We made a pitstop in Philly but we only had an afternoon to explore, so here’s what we did.
On our way back home from Delaware, we were flying out of Philadelphia, so we got into the city earlier to sightsee before catching our flight. Number one on our list was seeing the Liberty Bell.
Based on our minimal prior research, we figured out that the building that houses the Liberty Bell has “airport-level security.” We were running around the city with our suitcases and bags, so we had decided if the line was super long, we’d just glanced at the bell through the window and leave. Luckily though, there was no line.
We got in right away, and yes, there was indeed airport-level security. We had to put our bags through the scanner, take off our shoes, the whole 9 yards. However, it went very quick, so we were through in just a minute or two. We were two of maybe six visitors at the time. According to the rangers, this time of year is slow (early March) because the schools haven’t hit field trip season yet. Our lucky day.
The building was long with a historical timeline of events leading down the hallway to the back of the building where the Liberty Bell sat in front of a large glass window. It was roped off so you couldn’t get too close, but you still could walk a full circle around it. In all honesty, the bell was rather underwhelming. It was cool to see and read about the history, but now that I’ve checked it off my list, I’m satisfied.
After viewing the Liberty Bell, we headed across the street to check out Independence Hall. This is where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by America’s Founding Fathers as well as the Constitution. While they aren’t displayed here, that’s still pretty cool. You can take tours of the hall, but we didn’t have time for that since we needed to make it back to the airport.
We went through security again, removing our shoes and putting our bags through the machines. Then we walked into Independence Square to marvel at the historical buildings. Then we realized we didn’t need to go through security to see the square, we could have just walked over a block and seen it from Walnut Street, but oh well.
Philly Cheesesteaks at Campo’s
We were in a rush and the last thing on our list was to get Philly Cheesesteaks in Philly. However, despite having cheesesteaks offered everywhere, we were looking for a good vegetarian option since I’m currently vegetarian. While the food trucks were recommended to us, they didn’t seem to have a reliable vegetarian option so we headed down a few blocks to Campo’s Philly Cheesesteaks on Market Street.
I ordered the Vegan Works, but since I’m not vegan I added the famous cheese whiz topping. I’m not sure what the vegan base was, seemed like it could have been tempeh or seitan, but I’m not super well-versed in either. All I know is it was delicious and I’d order that same sandwich again, vegetarian or not. The protein was tender and flavorful, and the cheese oozed into all the cracks coating every bite. A Philly cheesesteak in Philly was definitely worth the hype.
I had no idea, but apparently soft pretzels are also a big thing in Philly…? Still not sure why, but I gave in and bought two soft pretzels to go, put them in my bag and brought them through security to share with Ethan when I got home.
It was a hectic morning/afternoon speed racing through bucket list items in Philly, but we had a very successful morning and were home by two in the afternoon. What a day.
kpctravels.com 