Philly: The Good, the Bad, the Outrageous

I was looking for a great location in Philadelphia and also a great price. The beautifully restored Courtyard by Marriott filled the bill in every way. It is a gorgeous 1926 building that is listed on the National Register of Historic places, with all the charm that anyone could ask for. The lobby is luxurious and if you are thirsty there are two glass containers of iced drinks available all day.

This is a large hotel all of 18 stories with 498 room and suites. There are two sets of beautiful brass elevators one at each end of the building.

This was a first time stay for us at this location. When I began looking for a place to stay it seemed s if all the hotels were just too expensive. I was amazed to get this one for $119. It was a rate that I had to prepay bit it was more then $50 cheaper than any other hotel I looked at. What almost discouraged me was the $42 parking charge. That seems outrageous. It is outrageous but even though most hotels charged much less for parking their rooms were more expensive. This rate really was the best there was for this 3rd weekend of July 2008.

We had a room on the 12th floor and I had asked for a corner room. We were not one of the main corners but we had windows on two sides so we were indeed a corner. When we looked out one set of our windows we could see the statue of William Penn atop City Hall up close and quite personal.

Our room was spacious and well appointed. We had two queen sized beds with all white luxury bedding. There was a chenille throw across the foot in case you wanted to cover up when you were laying on the bed.

In addition there was a comfortable chair, an armoire with TV and a desk and chair. There is high speed Ethernet available but not Wifi. There is a business center off of the front lobby if you didn’t bring your own computer.

The sink has a granite counter and is outside the bathroom. It holds the Coffee maker which is a one cup pod type. There were all the usual amenities, shampoos, lotions etc.

There is a restaurant call The Annex and they also offer room service.

The hotel has a pool, hot tube and a workout room.

Parking is valet and they were very quick to welcome us when we arrived and were more than punctual in getting us our car when we were ready to leave.

I liked this hotel very much, it is very convenient for walking almost anywhere. The Reading Terminal Market is only a block away as is the Hard Rock Café and St. John Church. What more could we ask for?

Located on the Lobby level of the Courtyard by Marriott Restaurant this is a casual bar and grill that serves three meals a day.

It is a combination of Federal style with cloth covered chairs with medallions and ultra modern with blue and silver candles and cobalt blue glass wear on the tables.

Breakfast is a buffet. You have the choice of having the full buffet or just the Continental. Since Jeanna ate a banana and a bagel they didn’t charge us for her. Al and I had a full buffet.

We began with coffee and orange juice and then Al had an omelet made to order and I had a Belgian waffle. There are lots of choices both ways for what you would like in or with it. On the hot buffet there were blintz, pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, sausage, bacon, turkey sausage and sausage and gravy, grits and oatmeal.

On the cold buffet there are pastries, fresh fruit cut up, fresh apples and bananas, yoghurt both drinking and spooning, lots of toasts, bagels and meat and cheese. It is a very complete buffet and the food was actually quite good as was the service. With the oatmeal and grits they have pecans, almonds, dried cranberries and brown sugar to add.

The evening prior to this, we had dinner here because we were just too tired to go anywhere else. Al had a Philly steak and I had a burger. Jeanna had French fries. Every thing was good and the portions are very generous. They served us a little tray with small jars of condiments, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and ketchup, it was adorable. I had a seltzer, Al had a beer and Gina had cola, be warned even if you order a Coke you are going to be served a Pepsi.

We decided to have dessert and they serve Haagen Dazs ice cream and we had two servings. Oh my goodness, my raspberry sherbet was just plain huge. Jeanna had the chocolate ice cream, again a way oversized portion. .

The menu is quite extensive with offerings of steak, pasta, fish and chicken. There are also sandwiches and appetizers. Given the fact that it is in a hotel, the prices were really not bad. We paid $47 for dinner including taxes and $37 for breakfast.

The restaurant offers room service from 6am to 10pm but beware of the menu in your room, it isn’t a good match to what is served in the restaurant. I wanted a shrimp linguini that was on my room menu, but it is no longer served.

All and all a good experience.

The main reason I decided to go to Philadelphia at this particular time was to see Les Miz one more time. I have walked by the Walnut Street Theater many times but I have never attended a production there before.

Dating from 1809 the Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest theatre in America, having been in continuous operation since then. It has been designated a historic landmark and is also the Official State Theatre of Pennsylvania. With over 50,000 season ticket holders it is the most subscribed theatre in the world.

You will be in very good company seeing a show here since Thomas Jefferson, Groucho Marx and Bill Cosby have all visited the Walnut Street Theatre.

For this production we were seated in the front section of the balcony. I requested an end seat so that I could have an unobstructed view, unfortunately the side of the aisle I was one did not jut out, it went in. Since I don’t know the theater I counter on the woman who sold me the ticket to give me what I asked for, she didn’t, that was disappointing but that was the only thing that was. I was able to see almost the entire stage.

