Philadelphia Travel Forum

In Sept I'm going by train from NYC to DC.A friend suggested I leave early, get off at Philly, do the Independence Mall-historical sites gig and continue by train to DC.Can I get one ticket at Penn Stn NYC that will allow me to come and go as I wish on that day? Can I leave my luggage at 30th St stn at Philly? How far from the station to the historical district on foot and how long should I allow in the district before getting back to the train .I'd like to arrive in DC about 5.30 or so-perhaps a bit later but not in the dark.

The train station is at 30th street and Market Street.
Independence Mall is at 5th street and Market street.
That is a 2 mile walk or a 5-10 minute cab ride. I think you can still walk down Market street, but I haven't lived in Philly since I was a kid.
It is an intersting area. You can spend as much or little time as you want. I would say it was definitely worth a visit.
The baggage and the train ticket? I don't know.

> Can I get one ticket at Penn Stn NYC that will allow me
> to come and go as I wish on that day?

Even if you have a Amtrak pass, you must specify EXACTLY what train you'll be traveling on, or you pay a surcharge for purchasing the ticket onboard. You can, however, purchase a multi-city ticket with no trouble.

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/ComplexRail


> Can I leave my luggage at 30th St stn at Philly?

Here's what someone reported a couple months ago:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/archive/index.php/t-126504.html


Once you drop off your luggage, you easily ride the SEPTA subway from 30th Street Station to 5th Street; as you walk out, Independence Hall is right in front of you. You can buy two subway (NOT Amtrak, NOT NJTRansit, NOT regional rail) tokens for $2.60 (cash ONLY) at numerous SEPTA vending machines. Follow the signs to the Market Frankford Line (AKA, the "Blue Line").

This map should show you the basics about this route:
www.septa.org/maps/market_frankford.html

Thanks donato

Many thanks PR-7! Just perfect!!! Cheers.

To get to the market-frankford line you'll have to exit the train station, cross market street, and you'll see a blue sign for it on the intersection. You walk down the steps to access it. It's called the 'el', the subway is another portion of the transit system so if you ask people where the subway is you'll get conflicting answers. The public transportation system (called septa) is not hard to navigate, and there will be a bunch of people around to answer questions. If you have exact change there is a guy in a booth you can just give the money too (and it wouldn't hurt to double check you will be heading in the correct direction -- towards frankford, not 69th st. Or you can drop the $5-10 dollars and have take a cab, they'll be outside the train station as well.

Independence Hall is actually on 6th and Chesnut, 1 block south of market st, so you won't see it right upon exiting. There you'll have the liberty bell, independence hall, and the constitution center. Reserve your tickets in advance online for the independence hall, they usually are sold out or at off-peak times the day of.

http://www.nps.gov/inde/independence-hall.htm