Old City

The strong historic roots of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, come to life in Old City. Old City, located along the Delaware River between Front and 6th streets, is home to the historic district, arts and culture, and an energetic nightlife.

The Independence National Historical Park is Old City’s main attraction, which contains Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center and the Betsy Ross House. These notable landmarks celebrate the founding of our nation, and as a result the area draws crowds of tourists from around the globe. It is also home to the oldest inhabited residential street in the country, Elfreth’s Alley. This street, along with many others, is comprised of quaint row homes and cobblestone and blocks of green space. The area is safe and clean, making it a desirable location, but rent and sale prices are extremely high. As a result, residents of the area are older professionals, retirees and wealthy families.

Old City is the backdrop to Philadelphia’s First Friday – on the first Friday of every month, numerous art galleries, museums and shops open their doors free to the public, as artists and street vendors line the sidewalks selling their work. After 10pm, the streets fill with college students and young professionals, who are drawn to a variety of bars and clubs around 2nd and Market. The bars cause the area to get extremely loud on Friday and Saturday nights year-round. Pizzerias, sandwich shops and eateries are open into the night, serving partygoers as late as 2am.

The constant crowd makes parking difficult, but public transportation is extremely accessible. The SEPTA Market-Frankford line and buses make it easy to get to Center City, which is also within walking distance. Old City’s combination of history, culture and nightlife make it is busy at all hours of the day, with something for everyone.

Old City is exactly what the name says - the old city. This area houses some of the city's most historical buildings. With its colonial-style architecture, the neighborhood is a tourists' dream. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Betsy Ross House are just a few of the many attractions that brings hundreds of thousands of people to the city every year. Old City is also home to the National Museum of American Jewish History, the only of its kind.

Public transportation is sufficient in Old City with buses and trains that can get you to
many parts of the city. If you drive, however, parking can be a little hard to come by unless you want to pay for it. No worries, most apartment and condo complexes have garages.

During the day there are many galleries, boutiques, tech cafe's and coffee shops that line the streets. To be honest, aside from tourist season, Old City is only moderately busy during the daytime hours with most traffic accredited to working folks and kids on class trips.

At night is when the magic begins. For instance, once a month the art, design, and fashion galleries open their doors during the evening as a cooperative open house. Visitors can walk the streets going from gallery to gallery seeing some of the latest works and enjoying some pretty cool refreshments. This is mostly appreciated by the artistically inclined and their fans.

If a more upbeat environment is what you're looking for than Old City has a hugely popular nightlife. Along with restaurants which stay open late, there are tons of lounges and bars to visit if you just want to experience the scene. All these places are culturally diverse via music, food, and drinks. Whatever your style, you'll be able to find it in Old City.

By the way, if you just want to grab a bite to eat after dancing the night away, there are pizza shops throughout the entire nightlife area that stay open as late as 5 a.m. There is also a cool taco bar off of 2nd street where the guy will whip you up a chicken taco in no time flat. There is also a convenient store on Market Street that stays open until about 3 a.m. for emergency needs.

Don't let the hoopla of the nightlife make you nervous. The "club scene" is only about a 3 block radius of Old City and is on the far side of the neighborhood beside Penn's Landing which runs along the Delaware River. Also, the larger crowds are confined to Fridays and Saturdays. The rest of the week is pretty average.

Old City is a taste of Philadelphia history and an awesome place to live. There is always a learning experience for people of all ages. It allows folks to see where our country started and how far we've come.

The area known as Old City sits alongside the Delaware River and was the first neighborhood in the city. Elfreth’s Alley was the first block of homes. Many of the tiny streets such as Quince and the alleys are built of cobblestone and Belgian block. Numerous bars and restaurants line Market Street and set the stage for a lively night scene.

First Friday’s originated here bringing attention to the art galleries that are housed on the side streets. The famous October Gallery moved to Old City and set up shop amongst the vacant iron cast buildings. Many other galleries followed and October’s international exhibit in the month of the same name is now its 26 year.

It is a thriving community with numerous historic sites in its midst. Philadelphia’s diplomatic corps has also found a home here.

Public transportation reaching the entire city is accessable and frequent.

McCall School services children from K – 8 while Furness High School picks up the students after middle school.

Nearby are Christ Church, The Philadelphia Mint, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center.

Olde city is a very connected place and offers various opportunities for everyone. It is a nice neighborhood for families as it has two parks in the vicinity. It has specifically great great restaurants and night life. The clubs are happening all night long and you can find everything from great to drinks to great music to great company. There are two theaters near by in center city that have shows running all through the year. It is also very close to the Philadelphia Art Museum if you are an art lover. Personally, I love to run and it is a great place to run. There are also hospitals and pharmacies in the area so there is no worry in emergencies. Thy have movie theaters close by as well, so all entertainment is taken care of.

At the end of the day Olde city is ideal because of its proximity to everything you need. Its also a pretty and friendly area with old style architecture.