Summertime visit to Philadelphia

Experiencing Flag Day and World Cup crowds in June 2026

In June 2026, my wife, Tiger Adolf, and I spent 3 nights in downtown Philadelphia during the World Cup soccer tournament and Flag Day festivities ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  This article summarizes our trip and acknowledges those who made the journey memorable.  

When we learned that two sons of a close friend, Elliot Boardman, would be celebrating his 90th birthday at their homes just outside Philadelphia, we decided that we had to be there. The least expensive route was to use airline miles to get there via a redeye flight, and so we did. The travel goddess shined upon us when we arrived into the Philadelphia airport at 7:00 am and Ubered to the downtown Hilton at Penn Landing where they allowed us to check-in early… like 8:00 am early… with a room on an upper floor and a glorious view of the river and the World Cup venue.  The hotel rates weren’t cheap due to the World Cup, but we were grateful for the incredible downtown location and the opportunity to have a short nap before heading to the birthday festivities in the suburbs.  Elliot was surprised to see us and we felt honored to be included in the family’s reminiscing.          

Although we had arrived on a Saturday morning, with temperatures in the high 90s and humidity to match, this is a city made for walking and we were happy to embrace that.  We took a short walk to the Italian outdoor market. Within just two city blocks, we watched locals as they shopped at the numerous produce, specialty  grocery (think cheese, pasta, olives), and full-service butcher shops.  It all looked delicious. With growling stomachs, we stopped in a corner pizza joint and enjoyed a slice while people watching from a sidewalk seat.  That would tide us over until lunch, and let us be more comfortable as we did more window shopping until we caught a rideshare to the party.      

We got a taxi ride back downtown from the party and fell into bed for our second nap of this long day.  Then, feeling the need to get oriented to East Coast time, we ventured back out and strolled through a park to A Man Full of Trouble Tavern, the only pre-revolutionary war tavern remaining in the city of Philadelphia, for a locally-made beer before walking among the brick row houses to The Twisted Tail for cocktails and several appetizers.  We were tempted to follow the sounds of a New Orleans-style brass band coming from the upstairs Bourbon House and Juke Joint but even on East Coast time, the long day was catching up with us.  Instead, we leisurely walked back to our hotel and took in the Penn’s Landing family-friendly activities before having a nightcap and doing some people watching at our hotel riverside terrace before calling it a night.  

Although the birthday party had been our motivation, neither of us had ever really explored Philadelphia.  Sunday morning (Flag Day) we began our sightseeing by walking the short distance from our hotel to Independence Hall. In 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence here. Eleven years later, in the same room, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created and signed an enduring framework of government – the United States Constitution. We arrived before the doors opened at 9 a.m. Reservations are not required in the first hour after the Hall opens, and no reservations were available later in the day. The line to get inside was short at that hour so we were among the first group of visitors to be allowed inside that day.  We spoke with another couple in line who had driven from Chicago and, like us, were excited just to be walking in the steps of our forefathers. Once inside, we both found it moving to be “in the room where it happened”. As we left we saw a group of Boy Scouts being quizzed by a guide about the building’s significance. 

Walking across the street to Liberty Bell Center, we encountered a bagpipe and drum contingent warming up ahead of their performance on the grounds in front of the Hall.  When we got to the entrance we were thrilled to be able to walk in without waiting in line to see the Bell.  Throughout the rest of our stay, we never saw the line there that short again.  We got choked up reading about the Bell’s history and its journey across the country to celebrate our country’s centennial, and the many foreign leaders who have visited to have their photo taken with the Bell upon winning independence in their own countries.    

After getting our photo with the Bell, we walked to the next block to experience the National Constitution Center which was strongly recommended by many.  We began our visit with the very well done multi-media show that explained the significance of the document.  Next we visited a space with life-sized statues of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence with plaques that detailed their name, state, age and height.  The statues were arranged in natural poses as if they were meeting in Independence Hall and we were encouraged to walk among them.  It was humbling to feel as if we were in their presence.  

In the exhibit hall that offered details about the Constitution, we enjoyed an interactive quiz to determine how aligned our opinions are with our forefathers.  We were enlightened by how our thoughts diverged from theirs around topics like the lifetime terms of Supreme Court justices.  We had to cut short our exhibit visit so we could make our way to a special talk we wanted to see.  Surprised to see we were the first ones to arrive, we settled in for what was billed as “A Conversation with Betsy Ross.”  We took seats up front and embraced the opportunity to ask “Mrs. Ross” if it was her idea to copy the very same colors as the flag of France.  She assured us that the color choice wasn’t left to her (George Washington chose the color scheme), but it was her idea to put the 13 stars in a circle.  She also shared that, since fabric was hard to come by during the war, it was convenient to disassemble captured British flags and repurpose portions of them to use as the stars and stripes for American flags.  The quality of the exhibits and the enthusiasm of the all museum staff was very uplifting.  We couldn’t help stopping by the gift shop as we left for a “We the People” t-shirt.  It was inspiring to observe that all the National Park staff members er encountered were helpful, kind, and enthusiastic about their subjects.  

