Backgrounder

Philadelphia is a Patchwork of Neighborhoods
Interesting Enclaves Serve As The Subject Of City Tours

Shopping on Antique Row

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

PHILADELPHIA, October 20, 2004 - 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, lively Chinatown and South Street and newly revived Fishtown and Northern Liberties. With so many diverse enclaves, it's no wonder that the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation's (GPTMC) Philadelphia Neighborhood Tours, now in their third year, have been such an overwhelming success.

Operating on Saturdays from May 8 through June 26 and September 18 through October 30, 2004, the tours take visitors beyond the colonial icons of Center City to the neighborhoods where Philadelphians live, work and play. During each three-hour excursion, tour participants experience the culture, heritage and diversity of Philadelphia neighborhoods by sampling authentic foods and participating in lively performances and 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, joining contemporary wares with the row's traditional merchandise. 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. Nearby attractions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute Science Museum keep the area bustling with visitors both day and night. Ben Franklin Parkway to Girard Avenue between 17th & 30th Streets
• * The historic cobblestone neighborhoods of Chestnut Hill and Germantown are known for their picturesque 18th-century architecture as well as the natural splendor of the neighboring Wissahickon Gorge. In Germantown, the site of the first documented protest against slavery and scene of the Battle of Germantown, popular historic attractions include the Johnson House Historical Site, 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 more than 100 restaurants, vegetable markets and specialty stores selling food from every Chinese province, not to mention Malaysia, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand and Korea. 9th to 11th Streets & Arch to Vine Streets
• The 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
• * Philadelphia's newest neighborhood renaissance is taking place in the former industrial district of Fishtown, where Irish, German and Polish immigrants once built the city's shipyards and breweries. In recent years, a younger generation of artists and musicians has moved to the area, attracting a new spate of shops, produce markets and pubs. 6th Street to Delaware Avenue between Girard Avenue & Norris Street
• America's beginnings can be traced back to the Historic District, where the Betsy Ross House, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, costumed reenactments and the newly opened 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
• * The main artery for the city's Latino Community, North 5th Street is famous for its tostone kitchens, brightly painted murals and the creative bounty of the Taller Puertorriqueno art center. 5th Street between Lehigh and Allegheny Avenues
• In the late-1980s, the working class neighborhood Manayunk was transformed into a bustling borough, bringing boutique shops, restaurants, bars and well-dressed patrons to the Western fringe of Philadelphia. Main Street between Green Lane and 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 inventive eateries and pubs make it one of the city's trendiest nighttime destinations. Spring Garden Street to Girard Avenue between 2nd & 6th Streets
• * African American history thrives in North Philadelphia, an area rich with landmarks recalling the civil rights struggle, such as the Church of the Advocate and Girard College, as well as cultural institutions like the Philadelphia Doll Museum and Freedom Theatre.
• Its former factories are now airy condominiums and Old City is the province of the weekend party people and art collectors who gather in the neighborhood's many upscale restaurants, nightclubs and galleries. Front Street to 5th Street between Chestnut & Race Streets
• Rittenhouse Square's manicured townhouses, sidewalk cafes and cultural societies 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 and Locust Streets
• The Italian quarter 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 visually 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

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com.

CONTACT:

Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com