Trip Report: November 27 - December 21, 2001
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
28 DAYS ON THE RAILS
THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 11 and 12, 2001
Our visit is primarily a cultural and walking tour of The City of Brotherly Love. My mother is a bright and healthy eighty-eight and has been a widow for seventeen years. Her Ambridge family is not interested in music, art, or walking and she does not get around herself as easily as she used to. By her own admission she is a collector of concert halls and art museums and Philadelphia has been on her list for years. Although I am not an art buff, Sylvia is, so she escorts Mom to the Museum of Fine Arts, while I venture to the Franklin Institute, a museum of science and industry.
I am specifically interested in seeing the Baldwin 60000, a three cylinder 4-10-2 steam locomotive. This was an experimental unit built and tested by Baldwin in the early 1930s, then donated to the Institute in 1933. It is resting on rails on the ground level of the Institute, and comes complete with steam sounds and simulated steam vapor. It actually moves back and forth a few feet to accompanying chuffs from its smokestack loudspeaker. This is quite interesting; however this museum, as many others in the U.S., has been turned into a children's playground. Lines of yellow school busses are parked on the streets outside, and groups of shouting grade school children are in every gallery inside. The philosophy of the museum appears to be "learn by playing," and there are no rules.
Seeking peace and quiet, I venture out onto the busy streets of Philadelphia for a walking tour of hotels and interesting buildings. There are many fine hotels in the downtown area, from the Grecian Temple of the Ritz Carlton to the modernity of the Doubletree. Wanamaker's Department Store has been sold to Lord & Taylor, but they still have the massive pipe organ in the ten story grand hall atrium. City Hall, topped by a towering statue of William Penn, is undergoing an extensive renovation. The new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to have its grand opening this Friday with a $5000.00 per person admission fee. The Philadelphia Orchestra is moving next door to Kimmel from its century old home at the Academy of Music. (The opera and ballet will continue to use the Academy.) The grand 30th Street Station is visible at the end of Broad Street. Downtown at One Penn Center is the Pennsylvania Railroad Suburban Station, built in 1930, and now utilized by SEPTA, South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority.
The office lobby at One Penn Center displays not only the original Art Deco motif, but also contemporary artwork celebrating The Standard Railroad of the World.
The former Reading Terminal is now a vast open market place, although SEPTA trains still have platforms on the lower level.
This is a very walkable city, as all of these sights can be taken in within an hour's walk. Carrying a street map is helpful, although the city has provided maps on many lampposts throughout the downtown area, to make it easier for walkers. There is also a very practical tourist shuttle service called PHLASH, which makes a one hour loop connecting all locations of interest to tourists, from the funky South Street to the Museum of Fine Arts. An all day pass is only $4.00, with on and off privileges.
On Wednesday, we take PHLASH from our hotel to Independence Mall, walk to the Hyatt Hotel on the Delaware River waterfront to view Admiral Dewey's 1892 flagship, the cruiser "Olympia." Across the river in Camden, we can see the more contemporary battleship "New Jersey." Another short walk takes us to South Street for lunch at the Famous 4th Street Deli. Then after PHLASHing to Independence Hall to be photographed with docents dressed in Revolutionary War period clothing, we take our last PHLASH back to our hotel.
Dining. The Sheraton has an excellent breakfast buffet, $7 cold, $11 complete. Their room service is quite good, but their two restaurants are very noisy for lunch and dinner. However there are several restaurants within an easy walking distance, including a Bookbinders, although not the Original Bookbinders on Walnut Street. For light lunches there is a food court at the Reading Terminal, including Philly's best ice cream at Bassett's. For the traditional, there is a café on Lord & Taylor's third floor, overlooking the atrium. There are several restaurants in the Arts District so that concert goers can park and dine, then stroll to their entertainment. Some even have after theater dining.
Music. The Philadelphia Orchestra, under Wolfgang Sawallisch is certainly one of the top orchestras of the world. The acoustics at the Academy of Music are superb, something for the new Kimmel Center to live up to. The intimate Curtis Hall at the School of Music is fine for the small groups that we heard at the two concerts that we attended. A Mozart violin concerto with a twelve piece chamber orchestra, a string quartet, duo piano, piano and cello, and piano and viola. There is even a pipe organ with a full four manual console.
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