Philadelphia | A Day of Citywalk – Sights & Notes 🏛️🚶‍♀️

📆 Date: October 30, 2024 – Fourth stop on my East Coast trip. Took the Amtrak train (book early for better fares!). 📍 City Hall Construction began in 1871 and finished in 1901—largest, tallest, and most expensive city hall in the U.S.! 📍 Liberty Bell Weighs over 900 kg, displayed in a free pavilion at Independence Mall. Inscription: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” 🔔 📍 Independence Hall Where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Join a guided tour (about 20 mins, book on-site or ahead). Fun fact: It’s featured on the back of the $100 bill! 💵 📍 University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Huge, beautiful campus with castle-like buildings. Spotted some cute black squirrels! 🐿️⚫ 📍 Penn Museum Founded in 1887, holds ~1 million artifacts, famous for its Chinese, Egyptian, and Near Eastern collections. Highlights: Two of the "Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum" (“Saluzi” & “Quanmaogua”), Northern Wei Buddhist steles, Buddhist heads from Xiangtangshan Caves, Liao Dynasty sancai statues… Truly awe-inspiring. 🎟️ Adult $18 | Student $13. 📍 Lin Huiyin’s Former Residence – "House of Our Own" Bookstore Once the dorm of architect/poet Lin Huiyin during her studies at UPenn. Now a used bookstore since 1971. Unfortunately, it was closed on Wednesday 😢—still worth seeing from outside! 📍 Philadelphia Museum of Art Heard it’s fantastic (Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is there!), but after many museum visits on this trip, I skipped it this time. ‼️ Tip: Philadelphia’s subway accepts domestic VISA cards (with Wi-Fi symbol on back)—just tap to enter and exit, super convenient! Unlike other East Coast cities. Fare: $2 per ride. #2024TravelRecap #DailyJoy #CulturalSites #USTravel #TravelDiary #Philly #UPenn #Museum