This website is no longer updated, however, we are leaving it up for archival purposes.
Future travel adventures will be documented on the main Snapshot Chronicles site.
Cityscapes Philadelphia – What To Do, Science & History Geek Edition
One full day of our Philadelphia weekend, our second full day of sightseeing, was the Science day.
We spent most of the day at The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia’s most excellent science museum. We saw the planetarium show, The Wildest Weather In The Solar System, which was included in our admission, and Kenya Animal Kingdom, the 3-D movie in the Franklin Theater, which had a small upcharge on our Philadelphia Pass admission. Exhibits we liked the best: the special exhibit on tech innovations, the gears and small machines, and the train factory. And of course, the gift shop where Doug found some great science and math books, including The Geek Handbook and a super “Big Bang Theory” inspired t-shirt that spells out our favorite catch phrase using the symbols for barium zinc and gallium – BA ZN GA. Not exactly this one on Amazon, but close.
On this trip we did not have time for the nearby Academy of Natural Sciences, or the Mutter Museum of medical oddities, which was just a bit off our planned trajectory, but they are both on the list for our next visit.
History
We started our mini-vacation with a visit to the Ben Franklin Museum, which is part of the Independence National Park exhibits, but has a small admission fee. Located on — well strictly speaking underneath — the site of his home and printing business, the museum mixes interactive exhibits and historical artifacts to tell the story of Franklin’s life and role in American history.
The rest of the National Park exhibits are free but you need a timed ticket for the guided tour of Independence Hall (get it free at the National Park desk in the Visitor Center or preorder online for a small charge) and there is a queue to see the Liberty Bell. Both of these exhibits also have security inspection of your bags. Our strategy was to go on a weekday first thing (Tuesday to be exact.) 
We were able to do the first tour of Independence Hall at 9am, followed by Congress Hall (where the House and Senate met when Philadelphia was the US capitol), and there was no line to speak of for the Liberty Bell when we finished with those two important landmarks. Weekends especially later in the day the lines for the Bell are LONG!!!
Most of the rest of the historical sites we saw from the comfort of our seats on the Big Bus Tour, which we used to get around for the two middle days of our 4-day trip. We also did the duck tour, Ride the Ducks, since it was included on our pass, and we had a little time left at the end of Science Day. While it covered most of the same sites as the Big Bus, it was fun to get on the water for that perspective.
We wrapped up our trip with a visit to the Philadelphia Zoo, which I am squeezing into the history category since it is America’s first zoo. Highlights for me were the Victorian-era animal statues throughout the zoo, and the Big Cat exhibit. It was too hot for the cats to be very active, but the exhibit was laid out in such a way that even sleeping cats were visible, without it being disturbing to their sleep. I’d love to go back on a cooler day, and slightly later in the day, when the chances would be better that animals would be moving through the catwalks featured in the exhibit.
On our list for our next visit: I want to go back to The Barnes Foundation, and Doug never passes up a chance to go to the science museum. We also want to check out the African American Museum, and outside of the city — the Adventure Aquarium across the river in Camden NJ and Longwood Gardens, which we visited briefly a few years ago and wanted to visit on this trip, but ran out of time.
Because there is A LOT to do in Philadelphia.
See all my photos from the trip on Flickr
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Cityscapes Philadelphia – What To Do, Art Museum Edition
We barely scratched the surface of things to do and see in Philadelphia, and are already planning a trip back.
We invested in the three-day Philadelphia Pass which was offering a discount when I purchased it, making it an even better value even though I hedged my bets and bought Doug an adult pass. Some of the attractions cut off child pricing at 12 and don’t offer student pricing (the Zoo for example) and I didn’t want to end up double paying in the end. If you are in the same situation, and have more time for research, I suggest checking out all the attractions you plan to visit and purchasing adult or child for your tweens and teens accordingly. Order online and pick it up at the Independence Visitor Center right downtown, which is a pretty good spot to start your exploration of Philadelphia anyway.
The Philadelphia Pass was definitely a good value for us as it offered admittance to everything on our “must-do” list. The City Pass is another less pricey alternative but it didn’t work for us because it required a choice between two attractions that were on our must-do list.
