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Signature City Philadelphia: National Treasures of History and Heritage (5 nights)

Program Number: 10238RJ
Start and End Dates:
10/17/2012 - 10/22/2012; 6/9/2013 - 6/14/2013; 6/23/2013 - 6/28/2013; 9/8/2013 - 9/13/2013; 9/17/2013 - 9/22/2013; 9/22/2013 - 9/27/2013; 10/7/2013 - 10/12/2013; 10/13/2013 - 10/18/2013; 10/20/2013 - 10/25/2013; 11/10/2013 - 11/15/2013;
Duration: 5 nights
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Price starting at: $978.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Signature Cities; History & Culture Activity Level: t (see description)
Meals: 13; 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners    
Meal Options: Low Fat; Vegetarian; Low Salt    

Philadelphia is America’s most remarkable hometown, enriched by centuries of history, heritage, culture, and connections. Guided by experts, experience its lively diversity as we explore neighborhoods such as Society Hill, Independence National Park, the Italian Market, and elegant Rittenhouse Square. You’ll also learn about the role of civic institutions, architecture of different eras, and savor the flavor of our flourishing dining renaissance.




Highlights

· Retrace the footsteps of our Founding Fathers — and Mothers! — from William Penn to Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross as we walk to Olde City sites including Independence Hall and Elfreth’s Alley.
· Marvel at distinctive architecture spanning three centuries of achievement on Society Hill, at City Hall, and the Masonic Temple.
· Attend a cultural event (concert, opera, theater, or ballet) from current offerings.



Activity Particulars

Walking one mile (about four blocks) each day. Walking/standing at historic sites and museums. Some use of public transportation, getting on/off city buses.



Coordinated by The Philadelphia Society For The Preservation Of Landmarks.




Philadelphia

An appealing and walkable metropolis, 300-year-old Philadelphia is steeped in the beliefs that founded the American Revolution and today is a vibrant city of diverse neighborhoods and internationally recognized cultural institutions.
Accommodations
Comfortable, centrally located hotel. Free wifi and fitness center.

Road Scholar Instructors
These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.
Jackie Bagley
Jackie Bagley has been an educational excursion leader for over 20 years and received her formal training at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, in 1979. While at the University of Chicago, she completed her B.A. degree in the intellectual history of the 18th century. Her master’s work at the University of Chicago covered the Colonial and Revolutionary periods as her major and Egyptology as her minor.
 
Meals and Lodgings
   Club Quarters
  Philadelphia 5 nights
 Club Quarters
Type: Boutique Hotel
  Description: Club Quarters is a private hotel available to members only. It is housed in an architecturally significant building constructed in the 1920's in the then-popular Georgian Revival style, for Provident National Bank.
  Contact info: 1628 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA
phone: 215-282-5100
web: www.clubquarters.com
  Room amenities: Speaker phone, voice mail, cable television, data port with high speed internet access, hair dryer, tea/coffee maker, iron, refrigerator and room service.
  Facility amenities: Instant check-in/fast check-out, 24-hour member services desk, fitness facility, and delivery of exercise equipment to room available at extra charge, restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, washer and dryer available.
  Smoking allowed: Yes
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: $109 + 14 % tax as of 1-25-10 Reservations required in advance.
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: $109 + 14 % tax as of 1-25-10 Reservations required in advance.
  Check out time: 12:00 PM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
Hotel lobby 4:30 p.m. You will be staying at Club Quarters that night.
  End of Program:
Program ends after lunch, which is at 11:30. Hotel check out is 12:00pm. Box lunches are not available. You will be staying at Club Quarters the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required.
  Parking availability:
Across the street from Club Quarters Hotel at Liberty Place 1 & 2 complex. Entrance on 17th St between Market & Chestnut. $20 per day Monday thru Friday, $16 per night Friday thru Sunday.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Philadelphia
  Nearest city or town:  Wilmington DE and Trenton NJ
  Nearest highway: Interstate 95 and PA 76.
  Nearest airport:  Philadelphia International Airport - PHL
  From End of Program
  Location: Philadelphia
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Philadelphia

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Lady Liberty
phone: 215-724-8888

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$10.50
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

20 to 60 minutes depending on number of hotel drop offs and rush hour time 
   

after retrieving your luggage go to Ground Transportation Desk and call the extension for Lady Libery for pick-up from your terminal.
 

