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Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia Midtown
The Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia Midtown Hotel is walking distance to many historic sites including: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House. Our hotel is also convenient to many other attractions including shopping …more

Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Center City
The Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia Center City is surrounded by Philadelphia's most prominent businesses, hospitals, universities and government offices. The hotel is located just blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center …more

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About Philadelphia

Philadelphia might be most famously known as the birthplace of American democracy, but you'll find it's an ideal destination for discovery as you explore its colorful neighborhoods, learn more about its rich history and delve into its spectacular sights and attractions.

The original capital of the nation, Philadelphia was laid out by William Penn Jr. in 1682, on a grid system that was to provide the pattern for most American cities. It was envisaged as a "greene countrie towne" and today, for all its historical and cultural significance, it still manages to retain a certain quaintness. Just a few blocks away from downtown, shady cobbled alleys stand lined with red-brick colonial houses, while the peace and quiet of huge Fairmount Park make it easy to forget you're in a major metropolis.

Settled by Quakers , Philadelphia prospered swiftly on the back of trade and commerce, and by the 1750s had become the second largest city in the British Empire. Economic power fueled strong revolutionary feeling, and the city was the capital during the War of Independence (except for nine months under British occupation in 1778). It also served as the US capital until 1800, while Washington, DC was being built. The Declaration of Independence was written, signed and first publicly read here in 1776, as was the US Constitution ten years later. Philadelphia was also a hotbed of new ideas in the arts and sciences, as epitomized by the scientist, philosopher, statesman, inventor and printer Benjamin Franklin .

Philadelphia, which translated from Greek means "City of Brotherly Love," is in fact one of the most ethnically mixed US cities, with substantial communities of Italians, Irish, Eastern Europeans and Asians living side by side. Many of the city's residents are descendants of the migrants who flocked here after the Civil War when, like Chicago, Philadelphia was seen as a place of tolerance and liberalism. More recently, it voted in the nation's first black mayor, and has the country's best museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.

Philadelphia stretches for about two miles from the Schuylkill (pronounced Schoolkill ) River on the west to the Delaware on the east; the urban area extends for many miles to the north and south, but everything you're likely to want to see is right in the central swath. The city's central districts are compact, walkable and readily accessible from each other; Penn's sensibly planned grid system makes for easy sightseeing.

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