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usa: east coast trio FEATURE
PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTIC CITY AND BRANDYWINE/VALLEY FORGE THREE The rule of
A richly diverse East Coast threesome – Philadelphia, Atlantic City and Brandy Wine/Valley Forge – combine much of the best of the USA on one trip, says Steve Hartridge
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istorical sites and interactive attractions that detail the birth of the nation, top hotels and restaurants, world-class museums and
galleries, tax-free shopping in some of the best malls and outlet stores in the US, great nightlife, and beaches and seaside breezes come together in an easy-to-visit loop on the US’s eastern seaboard. Throw in a host of other attractions such as
professional sports, familiar movie settings, top golf courses, the longest boardwalk in the US, one of the country’s best farmers’ markets, and even boutique vineyards and your cleints can look forward to an unusually diverse holiday package when recommending Philadelphia, Atlantic City and Valley Forge and Brandywine, (known as the ‘Countryside of Philadelphia’ ) on the same East Coast itinerary. And getting between the three couldn’t be easier: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Atlantic City (New Jersey) are an easy one-hour car journey apart, or recommend the comfortable 90-minute train ride on the New Jersey Transit – for just $12. Valley Forge and Brandywine is less than an
hour’s drive from Philadelphia’s city centre. Read on to discover what all three destinations offer and how easy they are to combine.
PHILADELPHIA
Once something of an underachiever in tourism terms, and a distant runner when it came to competing with those other East Coast giants, New York and Washington DC, Philadelphia is now winning plenty of plaudits as the region’s ‘newest’, coolest, chicest and most happening urban centre. The days when ‘Philly’ was merely a one- or two-
day stopover for those looking for an introduction to US revolutionary history or to follow in the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone, who put the city on the silver screen with his downtown training run in Rocky 1, is receding fast. Now, Philadelphia is becoming known – and
visited – as much for its emerging restaurant scene, fi ne arts, classy shopping malls and quirky one-off attractions (such as the now-closed Eastern State
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Penitentiary, said to be the world’s fi rst prison designed to inspire penitence, or regret, in the heart of criminals). It’s true that the Liberty Bell, located in Independence National Historic Park, and the ‘Rocky Steps’ that lead up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art are still the most sought after photo opportunities, but ‘Articulture’ is the new buzzword in 2014 for a city that can boast a stunning line-up of fi ne arts and museums – so much so that it was voted Number one Culture City in the US by Travel and Leisure Magazine in 2014. Another highly-respected US publication, The
Huffi ngton Post, described Philadelphia as the USA’s ‘most underrated city’ and gave 31 reasons why it is now one of the country’s most exciting destinations. These varied from its street food (soft pretzels are a must) to Reading Terminal Market (which sells almost any kind of cuisine you can think of, including authentic Amish food) to America’s oldest brewery right in Philadelphia’s backyard (D. G. Yuengling & Son was founded in 1829 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and is one of the most popular beers in Philly). Perhaps it is no surprise that Philadelphia is America’s ‘Renaissance City’ – after all, it has always been a place where all kinds of people have come to make things happen, says Brian Said, Executive Director, Tourism for the Philadelphia Convention
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