The theater is not huge, it is quite intimate. Row GG right behind us would have been a good choice since they are high above the walk way and have all the leg room in the world which since it is an old theater we did not have. I wasn’t able to cross my legs with any ease. The seats though were red velvet and quit comfortable. It isn’t a glamorous theater but it was very nice.

The cast was local not a traveling Broadway Tour. The depth of the talent was amazing. We have seen this play at least 6 or 7 times and this was right up there with even the London Cast. I would not hesitate to come back here for another show.

Prices were not cheap, out seats cost $70. We walked both ways from our hotel the courtyard by Marriott, which was at 13th. The theater is between 8th and 9th on Walnut. It is about an 8 or 9 block walk. We did it in about 20 minutes.

There is a café called Barrymore’s on the lower level but we didn’t go there so I can’t tell you anything more about it except that it opens an hour before the performance and is open during intermission.

To find out what else they are offering this year please visit their website at Walnut Street Theatre

The sign in front of the building claims the collection is "disturbingly informative" and it certainly is just that. I was very surprised at how popular this museum was, it was packed with people and it isn’t exactly in the middle of the action. This was Jeanna’s favorite of everything that we did this weekend. Usually you would think that boys would be more into all these gruesome and truly gross things that are on display here but obviously when it comes to teens the gross gene affects both sexes.

We began by looking at small cases that flank the inner opening of the room. These cases document the most famous sets of conjoined twins. There were many more than I was aware of. For instance I had never heard of the Hilton twins who obviously were quite famous in the 1930’s and 40’s. One of the most famous exhibits is the conjoined liver of the famous twins Eng and Chang. I also wasn’t aware of all the different ways that twins can be con joined and that each of these conjoining has a specific name.

From here I went on to the case of skulls. Who would have thought that skulls could come in such a wide variety of sizes and shapes? This case came from a collection that was done by a European Dr Joseph Hertyl.

Another really gross display is called the soap lady. She was buried right here in Philadelphia. If the conditions are exactly right a body can be preserved in just the way that this one was. It isn’t a pretty sight I can assure you of that.

What I found the most disturbing though was all the little fetus’ that were preserved in jars. Some of them looked the size of a full term infant. Their deaths were from a variety of causes but some of them were just beautiful and so perfect looking, I can’t imagine a family donating their child in this way, but of course that is just me.

On the lower level there is a case that has a giant and a dwarf along side a normal sized person. Ever want to see a liver with cirosis? A foot with gangrene? An ovarian tumor the size of a basketball? A man with a horn growing out of his forehead? Those were nothing in comparison to the colon that was about two feet around, no kidding it was really big and painful to look at. If you are easily made queasy this isn’t the museum for you.

A morbidly fascinating collection was items that have been removed from people’s throat and trachea by one Doctor. For some reason he saved everything he removed. There are pins of every size, a peach pit and way too many items to list. You have to open drawers to see all of these items.

Another exhibit that was very interesting dealt with the health of the presidents of the United States. I wasn’t ware of many of the things that they talked about. This is where you get to see the tumor that they removed from Grover Cleveland’s jaw. I’ll bet you were wondering when I would get around to that, weren’t you?

So if you like the bizarre, the unusual the truly weird then you will love this museum and even if you don’t it really is a fascinating place. Allow about 2 hours for a visit.

The Rosenbach brother Abraham and Samuel were the premier rare book collectors of their day and from the depth of this collection maybe of any time. What you will visit here are a pair of town houses that the brothers bought and lived in during their life time. The library was set up by them with the books that they actually kept.

Right now and for a year to come they are hosting a Maurice Sendak Exhibit. It may very well be the same one that was in New York at the Jewish Museum a couple of years ago, What this exhibit shows us the inner workings of Maurice’s mind and why he drew the things he drew. Along with exhibits of his work there are live interviews with him on a variety of subjects including the Lindburgh kidnapping and how it affected him. I found it particularly touching to hear him tell that how could he as a child feel safe if this blond haired blue eyed gentile could be kidnapped and then found dead what chance did a a dark little Jewish boy have. He says it was the beginning of his insomnia. Then to make it worse he heard his uncle tell his father ‘who would want to kidnap a poor Jewish kid". In his book where the wild things are one of the monsters is his uncle, he need to exorcize the demon that those words created.

The house can only be visited on a tour. The tours are held on the hour and last about 35 minutes or so. We began in the small library where we are introduced to the Rosenbachs and their clients and friends. One of the people we meet here is an adult Alice Lydell who was the model for Louis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Carroll had given Alice his hand written manuscript and when she needed money Dr. Abraham Rosenbach bought the manuscript. They sold it but later arranged for it to be sold to the British Library in London.

Another one of the very famous manuscripts in their collection is a handwritten copy of Ulysses by James Joyce. Joyce was insulted that they only paid $2000 for it and tried to buy it back, he didn’t succeed because it is still in the collection.

