Philadelphia

The title of the article says it all. It is the zip code of Independence Hall Philadelphia and PA is the postal abbreviation of this great city. Independence Hall is must-see-stop on the sightseeing tour of Philly. The beauty of the visit begins with the timed ticket. Walk-up tickets are free and available at Independence Visitor Center. The tickets are usually snapped by noon in the busy season. Tickets can be purchased by phone or email for a very small entry fee. All you need to do is press the button for Reserve advance tickets on the official visit Philly website. The experience is worth the visit.

Independence Hall

During the hot 1776 summers of 56 brave hearts defied the King of England at the Pennsylvania State House. The next 11 years witnessed chaos and tempers ran high and ferocious with doubts about a strong central government. The checks and balances provided by three branches of the government led to representatives of 12 States meeting in 1787 and shaping the Constitution of the United States creating one unified country.

In the West Wing the original draft of the Constitution along with the original inkstand that was used to sign the Declaration is exhibited and in the Assembly Room the center piece is the ‘rising sun’ chair of George Washington. The guided tour of Independence Hall is led by National Park Rangers and starts in the courtroom that had lawyers from both sides.

Philly is world heritage city

In 2015 Philadelphia joined the pantheon of 266 World Heritage Cities and on Nov 6th the City of Philadelphia became the first World Heritage City in the entire United States. Philly is in the august company of Paris, Rome. Cairo, Quebec, Tel-Aviv and other great World Heritage Cities that is included in UNESCO World Heritage list.

Natural Science Museum

Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia now known as The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the oldest natural science research organization in the world. The institution was founded in 1812 with mission statement of encouraging and cultivating the sciences. The Institution in its over 200 years of operation houses more than 17 million specimens of natural history in collections that has been a saga of continuous environmental and systematic research. This institution was the culmination of enlightened thought and scientific curiosity among the small group of naturalists. Philadelphia was already the cultural capital in America and was led by renowned institutions like the Library Company and the American Philosophical Society.

The museum is a library of biodiversity. The collections are priceless and range from Botany, Diatoms, Entomology, Ichthyology, Malacology, Ornithology, Vertebrate paleontology and several other collections.

Philly Steak houses

No Philly tour is complete without partaking the delicious rolls from Pat’s Steaks or Geno’s or Jim’s Cheesesteaks. These stalwarts are what make the 1930 creation of hot beef rolls world famous. Having breakfast at Readings Market ( farmers market that opened in 1892) is a gourmand’s delight – from Amish pastries and cakes that are prepared right in front of you, to cheese burghers and steaks – importantly easy on the purse.