Sights in Pennsylvania
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University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
The University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology is Penn's magical museum, containing archaeological treasures from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Mayan peninsula, Greece, Rome and North America. Its fragments of Sumerian script are among the oldest examples of writing ever found.
The neighborhood of University City, separated from downtown Philly by the Schuylkill River, feels like one big college town. That's because it's home to both Drexel University and the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania (commonly called 'U Penn'), founded in 1740. The leafy, bustling campus makes a pleasant afternoon stroll
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Cathedral of Learning
- Pittsburgh, USA
- Sights › Tower
The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University are here, and the surrounding streets are packed with cheap eateries, cafés, shops and student homes. Rising up from the center of the U Pitt campus is the soaring Cathedral of Learning, a grand, 42-story Gothic tower which, at 535ft, is the second-tallest education building in the world. It houses the elegant Nationality Classrooms, each representing a different style and period, with gorgeous details such as the red-velvet upholstered chairs of Austria; most are accessible only with a guided tour.
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Barnes Foundation Gallery
The Barnes Foundation Gallery houses an exceptionally fine collection of impressionist, post-impressionist and early French modern paintings, including works by Cézanne, Degas, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Renoir and Van Gogh.
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Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a prestigious academy that has a museum with works by American painters, including Charles Willson Peale and Thomas Eakins.
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Franklin Institute Science Museum
Franklin Institute Science Museum is where hands-on science displays were pioneered; a highlight is the Ben Franklin exhibit.
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Independence National Historic Park
This L-shaped park, along with Old City, has been dubbed 'America's most historic square mile.' Once the backbone of the United States government, it has become the backbone of Philadelphia's tourist trade. Stroll around and you'll see storied buildings in which the seeds for the Revolutionary War were planted and the US government came into bloom.
You'll also find beautiful, shaded urban lawns dotted with plenty of squirrels, pigeons and costumed actors. These days, the park looks spiffier then ever. The only downer is the barrier that now surrounds the park's top two sites - Independence Hall and the bell - installed as a security precaution.
Independence Hall is the…
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Liberty Bell Center
Liberty Bell Center is Philadelphia's top tourist attraction and was commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Privileges (Pennsylvania's constitution, enacted in 1701 by William Penn). The 2080lb bronze bell was made in London's East End by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1751. The bell's inscription, from Leviticus 25:10, reads: 'Proclaim liberty through all the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.' The bell was secured in the belfry of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) and tolled on important occasions, most notably the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Independence Sq. The bell became badly cracked…
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Park
This L-shaped 45-acre park, along with Old City, has been dubbed 'America's most historic square mile.' Once the backbone of the United States government, today it is the backbone of Philadelphia's tourist trade. Stroll around and you'll see storied buildings in which the seeds for the Revolutionary War were planted and the US government came into bloom. You'll also find beautiful, shaded urban lawns dotted with large groups of schoolchildren and costumed actors. Most sites are open every day from 9am to 5pm, and some are closed Monday. Note that you must call or stop in to the Independence Visitor Center to make a timed reservation before visiting the high-volume…
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Chinese Friendship Gate
The fourth-largest Chinatown in the USA, Philly's version has existed since the 1860s. Chinese immigrants who built America's transcontinental railroads started out west and worked their way here. Today's Chinatown remains a center for immigrants, though now many of the neighborhood's residents come from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in addition to every province in China. Though it does hold a few residents, the tone of Chinatown is thoroughly commercial. The Chinese Friendship Gate is a decorative arch built in 1984 as a joint project between Philadelphia and its Chinese sister city, Tianjin. The multicolored, four-story gate is Chinatown's most conspicuous landmark.
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Valley Forge National Historic Park
After being defeated at the Battle of Brandywine Creek and the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777, General Washington and 12,000 continental troops withdrew to Valley Forge. Today, Valley Forge symbolizes Washington's endurance and leadership. The Valley Forge National Historic Park contains 5½ sq miles of scenic beauty and open space 20 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia - a remembrance of where 2000 of George Washington's 12,000 troops perished from freezing temperatures, hunger and disease, while many others returned home. A 22-mile cycling path along the Schuylkill River connects Valley Forge to Philadelphia.
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Second Bank of the Us
Second Bank of the US, modeled after the Greek Parthenon, is an 1824 marble-faced Greek Revival masterpiece that was home to the world's most powerful financial institution until President Andrew Jackson dissolved its charter in 1836. The building then became the Philadelphia Customs House until 1935, when it became a museum. Today it's home to the National Portrait Gallery, housing many paintings by Charles Willson Peale, America's top portrait artist at the time of the American Revolution.
