Planning trip to Philadephia (Philadelphia, Erie: city hall, houses, transfer to)

[goodlife36]

I discovered Philadelphia is rich in AA history. I would like to plan a short visit. I was thinking of staying in Center City but it is a little pricey. Any close by neighborhoods to consider that is accessible by public transportation? Is Center City equivalent to Manhattan? Any must see attractions?

[acenturi]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

I discovered Philadelphia is rich in AA history. I would like to plan a short visit. I was thinking of staying in Center City but it is a little pricey. Any close by neighborhoods to consider that is accessible by public transportation? Is Center City equivalent to Manhattan? Any must see attractions?

Visit Philadelphia - Official Visitor and Tourism Site for Philadelphia - visitphilly.com
Hostels are cheap, if you can accept the tight living environment. Stay mid-week for more privacy. Overall Advantage: you'll likely meet other travelers , including international visitors.
https://www.google.com/search?q=phil...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[goodlife36]

Originally Posted by acenturi

Visit Philadelphia - Official Visitor and Tourism Site for Philadelphia - visitphilly.com
Hostels are cheap, if you can accept the tight living environment. Stay mid-week for more privacy. Overall Advantage: you'll likely meet other travelers , including international visitors.
https://www.google.com/search?q=phil...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Thank you.

[eliza61nyc]

Also the African American museum is downtown. Mother Bethal AME church and theGermantown section of the city are all rich AA centers

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by eliza61nyc

Also the African American museum is downtown. Mother Bethal AME church and theGermantown section of the city are all rich AA centers

And you actually paid attention to what the OP requested. Thanks!

The Johnson House in Germantown was a stop on the underground railroad.

[goodlife36]

I appreciate it. I am looking forward to my stay. There is so much to see. The church is pretty spectacular. Germantown? Is that close to Center Center? Is that the best place to stay?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

I appreciate it. I am looking forward to my stay. There is so much to see. The church is pretty spectacular. Germantown? Is that close to Center Center? Is that the best place to stay?

Germantown (I live on its east side) is about 30 minutes from City Hall (the geographic center of Center City Philadelphia) on public transit. You can get there either via bus and subway or via Regional Rail.

The main bus route through the middle of Germantown is the 23, which runs up Germantown Avenue - the "Great Road," the street that contains all of the oldest and most historic buildings in the neighborhood (because Germantown originally simply stretched along this street). It runs through Center City northbound on 11th Street and southbound on 12th, but it's faster to take the Broad Street subway line to Erie station and transfer to the line there. (Broad Street, Erie Avenue and Germantown Avenue meet at this station.)

Alternatively, you can take the Chestnut Hill East or Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail lines. Germantown station on the Chestnut Hill East line is the closest to the center of historic Germantown, and it gets from Center City to Germantown a little faster than the Chestnut Hill West does (its central Germantown stop is Chelten Avenue station). It takes about 15 minutes to get there from Jefferson Station on the East line, and about 25 to get there from Suburban Station on the West line. Both lines run hourly throughout the day (more frequently at peak hours) six days a week. The East line runs hourly and the West line at 90-minute intervals on Sundays.

You might be able to find an Airbnb host with a home in Germantown. It's a little greener and a little more suburban in feel (in parts) than Center City.

I'd recommend, though, that you make Center City your base and Germantown a day trip. But if the rates are significantly lower, you can reverse it and get a DayPass or Independence Pass for your travel into Center City and around town.

[eliza61nyc]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

I appreciate it. I am looking forward to my stay. There is so much to see. The church is pretty spectacular. Germantown? Is that close to Center Center? Is that the best place to stay?

Hummm i won't called Germantown close but I do think it's very accessible by Septa (bus system). Also when you check out the liberty bell don't miss the exhibit on George Washington's slaves and their life. When they were making the new pavilion for the liberty bell the unearthed the living quarters of George Washingtons house slaves and there is an exhibit and memorial to them

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

And you actually paid attention to what the OP requested. Thanks!

The Johnson House in Germantown was a stop on the underground railroad.

There's also a small museum called the ACES Museum that's dedicated to African-Americans in the armed services. It's on the upper floor of a building a half-block north of Chelten Avenue on Germantown Avenue, but I don't know its hours.

Our local community development corporation just won $250,000 to restore the exterior of its building and a 19th-century building just south of it and across the street that was owned by a prominent African-American caterer and restaurateur around the turn of the last century. I forget his name, but there's some stuff about this guy out there on the Web. He ran a popular seafood restaurant, and the building houses one now as well - it's called the Crab House.

You might also want to plan your visit so you can drop in on the Historical Society of Germantown when it's open. It's located on Market Square, the historic center of Germantown, two blocks south of Chelten Avenue on Germantown Avenue. Also on that square is Uncle Bobbie's Books & Cafe, a way chill (and almost always busy) new bookstore and coffee house owned and run by Marc Lamont Hill, a fairly well-known African-American public intellectual and professor at Temple.

Here's a website where you can get up to speed on the various historic attractions up this way:

Historic Germantown | Freedom's Backyard

[goodlife36]

Airbnb is an attractive option but I do not like the idea of staying in anyone's home. I will most likely stay in Center City and venture out from there.

I will check out Germantown if time permits.

Where do I go to get the best Philly Cheese Steak? Is the harbor close to Center City?