CHRISTMAS
IN PHILADELPHIA
Yes
Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he still goes to Philadelphia. In paraphrasing that famous New York Sun
editorial from 1897 that avers the existence Kris Kringle “as certainly as
love, generosity, and devotion exist”, the Christmas season is as enjoyable and
perhaps a bit less rushed in Philadelphia than it is in New York City. The
holiday displays in Philadelphia evoke a nostalgic charm and warmth and have a
smaller town appeal than those awaiting the hordes plying Fifth Avenue. The City of Philadelphia too seems to bend
lovingly this time of year to embrace this holiday season, whereas with NYC
everything seems rushed and the commerce of these days are never far from the
surface.
Janet
is a true Philadelphian and was anxious to show off the city of her youth,
especially the Wanamaker’s Building directly across the street from City Hall.
There we would find the Dickens’ Village, which told the story of A Christmas
Carol using little animatronic people and various ghosts at several stages
along a warren of decorated corridors. Dickens Village has been on display
since the mid 1980’s, first at the Strawbridge and Clothier’s and at this
flagship store since 2006 when Macy’s took over the Wanamaker Building. Also in
the Wanamaker Building we HAD to see the massive Christmas light display that has been a Philadelphia tradition
since 1956. Lights are choreographed to various Christmas tunes like Frosty the
Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Nutcracker accompanied by a
voice over track by Julie Andrews! Janet gushed when she told me of our
plans and apologized before we left for the tackiness and dated displays,
stating they are exactly the same from when she was a small child and trundled
through the store by her Mom to see it all. Despite her description I was
looking forward to the trip.
She
planned the entire day, from the time we would leave, where we would park, and
the times of the shows we would see. Nothing close to chance is left with the
Captain of Vacations From Home. Because of her planning the day was entirely
stress free, even the normal tumultuous drive along the Schuylkill Expressway,
which can be a difficult experience, was easy as we left after 2 pm, dodging
the morning and evening rush hours.
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| Christmas Market in Philadelphia |
PARKING
I still
tote around a flip phone, but as Janet is the smart one with a smart phone she
used an AP called Parking Panda. It is very useful to find the best and
cheapest places especially when you’re not sure WHERE to park. We used it in
Washington D.C. in finding a place not far from our AirBnB apartment where
parking was not included. On this day Parking Panda guided us to an underground
lot situated just across the street from our first visit, City Hall. Well,
actually our first stop was the pop up beer garden on the sidewalk of City
Hall.
BEER
Those
intelligent readers who frequent this blog will know that I’ve written often
about Philadelphia’s thirst for beer. When it comes to beer the citizens of
this fair city and surrounding areas appreciate and expect good craft beers and
the holiday pop up beer garden on the north side of City Hall was worth the
visit. In fact the block that comprises Philadelphia’s City Hall is filled with
Christmas/winter activities. On the Dilworth Plaza just in front of the
beautiful municipal building is an ice skating rink, a holiday market and a
garden maze. In the interior of the municipal complex there is also a carousel,
but after a quick walk through we headed for the beer. We hadn’t eaten lunch
after all.
The
Craft Hall, as it is called is a large, heated tent with several rows of
benches and a decent selection of beer wine and seasonal drinks and things like
pretzels for food. (We were going to eat later.) It was a good beginning for
our visit, although two beers and a pretzel cost me $21.00.
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| Carousel at City Hall |
MEET ME AT THE EAGLE
The
massive emporium that sits directly across the street from city hall is still
called the Wanamaker Building, even though Macy’s has owned the store since the
mid 2000’s. Over the years Janet has regaled me with tales of this place and
the many fond memories it held for her. She’s told me about the large eagle
statue on the ground floor of the Grand Court, where over the years people
would agree to meet. The Grand Court itself is an amazing soaring expanse of
air within the building with one wall filled by the world’s largest active pipe
organ that is still played twice weekly and more during the Christmas season.
