US Airways Flights from Madrid, Spain (MAD) to Philadelphia (PHL)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on US Airways, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Madrid, Spain (MAD) to Philadelphia (PHL) regularly scheduled to depart at 12:45pm and arrive at 3:40pm. Usually an Airbus A330-300 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Madrid, Spain to Philadelphia, PA is 8 hours and 55 minutes.
During your Philadelphia vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
City Hall
When construction of City Hall began in 1871, it was planned to be the tallest structure in the world. But plans were scaled back, other buildings surpassed it, and the elaborate 1901 wedding cake by John McArthur, Jr., with an inner courtyard straight out of a French château, quickly became outdated. The charming building is still in use as the mayor's office and is home to offices from the Register of Wills to city courtrooms to City Council's quarters. Philadelphians love the crowning 37-foot statue of William Penn by A. M. Calder. For years the structure appeared rather rusty and grimy, but now, with repainting, new cast iron work, and cleaning, City Hall has reclaimed its pride.You may wish to wander inside the vast floors, which range from the breathtaking to the bureaucratically forlorn. Both inside and out, City Hall boasts rich sculptural decoration. The Mayor's Reception Room (no. 202) and the City Council Chamber (no. 400) are especially ornate.The highlight of City Hall is the tower view. The Juniper Street entrance is most convenient, but you can take any corner elevator to the seventh floor and follow the red tape (always indicative of city government). In this case, it leads to two escalators and a waiting area for the tower elevator. The elevator up to Penn statue's recently cleaned shoestrings, at 548 feet, can hold only eight people, and the outdoor cupola cannot hold many more. On the way, notice how thick the walls are -- City Hall is the tallest building ever constructed without a skeleton of steel girders, so that its white stone is 6 feet thick at the top and 22 feet thick at ground level. The view from the top encompasses not only the city but also the upper and lower Delaware Valley and port, western New Jersey, and suburban Philadelphia. It's windy up there, though. If you look straight down, you can see more of the hundreds of sculptures designed by Calder, the works of whose descendants -- Alexander Stirling Calder (1870-1945) and Alexander Calder (1898-1976) -- beautify Logan Circle and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You could spend hours, although 45 minutes should do it for the highlights.
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.
The African-American Museum in Philadelphia
This museum, 3 blocks northwest of the Liberty Bell, is built in five split levels of ridged concrete (meant to evoke African mud housing) off a central atrium and ramp. As you ascend, you follow a path leading from the African roots of black Americans to the role they have played in U.S. history. Specific exhibitions change.The ground floor contains the admissions office, the gift shop, and the African Heritage Gallery. The second level, concentrating on slavery and captivity, is the most dramatic and informed part of the museum. It emphasizes that the slave trade was hardly exclusive to, or even predominant in, North America, and that it persisted in South America until 1870.The upper three levels, dealing with black history and culture after emancipation, lose some focus. Black cowboys, inventors, athletes, spokespeople, and business-people are all presented, along with the history of such organizations as the NAACP and CORE and the civil rights movements of the 1960s.
Omni Hotel at Independence Park
This small, polished hotel, opened in 1990, has a terrific location fronting onto Independence National Historical Park, and is near many of the best Old City restaurants and galleries. All rooms have park views and were recently renovated, though there's a sense of history, too, as horse-drawn carriages clip-clop past the valet parking drop-off and elegant glass-and-steel canopy. The lobby is classic, with huge vases of flowers, and a clubby adjacent bar featuring a pianist. Every room is cheery, with plants and original pastels of city views. The staff here is noteworthy for its quality and its knowledge of the park. The hotel's Azalea serves New American fare. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner, and the comfortable lounge serves excellent hamburgers and light pastas. The Ritz Five movie theater is next door in the Bourse complex.
Rittenhouse Hotel
Among Philadelphia's luxury hotels, the Rittenhouse has the fewest and largest rooms and the most satisfying views. Built in 1989, it's a jagged concrete-and-glass high-rise off the western edge of Philadelphia's most distinguished public square. The lobby is tranquil and lovely, with inlaid marble floors and a series of frosted-glass chandeliers and sconces. Along with the Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton, it's the only AAA Five-Diamond Award holder in the state -- which may be why Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, and Kevin Bacon have all made this their home for months at a time while filming movies in Philly.Every room at the Rittenhouse is actually a suite with a full living room area, bay windows, reinforced walls between rooms, and solid-wood doors. All have great views: The park is leafy and beautiful most of the year, and the western view of the Schuylkill River and the Parkway is dramatic. City scenes by local artists decorate the walls.Jean-Marie Lacroix, a superb chef formerly at the Four Seasons, helms Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, a chic restaurant overlooking the park, offering modern French cuisine. Smith & Wollensky, the New York steakhouse, has an outpost with a convivial bar off the main lobby, and the more casual Boathouse Row Bar & Grill has a late-night menu. The site was the original town house of painter Mary Cassatt's brother, and there is a charming trellised private garden adorned with three drypoints by Cassatt.Facilities: 3 restaurants; bar; lounge; 5-lane indoor pool; Adolf Biecker fitness club with sun deck, Cybex weight machines, and aerobic equipment; spa; sauna; steam room; concierge; executive business center; 24-hr. room service; massage; laundry service; dry cleaning.
Adam's Mark Philadelphia
The Adam's Mark looks like an airport control tower, but you'll find an extensive brick complex of connected restaurants and function rooms. Eighty percent of the hotel's business is conventioneers, and the lower levels contain 50,000 square feet of meeting space. Friendly service, good value, and individual touches such as customized safe keys make up for the hotel's somewhat ungainly size and its slow elevators. Rooms are on the large (and drab) side.The Adam's Mark's food and beverage operation really shines. The gardenlike Appleby's is several notches above your average coffee shop, with all-you-can-eat meals, 30-foot ziggurat skylights, and local antiques. Lines start forming early at the Marker, an improbable re-creation (and improbable combination) of French château, paneled English library, and Western ranch that's relaxing, with well-done American cuisine. It seats 150 on three levels, and evenings bring American regional cuisine. Quincy's has hors d'oeuvres (complimentary until 7pm), nightly backgammon, big-band dancing, or jazz.Facilities: 2 restaurants; lounge; bar; indoor pool and outdoor pool; 2 racquetball courts ($10/session); fitness facility with Stairmaster, Nautilus, and Lifecycle equipment; Jacuzzi; sauna; car-rental desk; salon; same-day laundry service and dry cleaning.