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Fairmount Park
The snaking Schuylkill River bisects this 9,200-acre greenspace − bigger than New York's Central Park and, in fact, the largest city park in the country. From the earliest days of spring every corner is thrumming with activity − ball games, runners, picnickers, you name it. The enthusiasm is catchy and you'll certainly want to join them. Runners will love the tree-lined, riverside trails, which range from 2 miles to 10 miles in length.
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Monongahela Incline
The South Side, bursting with shops, eateries, bars and cool characters, is a great place for strolling. To see it from above, ride the Monongahela Incline. The historic funicular railroads that run up and down Mt Washington's steep slopes and afford great city views (and along which a young Jennifer Beals rode her bicycle in the classic '80s film Flashdance). You can also try the Duquesne Incline (www.incline.pghfree.net).
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Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum celebrates Pittsburgh's coolest native son, who became famous for his pop art, avant-garde movies, celebrity connections and Velvet Underground spectaculars. Exhibits include celebrity portraits, while the museum's theater hosts frequent film screenings and quirky performers. Friday-night cocktails at the museum are popular with Pittsburgh's gay community.
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Frick Art & Historical Center
East of Oakland, in Point Breeze, is the wonderful Frick Art & Historical Center, which displays some of Henry Clay Frick's Flemish, French and Italian paintings in its Art Museum; assorted Frickmobiles like a 1914 Rolls Royce in the Car & Carriage Museum; more than five acres of grounds and gardens; and Clayton, the restored 1872 Frick mansion.
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National Constitution Center
The highly recommended National Constitution Center, right next to the visitor center, makes the United States Constitution sexy and interesting for a general audience through theater-in-the-round reenactments. There are exhibits including interactive voting booths and Signer's Hall, which contains lifelike bronze statues of the signers in action.
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Interior Design District
Formerly gritty Lawrenceville has recently become the city's Interior Design District, comprising the stretch on and around Butler Street from 16th to 62nd Sts. It's a long and spotty strip of shops, galleries, studios, bars and eateries that's on every hipster's radar, and runs into the slowly gentrifying Garfield neighborhood, a good place for cheap ethnic eats.
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Kentuck Knob
Much less visited is Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd Wright house (designed in 1953), built into the side of a rolling hill. It's noted for its natural materials, hexagonal design and honeycomb skylights. House tours last about an hour and include a jaunt through the onsite sculpture garden, with works by Andy Goldsworthy, Ray Smith and others.
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Carnegie Museums
Nearby are two Carnegie Museums - the Carnegie Museum of Art, with terrific exhibits of architecture, impressionist, postimpressionist and modern American paintings; and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, featuring a complete Tyrannosaurus skeleton and exhibits on Pennsylvania geology and Inuit prehistory.
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Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary, opened in 1829, was controversial for a program that was meant to change behavior through solitary confinement and labor. Before it was abandoned in 1971 it held some of the country's most notorious criminals, including Al Capone. Today you can wander throughout the ancient cell blocks and even take a 'haunted' night-time tour.
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Presque Isle State Park
Presque Isle State Park shoots north and then curves back down upon itself just like Cape Cod in Massachusetts, is a stunningly beautiful place to visit, no matter the season. It's a lovely sandy peninsula with dramatic, ocean-like vistas interspersed with wooded areas and cycling trails.
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Independence Hall
Independence Hall is the 'birthplace of American government, ' where delegates from the 13 colonies met to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. An excellent example of Georgian architecture, it sports understated lines that reveal Philadelphia's Quaker heritage.
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Longwood Gardens
The spectacular Longwood Gardens, near Kennett Sq, has 1050 acres, 20 indoor gardens and 11,000 kinds of plants, with something always in bloom. There's also a Children's Garden with a maze, fireworks and illuminated fountains in summer, and festive lights at Christmas.
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University of Pennsylvania (U Penn)
University City, separated from downtown Philly by the Schuylkill River, feels like one big college town. That's because it's home to both Drexel University and the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1740. The leafy, bustling campus makes a pleasant afternoon stroll.
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Shofuso Japanese House and Garden
Check out the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, a picturesque home and teahouse constructed in the traditional 16th-century style. Scattered all throughout the park are some notable monuments, including one, at the far east end, for Joan of Arc.
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