Philadelphia is a Patchwork of neighborhoodS
Interesting Enclaves Serve as the Subject of City Tours

PHILADELPHIA, May 30, 2003 – A city is as exciting as its neighborhoods, and Philly has quite a few: historically rich Valley Forge and Germantown, quaint New Hope and Doylestown, upscale Manayunk and Rittenhouse Square and lively Chinatown and South Street. With such diverse enclaves, it’s no wonder that the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s (GPTMC) Philadelphia Neighborhood Tours, now in their second year, have been such an overwhelming success.

Taking place on Saturdays from May 17 through July 12 and September 6 through
October 25, 2003, the tours take visitors beyond the colonial icons of Center City to introduce them to the neighborhoods where Philadelphians live, work and play. During each three-hour excursion, tour participants experience the culture, heritage and diversity of several Philadelphia neighborhoods by sampling authentic foods and participating in lively cultural performances or events.

Here’s a sampling of the region’s many great neighborhoods:

* Indicates that neighborhood is the focus of a Philadelphia Neighborhood Tour.

In the City

• Pine Street’s Antique Row is famous among shoppers for its unique stores offering antique furniture, books, crafts, collectibles and bits of local history. Many new stores have opened on the street over the past couple of years. Popular options include Matthew Izzo Shop, M. Finkel & Daughter, Hello World and Twist. Pine Street between 9th & 12th Streets
   

• The students ducking into painting and film classes along the Avenue of the Arts will testify that it is indeed the heart of Philadelphia’s creative culture with its theaters, dance schools, historic studios, museums and jazz and classical music performance halls. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts are just a few of the major cultural institutions that call the Avenue home. Broad Street between York Street & Washington Avenue, www.avenueofthearts.org
   

• Perched between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s museums and Fairmount Park, the Art Museum Area, also known as Fairmount, is a neighborhood of neatly preserved row houses, restaurants and high-rise apartment buildings. However, it’s gems like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute Science Museum that keep the area bustling with visitors both day and night. Ben Franklin Parkway to Girard Avenue between 17th & 30th Streets
   

• * The historic neighborhoods of Chestnut Hill and Germantown are still lined with cobblestones and 18th-century architecture and share the neighboring splendor of the Wissahickon Gorge. In Germantown, the site of the first documented protest against slavery and scene of the Battle of Germantown, popular historic sites include The Johnson House, Cliveden and the Deshler-Morris House. Germantown Avenue between Logan Street & Stenton Avenue, www.philadelphiahistoricnw.org
   

• * Philadelphia’s Chinatown, which might more properly be termed Asiatown, is the fourth largest in the United States, with blocks full of vegetable markets, and more than 100 restaurants and specialty stores with food from every Chinese province, plus cuisine from Malaysia, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand and Korea. 9th to 11th Streets & Arch to Vine Streets
   

• Delaware River Waterfront is the family-friendly home to holiday fireworks, museums and Penn’s Landing festival grounds, as well as the singles-friendly home to a cache of flashy nightclubs, new shopping centers and high-rise apartment buildings. The Camden Waterfront, just across the River, is the place to go for concerts, minor league baseball, a splendid aquarium and the USS New Jersey. Columbus Boulevard between Spring Garden Street & Snyder Avenue
   

• America’s beginnings can be traced back to the Historic District, where the Betsy Ross House, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, costumed reenactments and the soon-to-open National Constitution Center recall life in the 18th century. Front to 7th Streets between Arch & Locust Streets, www.independencepark.org
   

• Just off of Washington Square West, Jewelers’ Row houses the world’s oldest diamond district, which has in recent years become a chic zone for new restaurants. Sansom Street between 7th & 8th Streets and 8th Street between Chestnut & Walnut Streets
   

• * Serving as the main artery for the city’s Latino Community, North 5th Street is crowded with tostone kitchens, brightly painted murals and the creative bounty of the Taller Puertorriqueño art center. 5th Street between Lehigh & Allegheny Avenues
   

• In the late-1980s, Manayunk, on the western fringe of Philadelphia, emerged from its working-class roots to become a bustling borough, brimming with boutique shopping, restaurants, bars and well-dressed singles and couples. Main Street between Green Lane & Ridge Avenue, www.manayunk.com
   

• A former industrial district, Northern Liberties has been revived and re-imagined as an artists’ quarter, and a host of eateries and pubs make it one of the city’s newest and trendiest nighttime destinations. Spring Garden Street to Girard Avenue between 2nd & 6th Streets
   

• * African American history thrives in North Philadelphia, rich with cultural landmarks such as the Church of the Advocate, the Philadelphia Doll Museum and Freedom Theatre.
   

• Former factories have been turned into airy condominiums and Old City is now the province of weekend party people and art collectors with upscale restaurants, nightclubs and galleries. Front Street to 5th Street between Chestnut & Race Streets
   

• Rittenhouse Square’s manicured townhouses, sidewalk cafes and cultural institutions share close proximity both to elegant Restaurant Row and the natural beauty of one of the nation’s oldest parks. 18th to 19th Streets between Walnut & Locust Streets
   

• * The center of Italian culture that reared Frankie Avalon, Mario Lanza and the Mummers, South Philadelphia is home to dozens of authentic Italian, Mexican and Southeast Asian eateries. The area is also famous for its outdoor Italian Market, the Mummers Museum and Pat’s and Geno’s, two of the city’s most popular spots to eat a cheesesteak.
   

• A walk down South Street is a walk through current pop culture – today’s hip-hoppers have replaced the punk rockers and hippies of earlier eras – and it remains one of the liveliest strips in town, with more than 300 funky shops, eateries, cafes, book shops and record stores. South Street between Front & 8th Streets, www.south-street.com
   

• * Encircling University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, University City has evolved into an urban center in its own right, with high-end shops, eclectic restaurants and world-class music and film offerings. 30th to 50th Streets between Spring Garden Street & the Schuylkill Expressway, www.ucityphila.com

In the Countryside

• Blessed with its namesake river and rich, wine-producing soil, Brandywine Valley encompasses Revolutionary battlefields and manors, the art of the Wyeth family at the Brandywine River Museum and the charming blooms of Longwood Gardens. www.brandywinevalley.com
   

• A popular haven for artists and weekenders, Doylestown is a striking mix of Georgian homes, the sleek Art Deco County Theater and the unusual architecture of Henry Fonthill. State Street between Pine & Clinton Streets
   

• Kennett Square, known as the Mushroom Capital of the World, is a small farming town with picturesque Quaker buildings and a well-documented abolitionist history. Broad Street between Cedar & Fairthorn Streets, www.kennett-square.pa.us
   

• The Main Line, named for the 19th-century railroad that ran through it, is Philadelphia’s oldest and most affluent set of suburbs, with rolling hills, stately stone estates and attractive commercial centers like Wayne, Bryn Mawr and Ardmore.
   

• On the banks of the Delaware River, New Hope combines the cozy charm of bed and breakfasts and antique shops with hip apparel stores and some of the best nightlife in Bucks County. Main Street between Route 232 & Randolph Street, www.newhopepa.com
   

• The American Revolution is alive and well in Valley Forge, where museum exhibits and reenactments in the 3,600-acre National Historical Park recreate the days when George Washington assembled his Continental Army. Route 23 & N. Gulph Road, www.valleyforge.org

GPTMC is a non-profit organization dedicated to generating awareness of and visitation to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, visit the Philadelphia CultureFiles at gophila.com.

Note to Editors: For story angles and photographic images of Philadelphia and its surrounding countryside, visit gophila.com/pressroom.     June 2003

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