Lesser Known Philly
This Summer one of my best friends invited me to meet up in Philly. He spends many of his work days in the center of the city and I was living nearby in Carbon County. We decided to meet up when he and his team finished for the day.
I arrived early since I was on vacation and I decided I would park for free in Philly and leisurely walk toward my friend. I found a place in Fairmount Park at the entrance of the Sedgley Woods Disc Golf course. I illegally crossed Route 13 on my way out , but that was the only time I was without a pedestrian path.
I walked a quarter mile through Breweryton and then wove my way into another section of Fairmount Park. It is massive! I saw open access basketball courts, a playground, and a historic building called Lemon Hill Mansion. As I sauntered along I found myself at the building side of Boathouse Row. For decades we had past this landmark on the highway and Dad had pointed it out as a symbol of Philadelphia. I walked towards the student buildings and the boats on the dock. I looked across the Schuylkill river just to make sure I had my bearings. It was true. I was on the boatside of Boathouse Row, looking into the city of my childhood roadtrips.
As I continued walking I arrived to the Philadelphia Art Museum, but at the rear facing gardens! People usually miss this area since the main entrance is on the opposite end of the massive city building. There was an azalea garden and a number of well kept plants. Between the plants and the museum were a surprising number of free two hour parking places. I walked where my eyes called me, passing a few feet farther from the museum and towards some pretty pavilions. As I walked with the museum on my left and the Schuylkill on my right, I entered the first one that called out to me. It is the Mercury Pavilion and it gave me a wonderful now elevated view of Boathouse row.
I continued past the museums and found myself on a well kept paved walking path. I passed an open entry skate park on my left and later my path afforded a distant view of Drexel U and 30th street station. The path was long and leisurely, usually following the river. I noticed a simple set of free bathrooms. Simple, with no sink, but ready if someone were to need them.
I exited the path near 24th street to look for Nate and I found a few more beautiful buildings as we prepared to meet. There was the parish house of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. It looked ancient and strong in the bustling city. I continued along and saw what looked like a castle! On the sides of the buildings were signs that parking was restricted to military participants. When I found a sign for the mysterious and massive building, I learned that it is the home of the FIrst Troop Philadelphia City Calvary. This troop is the oldest mounted military unit in the USA. More information can be found here Hidden City Philadelphia . To the left of this beautiful structure was the Red Cross in a building labeled as their Scientific Building.
Here I met Nate, one my best friends and a longtime adventure partner. We had a blast catching up on life and looking through the city. We returned to the Schuylkill River Trail on the portion I had not finished. We followed the river until we reached the CHOP Roberts Center for Pediatric Research. Here we exited and started a stroll down South Street. We laughed to realize I am on the cusp of trying to do what Nate has been living for the past decade - start a family, find a place to live, make a life with his wife and kids. We past Mom Mom’s Kitchen, which almost won us over with the name. We continued onward, looking for some delicious cheesesteaks Nate had recommended.
In the end we stopped early and ducked into the PHS Pop Up Garden. It was a beautiful sheltered outdoor venue and the whole place felt like peace and relaxation. I enjoyed a “summer tomato sandwich” and a cucumber tonic while we continued to catch up on each other’s recent experiences.
This was an amazing day in the city! The company was fantastic and the route was splendid. The light, delicious meal finished off the trip perfectly. As we made our way back to the cars, my heart was happy. I hope it is not long until we can repeat the experience.
NYC for $12 Parking
Every once in a while I make my way over to New York City. A couple of trips have been for errands, but most have been for pleasure. At least one was a group trip for an exchange student my family was hosting at the time. I love visiting the massive city! My family and I started looking for ways to keep the trip affordable, especially the transportation. We are quite happy with the process we are developing.
Our current favorite method of touring NYC is parking on Staten Island and spending our day in Manhattan. This spares us from parking in the busiest parts of NYC and also reduces the stress of the road trip. We always park at the St. George Ferry lot on Staten Island. It costs $1.50 an hour or $12 for 18 hours of parking. We just pay the $12 and enjoy Manhattan until we are exhausted. I wish this method got us out of the crossing tolls around the city, but I have not figured out how to avoid those yet. I still paid about $15 to enter New York from New Jersey before I ended my drive.
There is absolutely no need for a car to enjoy Manhattan. My trip yesterday was one of my all time favorites. My wife and I left the car on Staten Island and entered the Staten Island Ferry. The boat leaves every 30 minutes and it is absolutely free. It runs 24/7 and the entry process is ridiculously simple for mass public transit. Simply arrive about 10 minutes before the boat you wish to take. Walk into the large room that holds the docks for the boat and make your way to the glass door. Do not be worried if a police officer allows their dog to smell your bags, it is just part of the security for the boat. Get in line for the boat and file on board once the crowd starts moving. It’s a 20 minute ride to Manhattan.
The first sight we saw yesterday was the Statue of Liberty. It is located on Ellis Island, but we enjoyed fabulous views and snapped photos as we passed it onboard the Staten Island Ferry. The bright green monument shined in the mid-distance as we passed it by. After enjoying the views, we exited our boat at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (the only stop the boat makes before returning to Staten Island). We walked out of the docking building and saw a sign for the subway right outside the entrance.
Our next stop was the American Museum of Natural History. We paid $2.90 each to ride the metro from the ferry station to 79th street. The “1” train completes the trip in 25 minutes. Then it’s a 10 minute walk to the museum. We both loved our time there. We spent about 2 ½ hours in the exhibits and really only covered the 1st and 4th floor. We studied gems, minerals, human origins, ocean life, and dinosaurs.
Then we went into the heart of the city! We entered the nearest subway and rode it to 57th street (every subway ride is $2.90 a person). We got off there for one of my favorite foods - the Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th. We split a delicious $11 chicken, beef, and rice dish from their spectacular food truck. There is usually an open spot to sit 15 feet from the truck and we found plenty of room on our Wednesday visit.
Next the must sees! From Halal Guys we strolled down to The Red Steps at Father Duffy Square (46th and 7th Avenue) and into Times Square (42nd and 7th Avenue). The crowds were thick and sealike as we hit those famous sites. We kept walking downward and the crowds began to thin out. As we hit 34th street we could see the Empire State Building in the distance. We walked the two blocks East to 5th Avenue and snapped some photos in front of the building that spent 40 years as the tallest in the world.
We ended our trip with that stop at at the Empire State Building. We hopped on the nearest subway and rode the “W” line down to Whitehall Ferry Station (a 20 minute ride). We filed onto the Staten Island Ferry and passed the Statue of Liberty once more. This time its crown and torch glowed with light in the gentle black sky of the evening. After the peaceful 20 minute boat trip, we filed out and walked the 3 minutes to our car. We were sleepy but thrilled by our amazing day in the Big Apple.