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East Coast Gem

Philadelphia

By Alexander Schlosser

I had not expected much when I booked a weekend trip to Philadelphia. While New York is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to, the East Coast in general left me a little bit disappointed. Sure, there is the wonderful state of New York with its impressive Catskill mountain range, but other than that the East kind of falls short compared to the incredible beauty of its western counterpart.

It turned out that I had underestimated things once again:
Philadelphia was a blast.

Not only does it boast all the things that make New York City such a wonderful place to live – a diverse city scape, amazing architecture, great parks, delicious food and lively neighborhoods like Fishtown – it also saves one from all the things that can make living in Brooklyn and Manhattan exhausting sometimes: chronically congested traffic, an orchestra of honking cars, crowded subway trains, a waste disposal system that leaves room for improvement and $12 kale smoothies.

It is probably impossible to judge a city after being there for a mere three days. However, Philadelphia – which coincidentally became my hometown’s (Frankfurt a. M., Germany) sister city earlier this year – was so welcoming that I highly recommend going there when traveling the East Coast. I am sure it will be as much of a surprise to you as it was for me.

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AirBnB AT its best

I was lucky enough to stay in one of the nicest apartments I have ever seen in my life: Situated in northeastern Philadelphia the converted warehouse was a staggering example of exceptional interior design. Thanks to its owner’s great taste and his obsession for well designed and classic accessories the place looked as if it came straight out of Monocle’s “Guide to Cosy Homes”.

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eastern state penitentiary

This place alone is worth the trip to Philadelphia and definitely one of the best sights the US has to offer. The former prison was operational until 1971 and is considered the world’s first true penitentiary. What makes it unique though is the fact that it got converted into a National Historic Landmark – without sacrificing the prison’s atmosphere. It almost feels as if the last prisoners just left a couple of years ago: one can still see chairs, desks and beds covered in dust and dirt sitting in dark, barely lit cells. It is this authentic setting that is topped off with a great audio tour that makes this place so special.

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East Coast Gem

Philadelphia

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