly into detail, but it is hard to find someone who is willing to act like an @$$hole to our youngest and hard to find rangers that are more into themselves than they are into providing visitors with great experiences. It might have just been a bad day, so I will dwell no longer, but it was a very unfortunate experience.
Despite all of that, our family had a great trip. Philadelphia is so robust that we could go back and do a completely different set of excursions, and still have a great time. In terms of great American cities, Philadelphia is definitely at the top of the list. I would recommend it to anyone, from young to old, foreign or indigenous, it is a great place to visit.