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You are here: Home / Archives for travel advice

The Trouble with Philadelphia

February 28, 2013 By Lauren

I’ll give you two scenarios, and you tell me which one sounds like more fun:

1) Taking advantage of 5 hours in Philadelphia by exploring the historical sights on foot.

2) Taking advantage of 5 hours in Philadelphia by exploring the historical sights on foot while dragging your luggage behind you.

If you picked number two, stop reading. This won’t help you. Also, you’re weird.

My fiancé and I recently took a weeklong trip along the east coast of the US, visiting friends and family along the way. We had five hours in the city of Philadelphia before heading to his friend’s place, about an hour away by train.

The plan was simple – arrive by Megabus at the 30th Street Station, drop our bags at the luggage storage, take the train into the city, check out some sights, then get back to the train station, grab our bags, and catch a 4 o’clock train.

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia
This bell tolls for freedom. But not freedom from baggage.

We rolled into the cavernous, museum-like station and straight to the information booth.

“Hi,” I said. “Is there luggage storage here?”

“Are you an Amtrak customer?” the woman asked. “Luggage storage is for Amtrak customers only.”

Hoping this was a lie, we went to the luggage storage to inquire directly.

“Are you an Amtrak customer?”

Shaking our heads sadly, we wandered towards the subway. Maybe they’d have lockers or something, we reasoned.

“No. No luggage storage around here.”

Jared had a 40 litre backpack and I was pulling a small neon-green rolling suitcase. Hardly a burden, but not quite how I’d envisioned the day.

We had one last resort: The Independence Visitor Center, right in the historic district of downtown Philadelphia. Trudging through the January drizzle, we entered the flashy new building, the sound of my bag’s wheels echoing throughout the hall.

The 90-year-old woman behind the desk was very sympathetic to our plight.

“You know,” she said. “I only work here on Fridays, but somebody asks me that every week. Just last Friday there was a little girl with a suitcase bigger than she was, looking for somewhere to put it.”

“What did she do?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. There’s no luggage storage anywhere around here.”

Independence Hall, Philadelphia
This is where they actually signed the Constitution.

Despondent, we exited and headed for the neighboring Constitution Center, hoping to at least leave the bags in a coat check as we visited the museum.

“Coat check!” I hissed victoriously, spotting it as we approached the glass entrance doors.

Unfortunately, it cost $14.50 to get in. Apparently there is a room full of life-sized bronze casts of the signers of the Constitution, but for nearly $30 between us we could imagine them pretty vividly in our heads. Besides, Independence Hall, where they actually signed the Constitution, was free and just on the other side of the square.

“Do you think they’d…” I let my statement trail off.

Jared and I stood, my suitcase between us, looking longingly at the coat check area. The shade was drawn, and a sign directed us to the information booth in front.

“I’m just going to ask.” I approached the booth, where two girls in their late teens/early 20s were sitting, looking bored.

“I know this is a long shot,” I said, “but is there any chance we could leave our bags here for the day?”

“Sure,” the girls said, as one sprang from her seat, eager for something, anything, that would distract her from sitting.

And just like that, our bags had a home. For free. All day.

Philly Cheesesteak
Philly Cheesesteak from Reading Terminal Market: Tastes so much better without luggage.

We never even bought admission tickets, just turned around and went to Independence Hall. Normally I would feel sort of guilty about this, but at that point I was just grateful.

City of Brotherly Love, you’ve earned your title. At least when it comes to covert luggage storage.

Filed Under: Headline, USA Tagged With: philadelphia, travel advice

Cruising Turkey’s Blue Coast

November 7, 2012 By Jillian

Turkey’s blue and turquoise coast is a glistening stretch of turquoise water, small inlets and hidden ruins.  Although you can travel the blue coast on land, the experience is much better by sea.   After all, who doesn’t love to be lulled to sleep by the waves?

 

We booked a cruise from Fethiye –Olympos (you can also book in reverse) on a gullet, or a traditional wooden sailing boat.  Between sleeping on board and sailing from beautiful turquoise lagoon to beautiful turquoise lagoon it was a lovely vacation to travel – but it came with plenty of warnings.  Like everything on the road, tourist adventures are a little bit of buyer beware.  We stocked up on plenty of information before arriving in Fethiye on tour companies, boats, things to look out for and warnings about short-cuts that some operators take.  Armed with that information we had an amazing experience along Turkey’s blue coast and so can you.  Here’s what we learned:

  • Get recommendations from others who have taken cruises recently.  Captains and tour operators can change ownership quickly so it’s best to have a recent recommendation.
  • Don’t go with the cheapest operator!  We learned this the world over, but the cheapest operator often skimps on something- food, water or maybe even a crew that doesn’t speak English!  Be prepared to pay a fair price for your cruise, if someone is 50% cheaper, trust us, you’ll know why within the first 24 hours onboard.
  • Ask about what is included, and get it in writing.  Many Turkish blue cruise prices do not include alcohol – if this is important to you do some quick calculations before you get on board.

Like anything in tourism, going in with the right information can make the difference between having an amazing, once in the lifetime experience and an experience that could have been better. Although many tour operators will sell Turkey blue coast cruises from Istanbul, it is best to wait until you are at the coast to book your tour (if you can wait!) as you’ll be able to check out the outfitter and ask questions yourself.

 

IF YOU GO:  Turkey’s blue coast is incredibly popular with tourists, but that doesn’t mean it is overcrowded.  We found that the beaches and lagoons were not crowded with boats, most of the cruise we were the only boat in a harbor. There’s also a beautiful hiking trail, called the Lycian Way that follows the coast to Anatalya if you get a little sea sick. Don’t miss a chance to explore the various Lycian ruins along the coast.  From sarcophagi near Fethiye to the ancient city of Olympos and the mythical flames of the chimera, the area is rich with cultural heritage sites that are well worth the visit.

Filed Under: Destinations, Headline, Middle East, Travel & Planning, Turkey Tagged With: travel advice, turkey, Turkish Blue Coast Cruise

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