This past Saturday, I went on a directionless day trip to Philadelphia, Pa., flying there and back in the same day. This whole trip came about on a random Saturday afternoon in October, when I wanted to see how far I could fly for the least amount of money. It turned out that an $80 round trip ticket on Frontier Airlines was that flight. After a good amount of convincing, I got my parents on board and booked tickets. I went into this adventure with virtually zero goals, but I knew vaguely that I wanted to see a few colleges and do stereotypical Philly things, like climb the steps from Rocky and eat a Philly cheesesteak. At the end of the day, I went into the journey with the plan of “walking around and figuring it out on the go.”
4:00 a.m.
My day started with a 30-minute drive to the airport at 4 a.m.; Blasting hardstyle music and trying to wake up while driving on the empty early morning Miami roads was definitely a new experience. After going through the thankfully deserted TSA line, I made it to my gate to find my Frontier Airlines plane. Frontier is a budget airline that offers cheap tickets but charges you for everything from a carry-on bag to picking your seat. In an effort to keep the integrity of my trip, I paid for no upgrades and was given a middle seat in the back row of the plane. However, the plane gods must have been on my side, since due to weight and balance issues, people needed to move from the back of the plane to the front and I was one of the lucky few who moved forward. I was given an extra legroom seat in the second row for free and got to take a nice nap during the two-and-a-half-hour flight.
9:00 a.m.
Once I reached Philadelphia, I raced to the SEPTA train station to catch my ride into the city. After a short ride, I got off at a station near the University of Pennsylvania. Since I left my ticket on the train, I got trapped on the platform and had to buy a new ticket. After this short conflict, it was time to explore. Walking around the UPenn and Drexel campuses was a nice way to start the day since it acclimated me to crisp 50-degree weather. Walking past the old buildings and seeing the orange leaves on the fall trees created a really nice vibe that felt similar to other city schools I had visited.
After taking a trolley downtown, I took a photo outside of the infamous Liberty Bell since the line to get inside was too long. After walking around for about two miles taking in the narrow, congested streets of the city, I stumbled on the Ben Franklin Museum. Knowing that it would make my Advanced Placement United States History teacher proud, I went in and looked around for a bit. Although I spent most of the time charging my phone in the gift shop, it still counts.
12:00 p.m.
By this point in the day, I was ready to get the famous Philly cheesesteak. I took a bus to south Philly, and after a five-block walk, I made it to a shop recommended to me by a family friend called Woodrow’s Sandwich Shop. It was my first time having a Philly cheesesteak, and I am really happy to report it exceeded my high expectations.
After having a nice lunch, it was time to cross the city and go to the “Rocky Steps.” I took one bus to a random street corner in north Philly that happened to be next to the Lithuanian Cultural Center in the area. Seeing people dressed in cultural outfits dancing to Lithuanian music was a cool experience. After a 30-minute wait, my next bus showed up and that is when I discovered that all buses going to that part of Philly were being diverted due to a 5K that morning. So knowing that I wanted to go to the steps, I resigned myself to the three-mile walk to the steps. It was a really lovely walk down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and it was a party atmosphere at the steps with early 2010s pop music playing and people running up and down the stairs. It is truly an iconic part of the city, and despite how corny it may seem, everyone who goes to Philly should visit the steps.
3:00 p.m.
By this point in the day, my phone battery was running low and I had hit a brick wall energy-wise. I had also just found out that my flight back to Miami was delayed by an hour, so this created an interesting opportunity. I looked at the train schedule and realized that I could go to Wilmington, Delaware and back with enough time left to make my flight; so that is what I did. I took a slow regional rail train to Wilmington then raced back on an Amtrak train at 110 miles per hour. I did not leave the train station in Wilmington since I only had about a five-minute connection, but the area around the station seemed industrial so I do not think I missed out on it too much.
Once I got back to Philly, I got to see the beautiful 30 train station for the first time. Its Roman columns and grand architecture is gorgeous and its size is understated in photos. Not just one of my favorite train stations, but one of my favorite buildings I have ever stepped foot in. By this point, I had to get on a train back to the airport and catch a flight back to Miami. After an initial one-hour delay, the flight was on time, and I learned I would get my own row on the empty flight. I settled in for the journey back home.
Reflection
When I told people where I was going and for how long I got a mixed response. I had multiple people tell me “You’re going to get shot” or “You’re going to die.” Philadelphia is one of those cities that get a really bad reputation for being dangerous, claims that are just unwarranted. In my experience, I never felt unsafe when I was in the city and the most questionable thing I saw happen was a homeless man trying to sell candy to people in line at a Wendy’s. If anything, I felt more unsafe on the drive home from the airport where I saw multiple cars going 100 mph on the highway and a horrifying car wreck with a totaled motorcycle. It is unfair that great cities like Philadelphia get these reputations not based on reality.
The trip as a whole was a really good experience. I had done solo trips before, but this was the first where I flew to my destination, and this is the longest and most ambitious solo adventure I have done yet. It was a learning experience for sure, and going forward, I know that it is unrealistic to try and see a whole city in a few hours and it is better to narrow the scope to just a few things that really interest you about a specific city.
The whole trip including airfare, transit as well as food cost $135. Not saying that is cheap, but I highly recommend doing a trip like this with friends or solo if one has the money and parental approval to do so. It might seem wild just to go to another state for the day, but when you do, it is not as crazy as you would think.
