More Than Just a Historic Landmark

Cobblestone streets surrounded Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell center as tourists lined up to see the exhibits that awaited them inside. People waited, somewhat impatiently, staring at the large, numerous sings advertising the displays as the security guards slowly let groups of people into the exhibit. Lines curved around the building and seemed to go on forever. However, while the Liberty Bell is an importance artifact in history, it does not define Philadelphia now. On this trip, we experienced what does define Philadelphia; the diversity that is contained there, represented by the many sections of the city.

Andre and Bridget, my travel companions, and I decided that we would try to get a glimpse of the Liberty Bell as we passed the center, opting out of the 25 minute wait in the line. We walked passed the side of the building, and came upon a small window with a perfect view of the Bell. The two minutes we spent looking at it was the perfect amount of time, and did not come with the obligation of walking through the rest of the exhibit. Once we were content with the Liberty Bell, the next historical site in the area, Independence Hall was our next stop. Again, the line for the walk through the hall seemed to go on forever, so we decided to pass by and continue on our journey. We had planned to next go to Washington Square, the last historic stop we intended to see. Walking into what we though was Washington Square, we were surprised at its emptiness. Not only did this lawn look slightly underdone, but it was completely deserted in contrast to the multitude of people at the Liberty Bell Center. We walked around to the front to see if this was our actually destination only to realize that this lawn was solely the back yard of the Second Bank of the United States. This bank had been turned into a museum of portraits, and the most surprising aspect was the lack of people in the museum. This building was right next door, literally 15 feet away from Independence Hall, yet it seemed so abandoned. It was not that there weren’t people admiring the portraits covering the walls, it was the silence and serenity of the people walking around that made it so out of place. All would silently walk throughout the museum, reading the plastic-covered caption card posted under each portrait and learning about the people who created their history. It was nice to see a place that had amazing facts about our past that had not been taken over by tourism.

Even before reaching any of historical Philadelphia, we had made a stop in Chinatown. Entering through the Friendship Gate, a huge entryway with intricate designs and Chinese writing marking the beginning to Chinatown, the city transformed from tall, dreary, office buildings to small, bright, colorful Chinese shops. The streets were crowded compared to the empty sidewalks just outside of Chinatown while mothers maneuvered through the crowds pulling their children behind. Even we had to be careful to not get lost in the fast pace of the people who walked through the town. As we walked down the sidewalks, we passed by little shops, each having its specialty. Soon, the smell of fish radiated through the streets, and we finally came to the little market selling seafood. People stood attempting to carefully choose their groceries from the rows and rows of fish and other seafood from the open market. This store, displaying fish right out in the open, seemed so different from anything I would expect to see in other sections of the city.

Later, while walking down 6th Street on our way to Mother Bethel AME Church, the atmosphere once again changed with the new diversity of the area. The buildings were no longer stores, offices, or historical sites, but now houses with actual inhabitants. The streets were no longer crowded, and was quaint compared to the chaos of Chinatown and Historic Philadelphia. This church we were on our way to has been owned by African-Americans ever since Richard Allen started it in 1787, and is the piece of property that has been under African-American ownership for the longest time. Passing the church, we read the historical facts about it on the brown wooden sign next to the church, and it seemed the church service had just ended. An older women walked out, and said “Good Morning” to us as she passed, on her way to a younger women and her son a few feet down from us.

From there, we continued to South Street. Walking up and down the street, it appeared to be a popular place to be. We stopped in Jim’s Steaks for a famous Philly Cheesesteak. Although it wasn’t Pat’s or Geno’s, the two places most well known for their cheese steaks, the line for Jim’s filled up the shop and continued outside, so we expected it would be good. No matter how long the line, this was one of the places it was worth waiting for. It was necessary for us to get a taste of Philadelphia, and of course, its signature sandwich. After a good 20 minutes in line, we finally reached the front. Ordering went quickly, as did the actually production of the sandwiches. They formed an assembly line, one man took you order, preparing the bread and cheese. While many, including Bridget and Andre, got cheese whiz on their steaks, I opted for American. He then handed the half-made sandwich to the next man, who placed the roll face down on the thinly chopped meat and scooped it up, adding any additional toppings you requested. Once completed, the sandwich was handed to yet another man who wrapped it in a sandwich wrapper, got you a drink, and placed it on a tray, without a plate of course. Then, you were set to find the staircase in the back of the store and climb the steep stairs to an open seating areas. Although it was crowded, we managed to grab a table and three stools for us to sit on. The walls were lined with autographs and photos of famous people who had eaten, and apparently enjoyed, their own meal at Jim’s.

Finishing our steaks, we decided we would investigate yet another atmosphere in the city by going into the Hyatt hotel. Walking around the lobby, we decided to take a trip up the elevator to get a better look of the place. We pressed the small silver button, awaiting the ding of the bell, signaling the elevator, and stepped through the doors that opened. We were faced with a short women with sneakers on, and two men standing besides their full bags. They had been struggling with the elevator, because none of the buttons would light up, and the elevator stood in place. Standing in the shiny, silver little box crowded with the six of us, we tried to figure out what the problem was. One man said to Bridget, who was eating an apple, “If that’s the only food you’ve got, you may want to make it last, because we may be in here for a while,” in a voice that sounded only half-kidding. Finally someone pushed the huge rectangular lobby button, opening the door, however not getting us to our destination. We decided to try our luck with a different elevator, so we entered the next one that opened, following a younger couple, and being followed by the three we had shared the previous elevator with. Finally, between the eight of us crowded into the elevator, we figured out you needed to enter a room key to be able to press a button. The younger couple pushed their card into the slot, and asked what floors we were traveling to. Andre wanted to see the top floor, so we told them to press the button for floor 26. Surprisingly, floor 26 wouldn’t light up, and since we had no room key, we ended up getting off the elevator with the younger couple, yet became disappointed with the floor. Expecting some sort of view from the city, or at least a window in the hallway, we were surprised to see a bland corridor with numerous white doors everywhere you looked. Disappointed with our exploration of the hotel, we went back down to the lobby, and seeing the time, went to the Vietnam Memorial to end our trip.

Philadelphia, a city I had never really looked closely at before, proved not only to be an interesting city, but also a place with extreme diversity in different sections. Chinatown, Historical Philadelphia, 6th Street, South Street, and even the Hyatt proved to each have their own atmosphere, completely different from all the others. While not the only places to visit in Philadelphia, these spots showed the diversity of the city, and provided us with a good time.