iconic training scenes from


Sylvester Stallone’s boxing movie were shot there, and there’s a statue of Rocky Balboa at the bottom. The collection, rather than the


presentation, is the star inside. There’s a phenomenal hoard from around the world, with a particularly strong set by French impressionists and one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers paintings. It’s an old-school place aimed squarely at art lovers. Just down the Benjamin


Franklin Parkway is an arresting alternative. The Barnes Foundation was set up by irascible medicine magnate Albert Barnes, who stipulated that his collection must be displayed in a certain way. This leads to higgledly- piggledly walls with great works of art stacked in formation, with multimillion-pound Van Goghs and Cezannes used as building blocks to form pyramids – and it’s a masterpiece of playing with expensive ingredients. But the art that’ll make people


fall in love with Philadelphia is public. On South Street, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens sees dozens of buildings covered in glorious glass mosaics, while there are thousands of murals painted on walls across the city. Viator sells walking and Segway tours that take in some of the more impressive murals.


Reading Terminal Market


◗ SEE: MARKETS AND MUSEUMS Before stepping into the overwhelming tide of cultural fixes, Reading Terminal Market is a fabulous place to sample Philly’s character over breakfast. There’s an amazing array of food stalls, selling everything from cranberry cookies and shaved meat sandwiches to cheese made on site. From there, the worthy but


excellent attractions around the Independence National Historical Park can be tackled. The National Constitution


Center does a cracking job of explaining the world’s first written constitution, the arguments that took place over what to include in it and the changes that have been made since. This might seem exceedingly dry, but it’s not. The experience kicks off with a rousing theatrical presentation, before unleashing visitors into a circular hall that dives into slavery, states’ rights, unionisation of workers and more. There’s great use of touchscreens, allowing you to find out about 100 people (well, 99 people and one mouse) that have had an impact on shaping the constitution, and to choose your favourite in a fantasy election between two American presidents selected at random.


64 travelweekly.co.uk 27 September 2018


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