Philadelphia

We last visited America’s most historic

city, Philadelphia, in May 2023.

Restrictions and requirements eg for COVID vaccinations had been lifted and travel was much as normal. You could still see people wearing masks, which is fine, and they would possibly have done that anyway if they were sensitive to pollution. The weather was lovely, with only one rainy day and temperatures into the 80s (F not C). While we were there, the city was voted as America’s most walkable, and the third best for visiting on a budget. Like many USA cities, it’s expensive. The exchange rate did not help, but the holiday itself was good value for money. The historic areas were full of school children during the week, and foreigners at weekends. A great thing to do is find a nice park with a cafe, have a cocktail and sit watching the world go by. It’s not a great place for shopping. We only found one shop that sold any teddy bears but they were nice ones. Macy’s has a large store with an enormous organ. People were generally friendly and chatty. Lots of places are really lovely and worth seeing. However, you don’t have to go far to see people sleeping on the streets or begging for money. But maybe that’s the same everywhere these days. A big thing at restaurants is BYOB, bring your own bottle (ie wine). Restaurants may make a small charge for opening it or providing drinking glasses. The famous art gallery, from Rocky fame, is an interesting building and entry is not cheap, though the day we went it was free, saving $25. There are some interesting items in there, but mostly it feels a bit empty and more could have been made of the space. And if you like seafood….