Philadelphia mightn't be first on your list of places to visit in the US, but travel writer Fionn Davenport says it should be. Aer Lingus is launching new direct flights to Philly and Fionn told Sean O'Rourke that there are many reasons why you should take advantage.
"It's a city transformed. It was always… a blue collar town and it's transformed itself in the last two years or so into really one of the most elegant cities in all of America… This is the home of American history, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin… Philadelphia, of course, was the first capital of the newly constituted United States."
So the city has bags of history and miles of museums, but someone who really put it back on the map was Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, much to the chagrin of the resident culture vultures. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to the steps that Rocky Balboa ran up in the iconic training scene and it boasts a statue of the character, arms raised in triumph, which appeals to those who've had quite enough of high art. "I've been and I've watched people recreate that run… it's brilliant," says Fionn.
If you're looking for something a little different, Fionn recommends the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which is a home to all manner of medical oddities.
"All the disturbing medical conditions that hopefully none of us will ever be afflicted by are kind of memorialised or certainly observed in this museum. There's the liver of the two conjoined twins Eng and Chang who are the original… Siamese Twins and only called that way because Eng and Chang were from Siam or current day Thailand but it's a really interesting place to visit."
And then, of course, there's the beloved Philly Cheesesteak, but if you're serious about it, you've got to know your lingo.
"There's a certain knack to a Philly Cheesesteak and there's a certain knack to ordering a Philly Cheesesteak because to get it wrong suggests you're not in touch with the common man and woman of the United States."
If that's not enough to convince you, Fionn tells us that Philadelphia has tax free shopping and the second biggest shopping mall in the USA – a city on the up with something for everyone!
Click here to listen to that interview in full.
Photo credit: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images