USA

Philadelphia

Stretched between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, just across from Camden, New Jersey, Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth largest city in the USA. History lurks around every corner in Philadelphia. This is the birthplace of the United States and the nation's original capital from 1790 to 1800. In one of the great experiments of the British colonies, it was founded in 1682, by the English Quaker William Penn, who envisioned the settlement as a land of tolerance and religious freedom. Many colonists fleeing persecution flocked to it. Penn named the town after the Greek word for 'brotherly love'. Besides its iconic historical sights, 'Philly', as natives refer to it, also has a vibrant arts scene, with a renowned orchestra, world-class museums and some fantastic restaurants. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is the city's crown jewel, though Philadelphia is also home to art house cinemas, forward-leaning galleries and traditional and avant-garde theatre. Philadelphia is also the gateway for those travelling west into Pennsylvania Dutch Country, north to the ski resorts of the Pocono Mountains and southeast to the Delaware Peninsula and Atlantic Seaboard beaches.