USA: East Coast Trio
“Philadelphia has plenty
to offer any visitor and could easily occupy two or three days on a self-drive or touring itinerary”
HEIDI BLADES, GENERAL MANAGER, PREMIER HOLIDAYS For a taste of local produce and famous
city staples, like a Philly Cheese Steak, suggest the central Reading Terminal Market, with its mouth-watering food, including Amish specialities. Philadelphia’s nightlife is also becoming
well known. It has become a leading centre for gastronomes, with restaurants run by celebrity chefs like Stephen Starr, Jose Garces, and Georges Perrier. There’s also a growing number of intimate ‘speakeasy’ bars. The term dates from the Prohibition period of the 1920s when alcohol was ’outlawed’ and unmarked drinking joints were hidden away in side alleys. The best known is The Raven, on Sansom
Street. Over several fl oors, it’s a bar, comedy venue and dance club in one, complete with atmospheric black walls and dim lighting. Philadelphia will also appeal to sports enthusiasts, with the Phillies (baseball), 69rs (basketball), Eagles (American football) and Flyers (Ice hockey) all resident in the city. Throw in those colourful outdoor murals,
the country’s third-largest Chinatown, a tour of the now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary which was once a temporary home for Al Capone, the African American Museum, and a busy calendar of festivals and Philadelphia provides all the necessary elements for a fun- fi lled holiday.
professional sports stadiums. A dining and entertainment hot spot, venues include a pub, beer hall and a a 24-foot wide, Sony LED video board,which shows both sports game and family friendly movies. On match days visitors can watch the action on the big screen. Hotels: The city’s 10,000-plus hotel rooms will grow when a new Ritz Carlton and a W Hotel opens, although no dates have been announced. A new Marriott is planned for the city’s Navy Yard area. Operators: Collette Worldwide’s RHS Garden Holidays brochure features a Gardens of American History 10-night tour, which includes two nights in Philadelphia and a tour to the Brandywine Valley and Longwood Gardens. Titan Travel is featuring a one-night stop in Philadelphia on its Eastern Extravaganza escorted coach tour.
T I And it’s easy to schedule the city into
any east coast itinerary, says Mark White, product manager, scheduled businesses North America, Thomas Cook, which features Philadelphia in both its Thomas Cook Signature and Gold Medal programmes. “The city is a good gateway for fl y-drive itineraries of the east coast and beyond because it is served by so many regular daily fl ights from the UK. Also, you can get to Philly in just over an hour from New York City, or slightly longer by Amtrak train, and in less than three hours from Washington DC”.
WHAT’S NEW Training: The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (PHLCVB) new website is designed to position the city as a leading destination for visitors, meetings and conventions, and prospective international students. Visitors can plan an itinerary, search for hotels, view restaurants in
particular neighbourhoods and much more via a new interactive map. There’s also a hotel booking engine.
www.discoverPHL.com Attractions: Xfi nity Live is a new venue located outside of three
Prohibition days of the 1930s, and although such tales of boot-legging, moonshine and mob turf wars are understandably not themes that the tourism board (atlanticcitynj. com) is keen to push there’s little doubt that the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire has raised awareness of the destination billed as America’s oldest seaside resort. Dedicated fans of the TV series can take a trolley tour of some of the sites featured, while visitors can walk, cycle or be pushed in a ‘rolling chair’ along the four-mile-long boardwalk, perhaps stopping off for some of the city’s famous saltwater taffy.
Sixty miles east of Philadelphia, the sprawling ocean-fronting city on the Jersey shore is best known for its resort casinos, boardwalk and nearby sandy beaches. Its long history dates back to the W
D C E B Y I O F
Although still best known for its line-up of 12 resort casinos, it’s also a city with more than its fair share of celebrity chef-owned restaurants, great shopping and concert venues, which has hosted the likes of Madonna, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. Those resorts include iconic names such as Tropicana, over 20
which alone has
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