by Jeanne Brei
Eat
Inside the PCC is one of the country’s oldest markets—the Reading Terminal Market (pictured right) opened its doors in 1893 and today, 80+ merchants still offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, as well as 30+ ethnic and specialty restaurants ranging from Cajun and Middle Eastern to oysters, hoagies and more. A short walk on Arch Street leads to Chinatown and across the street on Market Street is the Bank & Bourbon with its house-aged liquors (in barrels) on the ground floor of the iconic 1932 Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (now Loews Philadelphia Hotel) 36-story, 491-foot skyscraper built with marble and granite from 32 countries.
Sleep
Nestled in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, the PCC is surrounded by 13,500+ hotel rooms at every price point. Two hotels are connected via skywalks to the PCC—The Aloft Hotel and the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown (pictured left)—which was built in 1995 in the old office spaces of Reading Railroad and is now Philly’s largest hotel boasting 1,408 rooms (including 76 suites). The Four Points Hotel, Home2 Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn are across the street.
Play
The first World Heritage City in the U.S., Philadelphia has 67 National Historical Landmarks in what’s called the nation’s “most historic square mile.” Tour Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were debated and adopted. See the Liberty Bell (pictured right), the symbol of American independence that was once located in the steeple of Independence Hall. Stroll Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in America. And, of course, the statue from the film, “Rocky,” and the Rocky Steps, which are outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, are not to be missed.
This story originally appeared in the Nov./Dec. 2021 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 44. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_nov-dec_2021