Philadelphia

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Public Transportation
SEPTA- RAIL
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$1 (Senior- must show medicare card) $5 regular
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

25 minutes 
   

Take the rail from the airport and get off at Suburban Station, 17th & John F. Kennedy Blvd. Walk .2 mile to hotel on corner of 17th Street.
 

Parking garage

 

 
 

Service:

 

None - Car Required
Across from hotel

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$21 Liberty Place - $15 at Latimer for 24 hours
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

Liberty Place garage 24 hrs $21 across from hotel- easy in and out access 
 

Distance:

 

Doubletree Hotel adjacent to hotel $23 (24 hrs) easy in and out access
   

Latimer Discount Parking is 4.5 blocks from the hotel. Latimer Garage- 1510 Latimer Street (Between Locust & Spruce) $15 for 24 hrs incl. tax: 215-545- 9274 CASHONLY – no credit cards. After parking, exit garage and turn left on Latimer St, cross 16th, at 17th & Latimer St turn right and walk four blocks to 17th & Chestnut St. Hotel entrance is next to Rite Aid Drugstore on corner . Attendant parks and retrieves the car.

 

Philadelphia

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Taxi
Any

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$28.00 flat cab rate -airport/center city hotel
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

20 to 30 min depending on rush hour traffic 
   

the rate if for the cab and it can transport up to 4 persons
 

30th Street-Philadelphia

 

From Train Station

 
 

Service:

 

Taxi
any

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$7.00
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

10 minutes 
   

Pick up any cab at 30th Street Station. The hotel is 14 blocks from the station
 
Driving Directions
  From east: I-95 south to 676 west to Broad Street...
  From north/west: PA 476 south to 76 east to 676 east to Broad Street...
  From south: Take I-95 north to 676 west to Broad Street exit which feeds into 15th Street, Turn right onto JFK Blvd., then left onto 17th Street and left onto Chestnut Street. Hotel Club Quarters is next door to Rite Aid on corner OF 17th Street and Chestnut.
Elevation Note: Sea level
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1:
(Wednesday, October 17)
   
 Afternoon: 4:00 registration immediately followed by orientation then dinner.
 Dinner: At hotel
 Evening: Check with sponsor to see if an evening activity is planned, sometimes due to scheduling opportunities this may occur the first night.
   
Accommodations: Club Quarters
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: 18th C. History Lecture/Indepdence Hall & Liberty Bell/Evening Stroll Around the Rittenhouse Sq. Neighborhood
(Thursday, October 18)
   
 Breakfast: At hotel
 Morning: On 18th Century Philadelphia history about our Founding Fathers.
 Lunch: At hotel or restaurant
 Afternoon: After lunch we board the bus (10 blocks) to the Colonial City (America's most historical square mile) for a visit to The Liberty Bell (a national treasure) as well a a visit to Independence Hall (a national treasure) both of which are the corner stone of our American democracy. "The old cracked Bell still proclaims Liberty and Independence Hall echoes the words, "We the People." Explore Franklin's Philadelphia and learn about the past and America's continuing struggle to fulfill the Founders' Declaration that "all men are created equal."
 Dinner: At hotel or a local restaurant
 Evening: Familiarize with the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood with this leisurely evening walk. Your coordinator will point out outstanding architecture and upscale landmarks for shopping and dining.
   
