Frommer's Philadelphia & the Amish Country
Chapter One
The Best of Philadelphia
Here's a homework assignment before your visit to Philadelphia. Rent two quintessentially
Philly movies: 1940's The Philadelphia Story, about a conservative, but
lovable, upper-crust WASP family, and 1976's Rocky, with its affecting tale of a
South Philly underdog-makes-good.
Yes, the city has changed since these were made-more nightlife, more
sophistication, more lobster-wasabi spring rolls, more political scandals-but
not all that much. Both movies are beloved by Philadelphians, because they're
Hollywood-ized but accurate reflections of our glamour and our grit. And we
wouldn't have it any other way.
You can see the contrasts if you walk Center City for just one long afternoon:
You'll pass beneath manicured trees and impeccable brownstones near Rittenhouse
Square, and then find yourself 30 minutes later, ordering dim sum at a
tiny, noisy Chinatown lunch counter. Philly is the wide, graceful sweep of the
Benjamin ... read full excerpt from Frommer's Philadelphia & the Amish Country ebook
