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Update on seeing the Liberty Bell from the outside: I was in Philly today and walked down 6th Street to the end of the building it's in, but they now have a guard posted there, with everyone exiting, and it's not possible to get a look at the bell. However, if you walk around that end to the other side of the building, they have set it up so you can see the bell from the outside, with buttons to push on the wall for a description in various languages. It says this is for visitors who are there when the building is closed, but of course you can look inside at any time, and a lot of people were doing just that today.

Of course, it may have always been set up this way and I just remembered it differently, but this is the latest setup as of today.

I also found a lovely set of small garden spaces with benches that run from Market Street up 5th Street, parallel to the building with the bell--it seemed to be a favorite with local people and the tourists who had found it--a good space to sit in if it's hot and you want shade and to just rest from being a tourist for a few minutes.
 
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The many posts discussing senior transit cards in the Philadelphia area (and other areas) were moved to an existing thread on that topic:
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/senior-transit-fares-and-cards.81986/
Please limit the discussion in this thread (and forum) to comments about "what to see" in specific locations. Any specific comments regarding the Philadelphia Gathering should be made in the Gathering thread:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/2023-gathering-discussion.83594/
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I remember long ago taking the train into 30st station then walking down long stairs from the concourse to catch the trolley downtown. My parents were shopping downtown at the many department stores, especially for Christmas at Wanamakers. We never went outside. Can you still do that? It was certainly convenient not to have to deal with street traffic especially in bad weather. I believe the trolley, or perhaps it was the subway, had stops at stores that had an underground entrance that was also very convenient. More recently I have always takien SEPTA from the upper level to Suburban station downtown.
 
I remember long ago taking the train into 30st station then walking down long stairs from the concourse to catch the trolley downtown. My parents were shopping downtown at the many department stores, especially for Christmas at Wanamakers. We never went outside. Can you still do that? It was certainly convenient not to have to deal with street traffic especially in bad weather. I believe the trolley, or perhaps it was the subway, had stops at stores that had an underground entrance that was also very convenient. More recently I have always takien SEPTA from the upper level to Suburban station downtown.

I’ve never taken the subway so don’t know if it still has an entrance at Macy’s/Wanamaker’s.

I don’t think that you can do it completely without going outside, but another option is if you take SEPTA from 30th Street Station to Jefferson Station, you can go up the escalator two levels right to the Marriott. then walk down a hall in the hotel that brings you to a side door right across the street from Macy’s. That’s a locked door on the outside, though, so coming back you would have to go a bit farther on Market Street to get back into the Marriott.

If you wanted to just go get something to eat at Reading Terminal Market, you could get off SEPTA at Jefferson, but just go up one level, then down a hall that takes you to an outside road — but covered — and RTM is right across that road.

So essentially you would be outside on the SEPTA platform at 30th Street, outside for about a block if going to Macy’s, and outside (but without snow or ice) crossing over to RTM.

I tried some of this once when I was in Philly during a heatwave — I don’t deal well with heat and was trying to figure out how far I could get in air conditioning without going outside. I went from my hotel just a few steps to the side door of RTM, through RTM to the other side, out and across the covered road, into Jefferson/Marriott, and out that end hall to cross over to Macy’s.😊
 
I remember long ago taking the train into 30st station then walking down long stairs from the concourse to catch the trolley downtown. My parents were shopping downtown at the many department stores, especially for Christmas at Wanamakers. We never went outside. Can you still do that? It was certainly convenient not to have to deal with street traffic especially in bad weather. I believe the trolley, or perhaps it was the subway, had stops at stores that had an underground entrance that was also very convenient. More recently I have always takien SEPTA from the upper level to Suburban station downtown.
No, they've closed the 30th St. connection due to crime issues. Amtrak is planning to redevelop the station, and there's been talk of reopening the tunnel when that happens.

There is an underground concourse that connects the Market Street line 15th St. station, the Broad Street line City Hall station, and the Regional Rail Suburban Station. I think it also extends south to Broad Street's Walnut station, but I didn't walk that part. Parts of the concourse have been closed, and other parts close at night. The section between Suburban Station & 15th St. still has a fair number of shops, food stands, and even a diner.
 
I’ve never taken the subway so don’t know if it still has an entrance at Macy’s/Wanamaker’s.

I don’t think that you can do it completely without going outside, but another option is if you take SEPTA from 30th Street Station to Jefferson Station, you can go up the escalator two levels right to the Marriott. then walk down a hall in the hotel that brings you to a side door right across the street from Macy’s. That’s a locked door on the outside, though, so coming back you would have to go a bit farther on Market Street to get back into the Marriott.

If you wanted to just go get something to eat at Reading Terminal Market, you could get off SEPTA at Jefferson, but just go up one level, then down a hall that takes you to an outside road — but covered — and RTM is right across that road.

So essentially you would be outside on the SEPTA platform at 30th Street, outside for about a block if going to Macy’s, and outside (but without snow or ice) crossing over to RTM.

I tried some of this once when I was in Philly during a heatwave — I don’t deal well with heat and was trying to figure out how far I could get in air conditioning without going outside. I went from my hotel just a few steps to the side door of RTM, through RTM to the other side, out and across the covered road, into Jefferson/Marriott, and out that end hall to cross over to Macy’s.😊

No to a subway entrance at Macy's, there has not been a direct entrance from the Subway since the building was renovated and repurposed. The Lower Levels were rebuilt as part of the parking garage. Today there are perhaps around (6) Department Stores that still have direct subway entrances in North America.

At one time there was a skywalk into the 2nd floor of Wanamakers from the PSFS building, but that was taken down many years ago.

Ken
 
What an interesting find! Thanks for posting it!

I used to do part of this—from Jefferson Station through the Gallery to 8th and Market—then stairs up from PATCO (although I did sometimes just go out the Gallery exit on the sidewalk and in another door half a block up)—to get to a small mall (Ross and a couple of other stores) that had a cozy elegant courtyard with a tall clock that chimed every 15 minutes and a piano that someone played at lunchtime.

Many workers would come at lunchtime and sit at the tables in the courtyard and have a peaceful lunch break.

If I felt like a peaceful atmosphere instead of the busyness of RTM, I would get lunch at a small Chinese takeout in the courtyard and then sit at one of the several tables and listen to the piano player.

I haven’t been there for at least a couple of years—does anyone know if the Chinese place is still there and if there’s still a piano player at lunchtime?
 
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