Accommodations: Club Quarters
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: 19th C. Landmarks- City Hall & Masonic Temple/Reading Terminal Market/Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts/Lecture
(Friday, October 19)
   
 Breakfast: At hotel
 Morning: A morning walk to City Hall and the Masonic Temple (just a short walk from our hotel) will highlight the outstanding 19th C. architecture that Philadelphia is famous for. Philadelphia City Hall is the largest municipal building in the world and is in the French 2nd Renaissance style. The interior of the Masonic Temple is beyond description - each of the 7 ceremonial rooms are decorated in different architectural styles reflecting Greek, Renaissance, Egyptain, Moorish and other styles.
 Lunch: A short walking distance from the Masonic Temple is the Reading Terminal Market- a food shoppers paradise replete with speciality items from all over the world as well as produce and food specialities from the Amish who have been bringing their goods since the opening of the market in the 1890's. Enjoy walking around the market before making your lunch selection- Philadelphia Cheesesteaks and Hoagies (local treasures) are everyone's favorites here as well as Bassetts ice cream first scooped at our centennial of 1876.
 Afternoon: Charles Wilson Peale (America's first 18 C. painter) is the founder of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts- the first art school in the United States. It is also a museum that houses only American art by American painters from the 17th to 21st centuries. An art historian will show you the Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Eakins and Wyeths as wll as the Mary Cassat (Philadelphia native) and others.
 Dinner: At hotel
 Evening: Enjoy a lecture on art
   
Accommodations: Club Quarters
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Old City(Christ Church, Betsy Ross House) Free Afternoon/ Lunch & Dinner excluded
(Saturday, October 20)
   
 Breakfast: At hotel
 Morning: With educator to Olde City to visit Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley, Betsy Ross House and 4th St. Quaker Meeting House.
 Lunch: Lunch is on your own
 Afternoon: After lunch in the colonial city we will leave you to enjoy the rest of the afternoon to do things on your own. Coordinator will assist you with suggestions.
 Dinner: Dinner on own to meet with friends or to explore other restaurants on your own
 Evening: Free evening. There is no activity scheduled.
   
Accommodations: Club Quarters
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5: Physick & Powel Houses in Society Hill/Evening Activity
(Sunday, October 21)
   
 Breakfast: At hotel
 Morning: Morning lecture on 300 years of Philadelphia Architecture followed by a visit to The National Constitution Center. The Center's permanent exhibition, The Story of We the People, tells the story of the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance through more than 100 multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture, and artifacts. It also features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, "Freedom Rising", and Signers' Hall. BALANCE OF POWERS Learn more about the three branches of government as you explore giant models of the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. Public Program demonstrators lead you through an entertaining look at the buildings, the people who work in them, and the checks and balances of our government.
 Lunch: Out
 Afternoon: A visit to the Society Hill neighborhood is not complete until you visit with an educator two historic houses. The Physick House dating to 1789 is the home of Doctor Phillip Syng Physick, known as "The Father of American Surgery". On view will be instruments that he invented to remove gall stones which are still in use today. The Powel House was the home to Samuel Powel first mayor of Philadelphia prior to the American Revolution and after it. It was constructed in 1748 and hosted the 25th wedding anniversary of George and Martha Washington and the marriage of Benjamin Franklin's daughter, Deborah to Benjamin Bache.
 Dinner: At hotel
 Evening: Evening activity to be announced later
   
Accommodations: Club Quarters
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Morning history lecture/closing lunch
(Monday, October 22)
   
 Breakfast: At hotel
 Morning: History/scientific lecture relating to Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, David Rittenhouse and other 18 Century savants.
 Lunch: At hotel. Lunch will be at 11:30. The program ends after lunch. Hotel check - out is noon. Box lunches are not available.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

What’s included in this Road Scholar program?



Except for the occasional meal on some programs, Road Scholar programs are all-inclusive. That means there are no extra “options,” no passing the hat for tips and no surprises. From lectures and field trips to gratuities and accommodations – the price you pay up front is the price you pay.

Specifically, this program includes:


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