Day Trip to Philadelphia

I thought a day trip to the City of Brotherly Love would be an interesting way to spend a summer day.*

Having looked at Amtrak, Grayhound, Megabus, and Boltbus, I think Boltbus offers the best deal (about $11 each way).  Once in Philadelphia, I think an all-day transit pass ($11) would be good too.  The bus ride is about 90 minutes one way.  For me, that is a chance to use my portable DVD player(the battery is good for about 6 hours), or to read a good book.  I've done the Los Angeles to New York bus ride, so a two hour ride really doesn't mean much to me.

To get the most out of my visit, I plan to purchase a Philadelphia Pass  (about $55).*  With the pass, I'll have access to about 30 different attractions including:National Constitution Center, The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Museum of Arts, Eastern State Penitentiary, Fels Planetarium, The Academy of Natural Sciences, National Liberty Museum, Battleship New Jersey, Betsy Ross House, Independence Seaport Museum, and a tour from the DUCK.  After doing an initial search of possible places that I wanted to visit, I found out that the pass will pay for itself with a visit to 5 or 6 different attractions.

* I think I might return Sunday as well.  The price of a hostel for the night would be more expensive than a round trip bus ticket.  Right now, the Philadelphia Pass is on sale (sale ends July 31st).  The cost of a one day pass is $55.  The cost for a two day pass is $69.  If you can only do one day, just choose Saturday or Sunday.

Day 1 - Flow of the Day (tentative)

7:30am - ($12 one way) BoltBus departs NYC

9:10am - Bus arrives in downtown Philadelphia**

9:30am ~ 10:00am - Board and ride the Duck Tour (70 minutes)

10:30am ~ 1:30pm - Liberty Bell Center and Independence Mall area

2:00pm ~ 3:30pm - Franklin Institute and Fels Planetarium ( Black Hole Show[30min.])

4:00pm ~ 5:30pm - Eastern State Penitentiary

5:30pm ~ 6:15pm - Memorials (Vietnam War, Korean War, & Irish)  

6:50pm - Boarding the BoltBus for NYC

8:30pm - Arrival in NYC 

** Both the Transit Pass ($11), and the Philadelphia Pass ($55) can be purchased online.

Day 2 - Flow of the Day (tentative)

8:30am - ($11) BoltBus departs NYC

10:10am - Bus arrives in downtown Philadelphia**

10:30am ~ 1:30pm - Philadelphia Zoo & Gardens

2:00pm ~ 3:30pm - TBA 

4:00pm ~ 5:30pm - TBA

5:30pm ~ 6:15pm - TBA  

6:50pm - Boarding the BoltBus for NYC

8:30pm - Arrival in NYC