Meet me in PHILLY for LOVE and HISTORY

Philadelphia is a combination of two Greek words: love (phileo) and brother (adelphos) and known as the city of brotherly love. The city’s founder, William Penn, hoped it would become place where freedom would ring and it is the home of the Liberty Bell.

I lived in Philly when I went to the University of Pennsylvania for college. I often return to visit my roommate and join her at the annual fundraiser for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

The 2022 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Butterfly Ball honored and celebrated five amazing women who are changing conversations about cancer. Together, we raised over $1 million in support of LBBC’s key programs of providing both trusted information and a community of support.

Where did I stay? I loved The Notary Hotel Philadelphia, Autograph Collection

Over 100 years ago, the City Hall Annex was built and the people of Philadelphia went to this government facility for over seventy years to get official documents notarized and it is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Now a luxury hotel in the Autograph Collection which opened in 2019 showcasing its historic architecture and modern amenities, The Notary Hotel stamps a custom seal on your paperwork on arrival. In the grand lobby full of books, art and enormous arches, there is a display case showcasing typewriters from the 1920s. The dressers in each room are made from historic notary cabinets used in the original building. This is my favorite location in Center City and close to Love Park, The Liberty Bell and Rittenhouse Square for incredible dining choices. My suite had a stunning view of City Hall and the evening lights.

I walked from the hotel to PENN campus to talk to students about a career in journalism and then used the speedy wifi on property to participate in a ZOOM talk with my 1989 classmates about our travel expertise.

Where to EAT in PHILLY? We loved The Love, PARC and ROUGE in Rittenhouse Square which is an easy stroll from The Notary Hotel.

The museums and art collections in Philadelphia are outstanding and I did a television segment about visiting Philly for KTLA TV in Los Angeles. I highly recommend the National Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, the Barnes Museum and the Museum of the American Revolution. There is so much to do–you will need more than one visit.