Philadelphia Walking Tour

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Hey guysss. Totally getting back aboard the blog wagon, mainly as it’s a distraction from the kitchen floor that needs sweeping. And the huge-ass pile of washing that needs to go in the machine. And tidying up the million products that seem to be strewn across the bedroom. Y’all get me, right?

As you might have noticed if you follow my Instagram/Twitter, I’ve been off in the States on a two and a half week trip, cruising down the East Coast on TrekAmerica’s Atlantic Dream. So much America, so much fun. I’ll be posting the majority of content over on the TrekAmerica blog in the coming weeks, so please do come over there and say hi too! But, as you know, I do love a good photospam post, so I’ll be popping plenty of my snaps and some quick chatter here too.

First up? It’s Philly.

Philadelphia CrosswalkPhiladelphia Horse and CartPhiladelphia Hospital

It’s actually quite the shocker that Philadelphia has never been a big-time bucket list place. Especially considering one of my favourite TV shows is set there, and one of my favourite bands came out swinging from a South Philly basement…

Watched those clips and listened to that song? Good, welcome back. If you like cool buildings, street art and pictures of me being stupid with statues, stick around.

Streets of Philadelphia

One of my fave ways to explore a new city is taking a big ol’ walk around it. And Philly has SO MANY lovely buildings to look at, particularly down the little backstreet areas. Philadelphia was quite different from what I was expecting – for some reason, I didn’t think it’d be so pretty.

Beautiful brick houses with epic, ornate window decorations. Tree-lined streets. We even walked past a doggy daycare centre…unfortunately I was too busy coo-ing over all the dogs to, uh, actually take a picture of it. Whoops.

Philadelphia StreetsPhiladelphia Corner HousesPhiladelphia Brick HousePhiladelphia Rainbow Crosswalk

Like in San Fran, Philly also has a rainbow crosswalk – although San Francisco’s is definitely more well-maintained…

In contrast with the pretty little streets, the centre of Philly features tall, shiny buildings alongside the older buildings. Like San Fran, a lot of the city is quite close together, so we were able to see different styles of architecture and completely different vibes just blocks apart. Which is pretty cool.

Philadelphia Buildings Philadelphia American Flag

Philadelpia Art Museum/Rocky Balboa Statue

What’s a visit to Philly without a stop-off at the classic ‘Rocky’ steps, right? Leading up to the impressive Philadelphia Art Museum, it goes without saying that I definitely ran up the steps, Balboa style. Although I needed a bit of a sit down when I got to the top…thankfully, there were some pretty awesome views to take in when I hit the top step though – down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, straight along to Philadelphia City Hall.

Philadelphia Art Museum Steps ViewPhiladelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia Art MuseumPhiladelphia Art Museum

And of course, I had to snap a pic with the famous Rocky statue – posing skills, totally on point.

Philadelphia Rocky Balboa Statue

Reading Terminal Market

Because all that walking makes for a hungry Milly, a stop-off at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market meant FOOD TIME. Imagine London’s Borough Market, but with a lot more neon.

Philadelphia Reading Terminal Market Philadelphia Reading Terminal Market

I grabbed myself a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich (because, when in Philadelphia, right?) and it was EPIC. Huge, full of meat and cheese, I definitely didn’t need the fries I picked up with it. But uh, I ate ’em anyway.

Afterwards, we had time to explore the market. Seriously, it has everything – from tasty lunch treats and fruit and veg to cookbooks and coffee. I could definitely eat here A LOT.

Also, I really freakin’ love neon.

Philadelphia Reading Terminal Market CheesesteaksPhiladelpia Reading Terminal Market Coffee

Philadelphia’s Mural Mile

Philadelphia Street Art

Who doesn’t love a bit of street art? Especially when it’s this epic. Philadelphia’s ‘Mural Mile’ features 17 murals along a 2.5 mile walking route. When the art’s this awesome, I won’t hold the extra mile and a half against them…

 

Philadelphia Mosaic Street Art

Legacy Mosiac Mural, Isaiah Zagar
Philadelphia equality mural

‘Pride and Progress’, Ann Northrup
Philadelphia Womens Rights Mural

‘Progress of Women’, Larissa Preston and Caesar Viveros

(This was probably my fave mural, both visually and the message behind it)

Philadelphia Street Art Walking TourPhiladelphia Street Mural

‘A People’s Progression Towards Equality’, Jared Bader
Philadelphia Mural

‘A Taste Of Summer’, Ann Northrup
Philadelphia LOVE statue

We finished off the walk with a visit to the iconic LOVE statue by Robert Indiana, temporarily moved from it’s usual home in John F. Kennedy Plaza.

After some photos and a run around in the dancing fountains (spoiler alert: I didn’t want to get my hair wet…), we headed back to the van and off to camp for the night. Next up – the classic sights of Washington DC…

(P.S It was indeed sunny in Philadelphia. Because Netflix never lies)

Catch up with my previous American Adventures here: Hiking in Yosemite National ParkViva Las VegasRoute 66 & SeligmanThe Grand Canyon | Los Angeles | Santa Monica | San Francisco Highlights | Exploring Alcatraz Island

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A walking guide to Philadelphia, covering street art, food and historical sights!