I remember arriving at Swarthmore and exploring the entire campus. I explored the academic buildings, the dorms where my friends lived, the Crumb Woods, and especially The Ville, our mini village in Swarthmore, which has many options to eat! Overall, I really enjoy exploring new places, and I knew Swarthmore wasn’t the only place to explore.
Swarthmore provides students with free SEPTA passes in order to encourage students to leave campus and explore the area around them without any issues of paying out of pocket. I fell in love with the SEPTA pass and often take advantage of this privilege.
I’ve used this privilege to explore a lot of Philadelphia. I live locally by Swarthmore, but I really did not go into the city when I was younger. Philly has become my favorite area to decompress after a midterm, eat delicious food with friends, and also just a really unique area to explore. I want to share the areas I have visited so you know there is much more than Swarthmore!
The first stop I would like to mention is UPENN (The University of Pennsylvania). This is the first stop I visited in Philadelphia. I went with my friends and we wandered around UPENN for hours and got gyros for dinner; overall, it was a really nice experience. One of my friends knew someone who went there, so he texted them and we all proceeded to hang out together. We played ping pong, 8-ball, cards, and met other students as well.
If you enjoy the party aspect of college, then you should visit UPenn! I remember I came here for Halloween my first semester, and it was amazing! People were dressed in creative and unique costumes, and my friends and I went as cows! It was ridiculous, but it was a last minute option! The parties were also great (however, be mindful of the long lines to get in), we stayed the whole night there, and we went to my favorite food spot: ASADS HOT CHICKEN! What is Asads? Asads is a food chain famous for its halal Nashville-style hot chicken, fiery spice blends, and signature loaded fries. Quick recommendation: get the Loaded Fries!
Our next stop is Chinatown. To access Chinatown, you will need to get off at Jefferson Station. Chinatown is a really great place to get delicious food. One of the places I have visited is Terakawa Ramen. I really never had ramen before coming to the city, so this was a new experience for me. There were many options to choose from. Terakawa offers a wide variety of options, including favorites like their signature Terakawa ramen, miso ramen, and tan tan ramen. They also serve delicious sides such as chicken curry and takoyaki. On top of that, the prices are fair, the portions are generous, and the service is quick, which makes it a great place to stop for a meal.
Outside of Chinatown, my friends and I went to a cat cafe called Get a Gato. This is a non-profit cat cafe that combines a coffee shop with a separate, ticketed cat lounge for meeting adoptable cats, partnering with local rescues. They have latin-inspired drinks and snacks in the cafe while watching the cats, or you can book a 50-minute session in the lounge for direct interaction. It took a while to get there by foot (use the SEPTA to get there faster!), but it was worth it. By the cat cafe, you can find yourself in the 9th Street Market. There is also a lot of food here. While this may seem basic, the pizza was really good, especially at Nannie Franco’s Pizzeria!
Finally, Center City. This is a huge area, so I am going to try to condense this as best I can. Philadelphia City Hall is here, and during Christmas, there is a Christmas festival where you can ride small ferris wheels, go ice skating, and drink warm hot cocoa. There is also Rittenhouse Square, where you can hang out with your friends and see live music performances, have a picnic, and relax.
While there is more I can talk about, I hope this blog was useful for you, and I hope you get to explore and experience Philadelphia as much as possible!