Since we had never been to Philadelphia, we took full advantage of one of the benefits of our 3-day Philadelphia pass, two-days on the Big Bus Tour , a hop on/hop off double decker tour bus that stops at most of the major attractions. Next time, we’ll just use public transportation (or walk) but for our first visit to the city, it was good to have the guidance.
NOTE: All the above companies promote offerings for other cities, including New York, so worth checking out for other destinations.
Our sightseeing basically revolved around Art, Science and History. In this post, I’ll share our art excursion, much enjoyed by me, tolerated (just) by Douglas.
Our Stops: The Barnes Foundation, including the special Cezanne exhibit, and the Rodin Museum.
The permanent exhibits at The Barnes Foundation are amazing, full stop. Starting with the building itself. The collection is a mix of largely Impressionist and Modern Art collected by Dr. Barnes at the turn of the 20th century as well as African art, furniture, jewelry and metalcraft. Barnes actively designed the displays, so each wall, each room is itself an artwork, with the pieces in each grouping combining to make a whole that you can appreciate as much as you do its individual parts. The galleries have windows, with the shades opening and closing as the natural light changes so the artwork is displayed, literally, in the best possible light.
Staggering fact: the art in the permanent collection is worth $25 billion in today’s market.
I was less impressed with the Cezanne exhibit, The World Is an Apple: The Still Lifes of Paul Cézanne. Perhaps because I was a little rushed by my non-art loving travel companion so I was not taking advantage of the audio tours, but it just felt on the small side, especially given the extra entrance fee it requires.
Know before you go: Bags, briefcases, backpacks are not allowed in the exhibit hall. At the coat and bag check they will provide you with a clear plastic tote for any items you need to carry with you. I imagine this is because the collection includes small objets d’art and jewelry that are NOT exhibited behind glass cases.
The Rodin Museum. Certainly one of the most impressive settings I’ve ever seen for a sculpture museum, and I loved seeing old favorites like the Burghers of Calais and the Thinker. It was very focused on Rodin’s Gates of Hell, and offered less context for Rodin’s life and other works such as the monument to Victor Hugo. I guess you need to go to the Musée Rodin in Paris for that. I believe it is however the second largest collection of Rodin after Paris, so if you are a fan (as I am), a must see. Your entrance fee also gets you admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We did not make that stop this trip however, as Doug was pretty much “arted-out” by that point.
A neat fact about Philadelphia – it was the first US city to create a public art program requiring real estate developers to commission art as part of the development process. Building projects that receive public funds are required to allocate 1% of the budget to public art.
Public art in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. One of four dragons representing the seasons.
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Cityscapes Philadelphia – Where to Eat
Instead of a week-long vacation this summer, Doug and I took long weekends. It was easier to manage with my work schedule. The only drawback was we were somewhat limited to places we could get to within a few hours, and preferably by car or train. In July, we did the YouCube Meetup and a few of our favorite Manhattan stomping grounds.
In August, we drove down to Philadelphia.
This was actually the first time I had been to Philadelphia as a tourist. I’ve been numerous times on business, starting way back in the 90s with the court challenges to the Communications Decency Act, and spent a fair amount of time in Montgomery and Bucks Counties for dog shows, but I’ve never actually seen the city. I’m glad I finally did. It was fun to discover a new place with Douglas, Even though he had been before during the 7th grade field trip, apparently they didn’t get much farther than Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the hotel pool.
Where we stayed: Hilton Garden Inn on Arch and 11th. Inexpensive, clean rooms right next door to Reading Terminal Market and convenient to public transportation as well as the hop on/hop off tour bus stops for Chinatown and the Market. Also right next to the convention center, so not a good choice if a major convention is in town.
Where we ate:
Molly Molloy’s in Reading Terminal Market. Breakfast twice, lunch on our last day before checking out of the hotel. It has a really nice sit-down area of its own in the center of the market with high top tables, which we both really liked.
