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America West Arilines Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Philadelphia (PHL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on America West Arilines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Philadelphia (PHL), departing between 6:45am and 8:55am, and 2 additional non-stop flights, departing between 2:30pm and 7:45pm on select days of the week. Usually an Embraer 170 or Canadair Regional Jet is flown for this route. The average travel time from Atlanta, GA to Philadelphia, PA is 1 hour and 59 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Philadelphia vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Franklin Court
Franklin Court is an imaginative, informative, and downright fun (and free) museum run by the National Park Service. Designed by noted architect Robert Venturi, it was very much a sleeper when it opened in April 1976, because Market and Chestnut streets' arched passages give little hint of the court and exhibit within.Franklin Court was once the home of Benjamin Franklin, who had resided with his family in smaller row houses in the neighborhood prior to living here. Like Jefferson at Monticello, Franklin planned much of the interior design of the house, though he spent the actual building period first as Colonial emissary to England, and then to France. His wife, Deborah, oversaw the construction, as the flagstones engraved with some of her correspondence show, while Ben sent back continental goods and a constant stream of advice. Sadly, they were reunited in the family plot at Christ Church Burial Ground, since Deborah died weeks before the end of Ben's 10-year absence. Under the stewardship of his daughter Sarah and her husband, Richard Bache, Franklin Court provided a comfortable home for Ben until his death in 1790.Since archaeologists have no exact plans of the original house, a simple frame in girders indicates its dimensions and those of the smaller print shop. Excavations have uncovered wall foundations, bits of walls, and outdoor privy wells, and these have been left as protected cutaway pits. It is all very interesting, but enter the exhibition for the really fun part. After a portrait and furniture gallery, a mirrored room reveals Franklin's far-ranging interests as a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, and so on. At the Franklin Exchange, dial various American and European luminaries to hear what they thought of Franklin.The middle part of the same hall has a 15-minute series of three climactic scenes in Franklin's career as a diplomat. On a sunken stage, costumed doll figures brief you, and each other, on the English Parliament in 1765, the Stamp Act, the Court at Versailles (when its members were wondering whether to aid America in its bid for independence), and the debates of the Constitution's framers in 1787, which occurred right around the corner at Independence Hall. Needless to say, Ben's pithy sagacity wins every time.On your way in or out on the Market Street side, stop in the 1786 houses that Ben rented out. One is the Printing Office and Bindery, where you can see Colonial methods of printing and bookmaking in action. The house at 322 Market St. is the restored office of The Aurora and General Advertiser, the newspaper published by Franklin's grandson. Next door, get a letter postmarked at the Benjamin Franklin Post Office (remember, Ben was Postmaster General, too!). Employees still stamp the marks by hand. Upstairs, a postal museum is open in summer.
Adventure Aquarium
Formerly the New Jersey State Aquarium, this venue, opened in 1992 as a first step in reclaiming the once-vital (and now denuded) Camden waterfront, is being totally renovated and revitalized in 2005.Up to 4,000 aquatic animals live here, and more exotic species are coming. The main attraction is a 760,000-gallon tank, the second largest (next to Epcot Center's) in the country, with stepped seat/benches arranged in a Greek amphitheater on the first floor. Also on the first floor is a Caribbean outpost with 1,000 tropical fish and beach birds. The second floor features interactive exhibits and strange ocean dwellers. New exhibits will include crocodiles in a West African river setting, sharks swimming alongside a 40-foot glass tunnel, and even the opportunity to swim alongside sharks.
Christ Church Burial Ground
This 1719 expansion of the original graveyard of Christ Church contains the graves of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah, along with those of four other signers of the Declaration of Independence and many Revolutionary War heroes. There are always pennies on Ben's grave; tossing them there is a local tradition that is supposed to bring good luck.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Philadelphia area, including:
Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia
The Avenue of the Arts location of this hotel is good for culture-seekers and families. The garage entrances ingeniously keep traffic flows separate for three floors of meeting facilities. The decor features rich paisleys and Degas-style murals alluding to the orchestral and ballet life at the Academy of Music across the street. Thanks to the saw-toothed design of the building, each of the guest rooms, which have been upgraded with new TVs and mattresses, has two views of town. Obviously, the higher floors afford the better views. The views of the Delaware River (eastern corner) or City Hall (northeastern corner) are the most popular. The bathrooms are clean and bland, and the Doubletree signature is a box of great chocolate chip cookies delivered to your room upon arrival.
Penn's View Hotel
Tucked behind the Market Street ramp to I-95 in a renovated 1856 hardware store, this small, exquisite inn exudes European flair -- when you enter you'll feel like you're in a private club. It was developed by the Sena family, which owns La Famiglia restaurant 450 feet south. The decor is floral and rich. The main concern is traffic noise, but the rooms are well insulated and contain large framed mirrors, armoires, and efficient bathroom fixtures. The ceilings have been dropped for modern heat and air-conditioning, and you'll find Jacuzzis and fireplaces in 12 of the rooms. A third bed can be wheeled into your room for $15. Ristorante Panorama, adjacent to the lobby, offers excellent contemporary Italian cuisine at moderate prices. Also in the hotel is Il Bar, a world-class wine bar that offers 120 different wines by the glass.
Sheraton Rittenhouse Square
This attractive, renovated 1930s apartment building is spare and sleek, and one of the best values in its neighborhood, with its location right on urbane Rittenhouse Square. The hotel is marketed as the first "environmentally smart" hotel in the continental United States, with fresh filtered air, organic cotton bedding, bamboo plants and recycled granite in the lobby, energy efficient lighting, and no smoking anywhere. (You agree to pay $50 as a sanitizing fee if you smoke in the rooms.) Rooms are modern and very comfortable, with pretty striped wallpaper and deep chairs; a spacious 400 square feet on average, with 9 1/2-foot ceilings and state-of-the-art technology. The same standards of care and cleanliness apply to the large, marbled bathrooms. Many have separate sitting areas and balconies, and kitchenettes are available. I'd avoid the interior rooms, facing all-night airshaft lighting instead of Rittenhouse Square.Bleu is the hotel's low-key bistro and cafe with outdoor seating, while Potcheen Restaurant, facing Locust Street, is very casual, with American fare.
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