In Brief - Philadelphia, PA

TIME ZONE: Eastern
AREA CODES: 215, 267
FOUNDED: 1682
POPULATION: 1.5 million
GET AROUND: Philly PHLASH visitor trolley, SEPTA bus and trolley
AIRPORT: Philadelphia International Airport
WEBSITE: www.visitphilly.com  

 

BY THE NUMBERS

72 stone steps — known as the “Rocky Steps” — that lead the way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art

48 size (in inches) of the water main you can peek inside at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, also home to the Water Works Restaurant & Lounge

1,300 animals at the Philadelphia Zoo

53,348 weight (in pounds) of the 36-foot-tall William Penn statue that's atop City Hall

 

CULTURE CALENDAR

June 18 to Oct. 23
MUMMIES OF THE WORLD At the Franklin Institute
It’s easy to get wrapped up in this traveling exhibit, the largest collection of mummies and related artifacts ever presented. Go back 6,500 years in time as you observe everything from a Peruvian child mummy born 3,000 years before King Tut to mummified Egyptian cats from the Ptolemaic period. www.fi.edu

June 24 to July 4
WAWA WELCOME AMERICA!
Celebrate the nation’s birthday in the place where it all began at this annual citywide event. A mile-long party, colorful parade, the largest free concert in the country and, of course, fireworks, are all on the fun-filled agenda. www.welcomeamerica.com

 

NEWS FLASH

Suite Deal • This summer, Pennsylvania’s first Hotel Sierra will open adjacent to King of Prussia Mall. Of the 147 guestrooms, 110 will be suites with full kitchens. www.hotel-sierra.com + Bottoms Up • The Farmers’ Cabinet, which opened in March, gets its name from an 1800s Philly newspaper, which was reportedly the first to print the word “cocktail." The new restaurant’s mixed drinks, European craft beers and two-barrel brewing system are definitely headline worthy. www.thefarmerscabinet.com