WHY GO NOW It's a sweet paradox that Philadelphia, a city once populated by holiday-averse Quakers, embraces the Christmas season so exuberantly. But this year, Philadelphia has more reason to celebrate than in many years past.
Center City, more populous today than a decade ago, is Philadelphia's throbbing heart and bustles day and night with lively museums, theaters, restaurants and shops. Old City, the atmospheric thicket of low brick buildings and narrow streets near the Liberty Bell, buzzes with the city's trendiest restaurants, galleries and nightspots. But change is particularly pronounced in fringe neighborhoods like Northern Liberties, an enclave north of City Hall, where galleries and restaurants have reclaimed the rusting factories and musty warehouses.
Why the new energy? City planning, focused redevelopment and tax incentives have brought businesses, housing and hope. A generous inventory of old buildings ripe for recycling helped, too, as did the city's foot-friendly layout, plotted more than 300 years ago by William Penn.
And this winter, Philadelphia unfurls its pride in Benjamin Franklin, its illustrious founding father, with a yearlong salute to his 300th birthday. Though the red letter day is Jan. 17, exhibitions and events have already begun. Visit soon, and you'll see the best of wintertime Philadelphia, from the super colorful light display at City Hall to the 35-foot tree in Rittenhouse Square.