The Best Instagram Spots in Philly



There’s more to see in Philadelphia than the Liberty Bell and the Rocky Steps. This historic city has many other photographic sites to see that I want to share with you. I took Megabus to Philly up just for the day and used uber to get  around which proved a little tricky since PA doesn’t require cars to have front license plates.  I went to Philly once in elementary school on a school trip but don’t remember any of it so it felt like exploring an all new city. The City of Brotherly love has a pretty incredible art scene from street murals to museums.  My goal for this trip was to get off the beaten track a little bit and get those insta worth shots!



Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
My main reason for coming to Philly was to see this outdoor art installation of mosaic murals made of recycled glass and other materials. Its set in a labyrinth sculpture garden that takes up half a block. This beautiful installation took artist Isaiah Zagar 14 years to complete. I spent 30 minutes there just snapping photos against this amazing backdrop.  It’s definitely a cool spot to see! Make sure you get tickets online in advance because so many people were turned away at the door. Tickets are only $10. The alley behind the gardens is also covered in mosaic glass murals, as well as the gallery inside the building and even the bathroom. The gardens reminded me of Fusterlandia in Cuba where blocks in on neighborhood in Havana are decorated with mosaic tiles. These pictures don’t do it justice, so you should definitely go see it for yourself!







Love Sculpture
One of the most photographed spots in the city was designed by artist Robert Indiana and there’s another sculpture on the streets on NYC and DC has an AMOR sculpture. People line up to take pics with this iconic landmark located in John F. Kennedy Plaza.


Philadelphia City Hall
Stand on Broad Street for an iconic shot of the largest municipal building in the country.  You can take an elevator to the top of the building for $6 for a birds eye view of the city but it’s only open during weekdays from 9-4pm and one Saturday a month.


Murals
Philly has a robust street art project which you can read about here and take tours of them. Here’s  a few of the murals I found:






Race Street Pier
Located next  to the Ben Franklin Bridge, this pier has a great view of Delaware River, and a spectacular sight to see at sunrise or sunset.  The pier is lined with benches but you’ll only see a few people taking advantage of the tranquil space. Every morning they have free yoga classes here.


Where to Eat
Philly’s Chinatown is the 3rd largest in the USA after NYC and San Francisco. I went there to try Taro soft serve from Kuriimii. The Chinatown Friendship Gate is 40 feet tall but smaller than the one in DC. It was given to Philly by China and has no nails, it was put together like a puzzle. The neighborhood has Chinese groceries with exotic fruit and a lot of the buildings had beautiful Chinese architecture.


Philly is home to the famous Philly Cheesesteak but since I eat plant-based, I went to Wiz Kid to try the vegan version of this famous sandwich and it didn’t disappoint! It’s made of Seitan and exotic mushrooms, and was so filling I could barely eat half a sandwich and had no space for the fries.



Rittenhouse square is a park right in the center of everything and offers great people watching.  There’s tons of restaurants surrounding the park.

For dinner I went to Charlie was a Sinner which serves plant-based cuisine and  craft cocktails. This is small restaurant so make sure you make a reservation in advance. The décor is gorgeous!

I had a great time visiting Philly and would love to go back sometime as there’s a few places I missed like Elfreth's Alley and other murals.

1 comment

  1. Cleveland has some amazing Instagram-worthy spots, as well!
    Just sayin' :-)

    ReplyDelete