For lunch, we walked to the highly-regarded Campo’s Deli for one cheesesteak sub and one Italian Hoagie so we could both savor a taste of each of the city’s legendary sandwiches.  Both were noteworthy and nothing like what we had come to expect from copycats around the world who misappropriate the two sandwich names.  Further down the block we stopped at Franklin’s Fountain–a historically recreated 1915 soda fountain–to learn about the origins of the banana split and sample a cone of their rich butter pecan ice cream.  

We walked back to our hotel for a nap during the worst heat of the day, and in the evening we strolled to the Sassafras Bar for a cocktail and then a few doors down to Khyber Pass Pub for some Southern(ish)-styled appetizers before ending the night across the street with a shot of Irish whiskey at The Plough and the Stars.  We were back at our hotel as the town warmed up to that evening’s World Cup soccer battle of the favored Ecuador versus the underdog Ivory Coast.  

On Monday morning we started early and walked to the highly-recommended Reading Terminal Market with its endless choices of prepared foods and groceries.  Our first stop was at Old City Coffee for cafe au lait and then we followed the crowd to Miller’s Twist for a most-amazing egg, cheese and sausage wrapped… err, twisted…. into buttery Pennsylvania Dutch Amish style pretzel dough.  It was an amazing egg sandwich, and provided just the nourishment we needed to get us across the street from the Market to meet up with our 2-hour electric cart tour from WeVenture. 

Our tour guide loaded us and a family of three from San Diego into his adorable cart, then whisked us around town, promptly turning down a narrow alley to show us a public art display that would be unreachable by the double-decker tour buses and off to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the Rocky statue which would have been too far for a walking tour.  It was in front of the Rocky statue that our guide explained the area was overrun with soccer fans the previous day ahead of the big soccer match.  The favored Ecuador team fans insisted on dressing the Rocky statue in one of their team jerseys – ignoring explanations from locals about the legendary Rocky statue curse – thus, ensuring the underdog Ivory Coast was victorious. Across the street, we enjoyed walking around the elaborate statue of George Washington.  Our guide then drove us behind the museum to see magnificent views of the river and boathouse from a hilltop pavilion in Fairmont Park.  Once again, we were struck by the foresight of the early residents of Philadelphia to set aside such a large amount of gorgeous riverfront for public uses.

During the cart tour, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing many spots around town that no tourist should miss alongside some special hidden gems with insight that could only be provided by our tour guide’s knowledge as a lifelong resident with a master’s degree in history.  After our tour, our guide conveniently dropped us back at the Reading Terminal Market right around lunchtime.  We seized the opportunity to experience a roast pork sandwich with cheese (provolone) and greens (spinach) at Tommy DiNic’s, followed by a visit to Beiler’s Bakery for slices of cheesecake and coconut custard pie.  We then waddled our way through town to work off some calories.  We walked past the afternoon crowds at the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and made our way into the Museum of the American Revolution. We explored the exhibits, making sure not to miss the show presenting the museum’s prized possession, George Washington’s army tent, that he used at Valley Forge and elsewhere.

We could have spent another 3 hours… or 3 days… in the Revolution museum, but with full heads and hearts our focus waned, so we headed back to the hotel to stretch out.  Refreshed, we walked a short way down the pier to climb aboard Moshulu, a 4-masted tall ship converted into a floating bar and restaurant that had great reviews.  We arrived just as the above-deck bar opened for happy hour. Cocktails and appetizers were enjoyed as we got acquainted with others there both from close by and as far away as Poland.  As we departed the ship, the dark wood-lined bar below decks enticed us for one more drink before we took the short walk along the river back to our ever-so-conveniently-located hotel.

After so many business trips to Philadelphia, where all we saw was the airport and the inside of a conference hotel during our working years, it was wonderful to be able to play tourist and be reminded of our country’s heritage.  We are so grateful that we embraced the opportunity to celebrate our friend’s birthday… and in the process… get swept up in the celebrations of our nation’s 250th anniversary and the World Cup tournament.