A POLITICAL SEASON

Two hundred and thirty-two years ago, in 1776, inalienable rights were all the talk among this country’s leading politicians as they composed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Their document would not be a wrap until August of that year, but they celebrated anyway on July 8. All the city bells rang and bands played as the Declaration of Independence was read out loud to the crowds gathered in support.

Founded in 1862 by pacifist Quaker William Penn, this city is known as the birthplace of the nation because both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were drafted here two hundred years ago. Philadelphia was the birthplace of public education—the first public school was established here in 1698. Ben Franklin founded the first scientific institution in 1749 and Betsy Ross had sewed the first U.S. flag on record while living on Arch Street in 1777. The country’s first mint was established by an act of Congress in Philadelphia in 1792. City Center features more than 20 sites associated with Early American history, beginning with Independence Hall, originally completed in 1753, and Carpenters Hall plus the First and Second Banks of the United States.

Literally translated to mean “The City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia has a grid system that makes the city warm, fuzzy and easy to interpret, even for the first-time visitor. Texas has toast, Denver has the omelet and Philly has the cheese steak sandwich. A 2005 grad of nearby Lehigh University, Jessica Terlecki and her fellow coeds would make late-night cheese steak runs to Pat’s www.patskingofsteaks.com, “Well worth the wait even at 3 a.m.,” says Terlecki, adding, “Trust me.”

Only 68 minutes by train to parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Philadelphia has the third largest downtown population in the country next to New York and Chicago.  Philly offers a cost of living that’s conservative by any measure and the pedestrian-friendly urban core claims to have 40 percent of its population walking to work versus commuting by car.

Society Hill in Center City, bounded by Walnut, South, Front and 8th Streets, contains the largest concentration of original 18th- and early 19th-century architecture of any place in the United States. Row houses in Federal
and Georgian style populate the district named after the 18th-century Free Society of Traders. Make a point of seeing Society Hill Synagogue, built  as a Baptist church in 1829 and entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, as well as St. Peter’s Church, completed in 1761.

Philadelphia’s story comes alive at Cliveden, one of eight fabulous historic house museums in the city’s historic Germantown neighborhood and the only National Trust property in the state of Pennsylvania. As the site of the 1777 Battle of Germantown and home to 7 generations of the prominent Chew family (Benjamin Chew was the first owner, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania as well as a British Loyalist), the house actually bears bullet-holes and cannon damage from the Battle, and the Battle itself is reenacted there every October
www.revolutionarygermantown.org.

If you prefer your action on the playing field versus reenactments of historic battles, check out the Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Phantoms, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia
Soul or the Philadelphia KiXX schedules by going to www.philadelphia.about.com.