Results tagged “libertybell”

There's a nice little park catty-corner to Washington Square, at 6th and Walnut Streets. I always wondered what this park was called. Well, turns out it's Independence Square, and it is part of Independence National Historical Park, which gave me pause about covering it. Should Parking only cover "Philly" parks, or are National parks within Philadelphia all right? I've decided it's all right if I only discuss the actual outdoor park part, and not the bells and whistles that go along with it (i.e., Independence Hall and Liberty Bell and pretty much anything over in that part of the city that requires that you wait in line and pass a security check). You may note my obvious hypocrisy here; a few weeks ago, I gushed over Shofuso in Fairmount Park, which you have to pay to get into and isn't really a park in the sense of you can picnic at it, etc. But, oh well.

We're taking one more day off for the holiday season before we launch full into 2009 content. See you tomorrow!

Note to Candidate Carpenter: If you want to win the PA vote, you probably should know that our baseball team is the Phillies, not the Philly's. But we totally dig your VP pick.

Last month we told you about the new LEGO store coming to the KOP mall.

5. After kidnapping her two children, Britney Spears goes on the lam before being finally caught in Old City, Philadelphia, attempting to stuff her sons into the Liberty Bell. Seems she thought it was a ride of some sort.

...Class: Nick Nolte is full of it. (Via The Superficial.)

Ma Phillyist is visiting later this week. We're totally psyched to see her—it's been since the holidays—but unfortunately, her visit coincides with the BlogPhiladelphia "unconference," which we do plan to be at. Mom assures us that it's okay, she can keep herself busy on Friday. But the problem is, she's done most of the busy-keeping activities in the city that we can think of: she's been to the Art Museum, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and a slew of other "major" tourist attractions. She's not a big shopper, and anyway, she'll be car-less, so sending her to King of Prussia for a day isn't really an option. So, what Phillyist wants to know is: where should we dispatch our mother so that she'll be busy and entertained for a full day without us?

This weekend, I caught a couple of films at the National Constitution Center. It was cold, but since it's technically spring, and it was a holiday weekend, the tourists were out in throngs on Saturday.

Although this time it's the fun kind, not the kind you stay up all night biting your nails and watching John Stewart for.

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you.

We probably knew this at one point, but we've long since forgotten it. Apparently, each state has its own Liberty Bell replica. And in Iowa, you can ring it. Or, you know, hit it with a hammer. Or shoot at it.

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week.

Reader Adam recently pointed out to us that although Monty Python is deeply embedded in the British culture, their theme song is actually called the "Liberty Bell March," and was composed by none other than John Philip Sousa.

Today a new family-friendly attraction is opening at 6th and Race, courtesy Once Upon A Nation and Fairmount Park, and in celebration of Ben Franklin's 300th birthday. It's the new Franklin Square (more on its history here), featuring an old-fashioned carousel with 30 horses; a restored 19th century fountain; a picnic area (with food provided, it sounds like); an 18-hole Philly-themed mini golf course (called, appropriately enough, Philly Mini Golf); and two new "state-of-the-art" playgrounds - one for the little kids, and "a more challenging one" for the bigger kids. Sounds very cool, although we're not sure how a playground can be "state-of-the-art" - or "more challenging," for that matter. We're particularly excited about the Philly Mini Golf. We couldn't care less about boring old real golf, but putting your ball over the B. Franklin bridge, up the steps of the Art Museum, and then into the Liberty Bell? That's pure entertainment. We don't think there are any windmills in Philly, but now we kind of wish there were because one of those really puts any course over the top. Anyway, everything's free for kids 2 and under, while slightly older kids will pay $6 for the golf and $2 for the carousel, and adults will pay $8 for the golf and $3 for the carousel. The square will be open 10AM-9PM through Labor Day; check the website for fall hours. Now, when are they going to reopen the old Franklin Square PATCO station?

sides of Chestnut Street near Independence Hall. Yeah, probably not. Still, we miss those days.

On Wednesday, Phillyist got to spend some quality time with the very successful Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, best known as the team behind GoPhila.com. The GPTMC has been around for ten years now and it's happy to be starting year eleven with a bang. The afternoon's press conference at the Bellevue marked the official launch of Boundless Philadelphia, the GPTMC's new eco-friendly tourism campaign that will emphasize all the outdoor activities that Philly has to offer, and the relaunch of the "Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over" campaign, complete with new Pajama Man and an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-inspired commercial, set to launch June 11, which is (coincidentally?) the night of the Tonys. Between the press conference and the birthday party that happened after, we've now heard the new jingle at least six times, and we've already got it mostly memorized. (We will warn you, however, about some accidental Ben Franklin/Liberty Bell violence.)

by Mildred Taylor won the Jason Award. The book is aimed at grades 4-6 (reading ages 9-12), and speaks to racism and moral fortitude. Nope, we wouldn't want kids to learn about how bad racism is, now would we? We hope the Ashton Marsh Elementary School in Absecon does not plan to pull the book.

by Sarah M. Granlund

When Ed Bacon planned Independence Mall, it was lauded as visionary. It was to be a green, open space in the middle of the city's historic district, providing an area for public gathering and a place to view the historic buildings of the area.

Believe it or not, Philadelphia isn't the only city with blogs. So, we decide to take a look around the world, examining their every blog and choosing the best posts. Coincidentally, they all came from within the Gothamist network. Can you imagine that? Craziness.

We here at Phillyist learned that some TV execs were in our fair city this past weekend working on a top secret project. We weren't able to garner any further information --despite our wit and charm-- but our guess is it will involve thirty seconds of the Liberty Bell and the rest will be on an L.A. soundstage. And, speaking of soundstages, the only hit network show that takes place in (and has actually filmed some scenes in) Philly, Cold Case, is a repeat this Saturday at 9 on CBS.

It's official: the best time to hit the local historical tourist hotspots -- (Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center) -- is when the other million or so people milling about the Philly streets are doing so on the other side of City Hall. Lines were short and show tickets easily accessible. Even the sidewalks were easy to traverse (if one could avoid the gauntlet of tour providers who were all to eager to hook someone, anyone who wasn't going to the concert). In fact, despite being just a stone's throw away from the glut of people, things were sedately business-as-normal in Old City. Notably devoid of rock stars, it was full of costumes and cobble-stone, and contently highlighting the locations and events that led up to the birth of our nation this Fourth of July weekend.