Among the other things tat they have are a third portfolio of Shakespeare’s work which is even more rare than the first because it was written the year of the Great Fire in London.
There is a very early copy of Bram Stokers Dracula, Charles Dickens, Herman Melville and literally thousands more. In order for the Rosenbach’s to collect it there had to be less than five of the item in existence, rarity was the primary criteria as well as condition.

In addition to the books and manuscripts there are some portraits by Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully and the Peales. They have the largest collection of miniatures in the country.

There is one room that was donated by Maryanne Moore with the stipulation that it be reconstructed exactly as she had it. It includes many personal mementos as well as her desk and typewriter.

All together this is a fascinating place in a beautiful tree lined street near Rittenhouse Square. Since neither of the brothers married the contents pf their store was used to furnish parts of the house.

Beyond just being a repository this is a library and the books can be used for research, and often are.

I love taking a ghost tour. We have taken several over the years in Quebec, Savannah, Boston and now we were all set to take one in Philadelphia. There are several choices, you can take a walking tour but I decided that in case my knee was bothering me we would be better off taking the Trolley Tour.

I ordered our tickets online. $28 each. A little pricey but I knew that it was something tht Jeanna was looking forward to. I began to have my doubts when we arrived in front of the Bourse at 7:30pm and there were no signs of any kind. I finally questioned some of the other people waiting there to find out if they were waiting for the Ghost tour and yes they were so at least I knew we were waiting in the right place. A Trolley Works trolley pulled up in front but the driver made no attempt to make contact with us. There was nothing on the Trolley to indicate that it was the one for the Ghost Tour, as it turned out it was indeed the correct trolley.

At 7:45 a man in black cape approached everyone and indicated that he was our guide for the tour. We would be leaving by 8:05 he said (actually it was closer to 8:10) and if we had our reservation he would take them. I have to make a comment here, this was the poorest run operation of it’s kind that I have ever been on. I have no idea why they don’t have a booth to handle reservations and walk ups and at least a sign but it is unnerving to say the least.

I was so unimpressed by every aspect of this tour I don’t even know where to begin. It was a yawn from start to finish and frankly if this was the first one I had ever gone on, it would be my last. The stories are weak, they need to rewrite this scrip because frankly it sucks. This is a really old city there has to be a lot better stories to try to scare us with than the ones we got. Usually you get at least one case of goose bumps or a frisson of terror, not this time.

Even a weak script would have been tolerable if there were say two guides to interact with each other to make it amusing. I wasn’t entertained, I wasn’t scared and I learned absolutely nothing. Having said that at least I got too see the Poe House which was the most interesting thing that we did.

The tour lasts about 90 minutes, covers mostly old city areas with short hops into Society Hill, You get off the trolley three separate times. The last one was a total bust and I have no idea why it is even included except to kill time.

So do I recommend this tour? I guess if your expectations aren’t too high and you can’t take a walking tour then yes give it a go. For me I found it way over priced what for what I got. I am hoping that there will be some improvement in the entertainment aspects of this tour. Even Jeanna found it boring and she loves Ghost Tours.


Ghost Tour

The first mint in the United States was founding in 1792 in Philadelphia. The cornerstone was laid by Dr. David Rittenhouse. There has been a Mint in Philadelphia ever since though the location has changed slightly.

Visiting the mint is free. Be warned though, if you have a camera you will not be allowed in the building. There are no lockers to store your camera so someone from your party will have to remain outside. Now we all understand security but since we were allowed to carry in our cell phones most of which have cameras. So Al had to wait outside keeping my two cameras company.

Jeanna and I went inside, we walked through the metal detector and had our telephones ex-rayed then went up two sets of escalators. This is a self guided tour. There are cases along the way with different displays.

As you walk along the corridor you eventually come to some glass windows overlooking the area where the actual coins are produced. The first side is where the blanks are produced and after you round the corner and turn to go back you watch the actually coins being produced. We talked to some people who were taking the tour at the same time as us and we all agreed that it really would be much better if they provided some sort of audio tour, we all would have been willing to pay for it. This could be much better then it actually is.

If you have the patience to stop and read all the plaques on the wall it will help a little in understanding the process. Of course these aren’t much help for the younger children.

When we had gotten our fill of watching the newly minted coins drop into from their baskets into larger containers we went back down one set of escalators to the second floor. Here there are some cases of commemorative coins both past and present. There is also one of the original pieces of machinery from the first mint.

The gift store was a big disappointment. I personally think they are trying to solve the problem of the nation al debt by putting us into debt. Very thing was so over priced. I usually buy Al a pen at any place that we visit. Here the cheapest one was $8, needless to say he doesn’t have a US Mint pen.

I visited the Mint in Washington DC when I was a teen and I remember it fondly, this was a huge disappointment. Come on Federal government you have to be able to do better than this!!!