I've been to 8 of the 10. My thoughts on them individually:
10. Italian Market
- never really thought of it as a tourist attraction, so I'm not sure why it's on the list. It's not in an area of the city where tourists normally venture. It's more of a place where locals and those in the suburbs buy fresh produce, specialty items, etc., or grab a bite to eat.
9. The Rocky Statue
- I disagree with this classification. The Rocky statue is located very close to the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, which were famously shown at the end of the training montage with Rocky running up them. You can barely go an hour at the steps (at least during the day/early evening) without a group of tourists running up the steps, and dancing around at the top of them as Rocky did in the original movie. A lot of these people take pics there, and a lot them take pics at the statue. The actual statue isn't historically important, but tourists seek out the steps and the statue, and rarely seem disappointed.
8. The Betsy Ross House
- from a historical perspective, there is a lot to dislike about the Betsy Ross House. There is no proof that Betsy actually sewed the 1st flag, and some proof that others did. There's also questions about whether she lived at the house during some of the period that it celebrates. At the same time, the legend of Betsy Ross and the flag is well established, and the house is very popular with school children and tourists. And the guides do a very nice job. There are easily 10 historical sites in Philadelphia that I would rate over the Betsy Ross house, but it is far more popular than most of those sites.
7. Pat's & Geno's
- 2 of the most overrated cheesesteak places in Philadelphia. They seem to be more popular with tourists than with locals, which should tell you all you need to know.
6. City Tavern
- if you read history from 1st and 2nd Continental Congress, and the Constitutional Convention, the City Tavern was very prominent in that era. It was torn down a long time ago. The National Park Service had it re-built for the Bicentennial. I've eaten there many times, and enjoy eating foods from that era in recipes from that era. It's certainly not the best dining establishment in Philadelphia, and being re-built (as opposed to the original) does diminish its historical impact. I would not include it in the list.
5. The Constitution Center
- I strongly disagree with this being on the list. Independence Mall which the National Park Service created in the 1960s, remains a disaster. The NPS decided that any building that wasn't present in 1776 should be removed. So they created a mall of several blocks in front of Independence Hall (the former State House), when the State House was traditionally surrounded by buildings. The Constitution Center is a nice end to the wasteland at the opposite side of the Mall from Independence Hall. They have some of the best talks you can hear outside of law schools on various aspects of the Constitution, and frequently host talks by authors on books that deal with the creation of the Constitution, or on many of the issues that have been faced by the country/Supreme Court/legislative branch/executive branch since the Constitution was approved.
4. SugarHouse Casino
- Phineas T Barnum said it best -- "there's a sucker born every minute." I've never been to SugarHouse and doubt that I ever will go there. I don't frequent casinos unless I'm at a convention being held at one, or they are staging a musical act that I want to see perform. To me, this is a good listing.
3. Ride the Ducks
- the Philadelphia dock is a shell of what it use to be. The waterfront -- especially the area that the Ducks travel on -- is really pretty boring. I concur with this listing.
2. The Liberty Bell
- it's idiotic to include the Liberty Bell on this list. Yes, you can see it from outside the window without waiting in line. And the lines can be rather long at certain times of the year, and as Victor E. Bell indicated, you use to be able to touch it but that's no longer the case. All that said, the Bell looms large in US History. The Continental Congress moved the bell (before it was known as the Liberty Bell) when the British were threatening Philadelphia in the Revolutionary War. They did so more to save it from being melted down to make cannons and bullets, but it does lend to its history and importance. The events where it cracked were significant events as well. And how it evolved into being called the Liberty Bell is also important. I've read books on the bell, I've talked with people that performed tests on the bell, etc., and I usually have a question or two to ask the ranger when I visit it. Including this on the list is just plain stupid.
1. East South Street
- It's certainly not as nice as it use to be. That said, it remains quite popular with teenagers and young adults. There's loads a places that are more enjoyable to take in during the night in Philadelphia, but people attract people, and there is never any shortage of people on South Street. I wouldn't recommend it to tourists, so perhaps I'd include it on the list, though I'm kind of ambivalent about that.
All-in-all, seems like a rather dumb list from Philadelphia Magazine.
Tom