She giggles about riding the monorail that carried kids along the ceiling and
the prancing waters of fountains that would dazzle the customers.
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| THE GRAND COURT |
Well,
Wanamaker’s, the first department store in Philadelphia and one of the first in
the United States is gone, sold to Macy’s. The fountains are gone too. The
Crystal Tea Room, once touted as the largest dining room in Philadelphia is
closed and the monorail is now a sedentary display at the Please Touch Museum.
Ah, but
what remains brims a child’s eyes with joy at Christmas and truly it is worth a
visit to this neck of the woods. Janet pleaded with me to forgive her that she
would drag me on this “hokey” venture. The Wanamaker Building opened in 1911
and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and worth a visit
any time of year, but during the Christmas season the Dickens Village and the
light show are great (and free) traditions for children and adults. Though I
lived in the relative area in Lambertville, NJ I never knew about these
displays in Philadelphia, until I met Janet.
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| Holiday display at Macy's |
GOD BLESS US, EVERY
Fine
gentlemen attired in period clothes, top hats and wearing wispy beards greeted
us at the entrance to the Dickens Village in the Macy’s/Wanamaker’s. There was
a certain charm to them and they whispered their instructions to us almost as
an aside, as if we were in on the joke. We had come at the perfect time, there
were few others in the “village” and we felt no pressure to hurry along.
The
sets in the village were a faithful telling of the Dickens classic tale and
each one featured one or a number of little animatronic people. Janet marveled
at them with a childlike glee. All your favorite characters were there; from
Ebenezer Scrooge, to Tiny Tim, to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come!!! At the end we shunned the opportunity to
visit Santa Claus, we were off to the light show.
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
There
is no timetable for the Dickens Village, it is open daily from 10am to 7pm, but
the light show is held every two hours starting at 10am. The last show is at
8pm. The Village is on the third floor and the exit is near the railings
overlooking the Grand Court with the display wall on the far side. Serendipity!
We simply walked a few feet and found a place to watch.
Again,
going mid-week is smart as the crowds are smaller. In the past Janet stood six
people deep on the balcony, but on the Thursday we went we were at the railing.
We did step back though to allow little kids to sit and watch the show which includes
musical tracks, prancing lights, organ music provided by the huge Wanamaker
Organ and Julie Andrews narrating the whole spiel.
FRIENDS OF THE ORGAN
After
the Christmas season, organ recitals are held every day except Sunday. Click HERE to see the schedule.
MORE BIER
You can
work up a hunger wassailing and across Chestnut Street from the Wanamaker
Building is a German beer hall called Bru Craft & Wurst. It was happy hour
and it was crowded for good reason. Pints were just $5.00. We got a table near
the Sansom Street entrance and had a reasonably priced meal. They also offer
happy hour prices on their wurst sandwiches. I had a pulled pork sandwich and thankfully
Janet had a brisket sandwich and did not order the Fried Brussels Sprouts (they
are sooo stinky). The food was okay, but the German beers were very good. It
was a convenient location.
CITY HALL
After our
meal we happened upon a choreographed holiday light show at city hall. We did
not know about it and were lucky to have been there at the right time. It
stopped us in our tracks and we watched in awe the façade facing Dilworth Park
come alive with festive colors. It was very impressive.
COMCAST EXPERIENCE
Our last
spectacle for the day was the 6 pm show at the Comcast Building a few blocks
away from city hall. Called the Comcast Experience, the holiday show is held
every hour except 5 pm (so commuters can make their hasty retreat) and it
features a huge LED screen that covers one wall. The picture is so detailed it
looks 3D. .We sat on the floor to watch the escapades of ice skating penguins and yuletide cheer filtered through the Comcast Corporation before driving home on a fairly empty highway. It was a good, safe and relatively cheap day. COMCAST EXPERIENCE
Thanks for reading! Most of these displays will go on through to the end of 2017.
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