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Philadelphia
The City
Philadelphia has a long tradition of industrial
innovation and manufacturing. There are six major universities in the city
with several more in a fifty-mile radius of the city. The University of Pennsylvania will be the
main host of the conference. Philadelphia
offers easy access from major metropolitan areas in the United States,
Europe and Asia. There are in excess of 6,000 hotel rooms
within a 10-minute walk of the proposed conference site. Finally, Philadelphia offers
many historic points of interest, great examples of 19th century
architecture, fine restaurants, a great urban environment, and excellent
museums.
Philadelphia is perhaps the most historically rich
city in the United
States. Philadelphia's Independence
National Historic Park (6th and Market Streets) is where the First
Continental Congress met, and is where the Declaration of Independence and
the United States Constitution were drafted and signed. Philadelphia's
Fairmont Parks is the biggest municipal park in the country. Within a few
short blocks from conference center are Philadelphia's world-renowned art
museums, sprawling green parks, and great restaurants and shopping.
Culture
Philadelphia is
home to large collections of art and sculpture, as well as the Philadelphia
Orchestra and a thriving theater district. Philadelphia's museums present
collections ranging from art to medical artifacts. Three short blocks from
the conference hotel is the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. More
information is available at the websites listed in the Appendix.
 
Figure
1: The Philadelphia Skyline from
the south (left) and the Schuylkill River with the University of
Pennsylvania to the left and Center City on the right (right).
 
Figure
2: The Academy of Music (left) and the Rodin Museum (right).
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (famous because Sylvester
Stallone stood on its front steps in Rocky)
is about a mile from the conference hotel at the opposite end of the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway. A large collection of Rodin sculptures is at the
Rodin Museum, also located on the Ben Franklin Parkway. There are more Rodin sculptures here than
anywhere else except Paris.
An amazing collection of Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist art is at the privately owned Barnes Foundation. This is
about five miles out of town but well worth the visit. There are many Cézannes, Monets, and
Renoirs and even a few Picassos.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum, at 34th and Spruce
Streets, is home to one of the major archaeological collections in the
USA. It is known for its mummies and
relics of Egyptian and Nubian origin.
The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Pennsylvania Academy
of the Natural Sciences and the Please Touch Museum are all on Logan Circle
(directly in front of the conference venue). The Please Touch Museum is a hands-on
museum for children ages one to seven where adults and children explore
educational exhibits together. The
Franklin Institute has numerous science exhibits and an I-MAX theater; and
the Pennsylvania Academy of the Natural Sciences is packed with one of the
nation's largest collections of dinosaur fossils.
Dining
Information about dining choices will be available at the
conference. Philadelphia has a culturally rich palette of restaurants.
Popular dining areas include the Old City neighborhood and Rittenhouse
Square District. South Philadelphia is home to Philadelphia's Italian
population, has great Italian restaurants, and is the birthplace of the
Philly cheese steak. The Chinatown area is five blocks away and is packed
with Asian restaurants. Another good location for restaurants is around the
University of Pennsylvania where you will find good, inexpensive Indian,
Thai, Mexican, Japanese and other restaurants.
Getting Around
Philadelphia has an excellent transit system. The
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) offers commuter
rail service between the city and the suburbs. Suburban Station and Market
East Station are in the heart of the business, shopping, and hotel
districts. Buses, subways, and streetcars serve the Center City area. Two
subway lines -- the Market-Frankford (east-west) and Broad Street
(north-south) -- crisscross the city. Cash fare on most routes is $1.60
(exact change required). Discounted tokens and passes are available at
SEPTA sales offices and at commercial sales outlets.
Cabs in downtown are fairly affordable. For short hops from the hotel to
"Restaurant Row" or the historic areas, fares would likely be $5-$10.
Cabs are quite cost effective for small groups of 3-4 people.
Transportation to Philadelphia International Airport
The SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation
Authority) R1 High Speed Rail Line (Entrance on Pedestrian Bridge) goes to
Eastwick Station, University City, 30th Street Station, Penn Center
Suburban Station, and Market East/ The Gallery (the closest stop to the
conference hotel).
The flat rate for a taxi ride from Center City to the
airport is $20.00 (plus tip). Taxi
Dispatch is available 24 hours a day.
Location
There are many
hotels, with over 4,000 hotel rooms, in the Center City area of
Philadelphia. The Center City area is within 2 miles of the University of
Pennsylvania and Drexel University, less than a mile from Temple University
and the conference venue. It is also within walking distance of most
historic points of interest, national attractions, and some of the
world’s finest restaurants.
Figure
3: A Map of Center City
Philadelphia.
The Delaware
River on the right (East) and the Schuylkill River on the left (West) are
less than three miles apart. The University of Pennsylvania lies on the
West Bank of the Schuylkill.
The following
universities are in the Greater Philadelphia area.
The University of
Delaware and Princeton University are within an hour’s drive of
Philadelphia, with Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers,
University of Maryland, and New Jersey Institute of Technology within a
2-hour drive of Philadelphia.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Visteon Corporation, General Motors, Merck, Dupont,
Glaxo Smith Kline, Lucent Technologies, and Kulicke and Soffa have facilities in the
Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area.
 
Figure
4: The Wyndham Franklin Location.
Transportation to Philadelphia
Great connections for the East Coast and Europe are available
through US Airways and to the rest of country through United Airlines. The
Amtrak Metroliner and Acela service offers speedy connections along the
Northeast corridor to Boston, New York City, Baltimore and Washington D.C. Philadelphia is a hub for US Airways and
America West, and is served by all major airlines. There are direct non
stop flights to Europe through US Airways, and easy connections to all
continents through the Star Alliance Network.
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