At Swarthmore, the city of Philadelphia is only a short train ride away. I love Philly and all it has to offer, so the following is a list of cool things to do when you get the chance to hop on the train and get outside of the Swat bubble:

1. Concerts: One of my favorite things to do in the city is go to concerts. It doesn’t have to be pricey either! Of course, bigger acts like Lorde (who I am seeing this April!) and Kendrick Lamar always come to Philly, which is super cool since I come from a place where big name artists never usually performed. With some concerted saving you can attend some of your fave artists. However, with a ton of smaller acts performing at locations such as the Electric Factory, tickets can be as low as $10-20! This way you can discover super cool up-and-coming artists, all while getting to know the city a little better.                                                                                                         
2. Restaurants: Philly is full of amazing places to eat. Chinatown is my personal favorite. I love walking up and down the streets drinking bubble tea and picking up pastries from the local bakeries. In a place as diverse as Philly, there are many other food selections.  If you’re missing your home cuisine, whatever that may be, there’s most definitely something in the area for you.

   

    

3.  Museums: Philly is great for museum of all types! Art? History? Science? Nature? It’s all there! If you plan it right, lots of museums have free days, as well as student discounts. My personal favorites are art museums, and I recommend the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which I explored last summer for free because it was International Museum Day. Other highlights include the Eastern State Penitentiary (not really a museum, but great if you like spooky stuff) and The Academy of Natural Sciences (complete with a butterfly house!).

   

    

4. The Magic Gardens: Magic Gardens is an iconic space in Philadelphia. It’s kind of like a sculpture garden on drugs. Taken from their website: “Spanning half a block, the museum includes an immersive outdoor art installation and indoor galleries.” While I’ve never been inside the Magic Gardens, I’ve admired the mosaic pieces of glass, ceramic and found objects such as bicycle wheels, that span the area from the outside. It’s definitely high up on my ‘to do’ list!

   

    

5. Exploring: The last thing that I love to do in Philly is simply walk around. Do some research, pick a train stop and then hop off and explore the architecture, murals, food stops and more that the city has to offer. Maybe even take your next profile pic!