When you are as tall as Doug, little cramped spaces just don’t appeal, and honestly, I like a little space too, so we both preferred it to the various (but yummy looking) food stalls in the market and the central eating spaces. Their homemade jams are very tasty, and a great accompaniment to the toast with your omelet or pancakes. For lunch, I recommend the Guac BLT. I also recommend you do not do what I did at the end of our last meal there, forget your credit card. Luckily, they had it when I called, so no funny charges are likely to turn up and the nice people at American Express immediately sent a replacement.
I remembered City Tavern from a business trip 5-6 years ago. I was speaking at a small conference and the dinner was at a restaurant right near by (Positano Coast). A few of us stopped in to the Tavern for a beverage before dinner. It reminded me quite a bit of Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, a favorite when we lived in that part of Massachusetts. When I crowd-sourced Philadelphia ideas on Facebook, a few people recommended it. Doug devoured a smoked salmon and trout appetizer, but wasn’t as crazy for his NY strip steak and shrimp. The steak had a bit more fat than he is used to. I had rack of lamb, which was flavorful, but unevenly cooked. I asked for medium rare, and some ribs bordered on well and others were rare. On average, medium rare, sure, but…. The desserts and breads were great, the colonial Raspberry Shrub (beverage) tasty, and the service excellent, so on balance I would recommend it, but as much for the historical significance as the cuisine, which is perfectly tasty just not haute.
Sonny’s Cheesesteaks. Unless you don’t eat meat, you can’t go to Philadelphia without at least trying a Philly cheesesteak. We had ours at Sonny’s on Market Street. 
Another restaurant recommendation — the Continental Martini Bar, also on Market in the Old City, Located in an old diner, the Continental offers a global tapas menu. Sounds weird I know but tasty. We had hummus, fish tacos, grilled shrimp and the cheesesteak eggroll, all of which we shared, followed by extremely tasty desserts, which we did not. I had the nutella tart with banana ice cream and Douglas had a blond brownie with malted vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend it, especially if you are already in the area for sightseeing. It is only a short walk from the Independence Hall area down Market Street.
Totally by accident, we also stopped for a quick bite at High Street On Market one of Bon Appétit magazine’s top new restaurants. Doug had an artisanal pizza and a delectable cream puff, and I had a peach tea cake — moist and not too sweet.
Lastly, be sure to leave enough time (and room in your tummy) to explore the stalls at Reading Terminal Market. In addition to the meals we ate there, we patronized the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company, Bassetts Ice Cream, Beiler’s Bakery, where we purchased a shoofly pie to bring home, The Tubby Olive, where we sampled and bought some interesting olive oils and balsamic vinegars, and the Cookbook Stall where Doug purchased his first cookbook of his own, 500 Pizzas & Flatbreads.
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Cityscapes: San Jose
I had a little down time after BlogHer last month so I checked out the San Jose Museum of Art. A small museum, it took a little over an hour to cover all the galleries. I particularly enjoyed two exhibits, Initial Public Offering, a selection of recently acquired works, and Legacy, an exhibit of modern art donated by collector Emily Fisher Landau to the Whitney Museum of American Art.
You can take photos in the IPO gallery so here are two pieces that I loved.
You cannot take pictures in the Legacy gallery, so I will just tell you to be on the lookout for the lovely wall of works by Jasper Johns, and in the same room, a silver sculpture that screamed “Game of Thrones.” Just think raven and a head. Just a head.
The museum has a small but lovely gift shop. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a gift for someone who likes unique jewelry or modern art inspired household and tech gadgets.
In the San Jose area with more than a few hours, but not enough to make the trek to San Francisco? The Winchester Mystery House is well worth a visit if you have an afternoon, and is conveniently located near the Santana Row outdoor (and upscale) mall for shopping and restaurant choices. I’ve always had good luck at The Left Bank, but if Paris bistro isn’t your bag, there are many other dining choices.
Further afield, take the drive over the Santa Cruz mountains and check out the Santa Cruz boardwalk. If you have kids, you will probably be here all day, but if you can spring free, drive a little south to Capitola for interesting little boutiques and a lovely beach.
Hotels: the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz — right on the beach, and still in Santa Cruz but further inland, The Chaminade. In downtown San Jose, you can’t go wrong with any of the choices near the Convention Center – Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, St. Clair, Hyatt.