A Day in Philadelphia PA

A few weeks ago I found myself in Philadelphia, PA for a magazine photo shoot. With about 8-hours of down time between scouting and the shoot, I set out with my camera, a desire to explore, some helpful advice from visitphilly.com, and an empty stomach. After a full afternoon/evening I come to know why people refer to this as the “City of Brotherly Love” (aside from the fact that Philadelphia is actually Greek for brotherly love which is derived from philos, “love” or “friendship”, and adelphos, “brother”.  Sadly 8-hours was barely enough to scratch the surface of what this great city has to offer. If you find yourself in Philly, here are a few things that I learned to help you along your way.

The Washington Monument Fountain, situated just inside the northwest edge of Eakins Oval, in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs, is shilouetted against a backdrop of scattered clouds.

  • Pat’s King of Steaks was the first steak sandwich, dating back to 1930 so naturally it was the first one I tried, and my favorite amongst the three that I tried with Tony Luke’s and Geno’s Steak’s coming in a respectable 2nd and third.
    • As a side note, the lines at all of these locations while long, move very quickly. No one on either side of the counter likes a slow/indecisive orderer. If it is your first time take a look at the link for Pat’s above for a quick rundown on how to order like a local.
  • Having been raised in the south, I sometimes assume incorrectly that people above the Mason Dixon Line aren’t as friendly. By and large, this isn’t true and Philly is a prime example of this. Make sure you meet as many people as possible.
  • During the summer months the outdoor beer gardens in Philly are second to none. Make sure to check out VisitPhilly.com’s List of “The Best Beer Gardens in Philadelphia”. My personal favorite was Pop-Up Park on The Oval, which made me feel like I was back in the south with strings of outdoor lighting and lanterns dispersed amongst sprawling hardwood trees, with plenty of seating, cold beer and slices of pizza. If you get the evening right you can also check out the competition of the city’s bocce ball league.

Sadly 8-hours just wasn’t enough to check out everything I wanted to. I would recommend a minimum of 3-days if you want to be able to see all of the historic sights in addition to the the new favorites.

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Photography and text © copyright 2014 Brett Flashnick/Flashnick Visuals, LLC – All Rights Reserved. Visit the archive site to purchase editorial licensing, prints, and personal downloads http://flashnickvisuals.com/store/item/philadelphia-pennsylvania-city-brotherly-love/. Free gallery embed code available for blogs that do not derive any revenue from advertising or sponsorships Contact Us to find out more information.

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