A home run to city of heroes

PHILADELPHIA is the home of the US Declaration of Independence, the Rocky movies and the Liberty Bell, hoagies, cheesesteaks and the soft pretzel.

Independence Hall ... Philadelphia is home to the US Declaration of Independence / AP

PHILADELPHIA, the City of Brotherly Love, is the home of the US Declaration of Independence, the Rocky movies and the Liberty Bell, cheesesteaks, hoagies and the soft pretzel. In short, it's a veritable feast of fine cuisine, the arts and living history.

Why then has this north-east American city been so neglected by tourists, both domestic and foreign?

Well, it was also the city that so exasperated the American comedian W. C. Fields that he wanted to put on his tombstone: "All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."

Philly, as the locals call it, has been the butt of humour since its days as a quiet backwater between New York and Washington. Like Sydney in the '60s, it was difficult to get a drink on a Sunday, unless you were a bona fide traveller. Hence the joke: "I went to Philadelphia once, but it was closed."

The Philly jokes are over.

I grew up in West Philly, near a playground where blacks lived on one side, and whites on the other. We met on the basketball courts and baseball diamonds and, occasionally, for race riots just behind the public library where I often sought refuge.

But many of those mean streets I frequented are mean no longer. Now the row homes in the city centre are beautifully restored and well looked after. The streets are clean. One suburban train staffer grudgingly admitted: "Well, they have a way to go, but I have to say Philly's cleaner than it used to be."

And safer, I have to say.

On my first day in the city, I left my new digital camera behind on a bench inside a downtown office building. I asked the security guard if anything had been handed in. He said no, but took my details. I was in the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia a few blocks away when security chief Wayne Gaffney rang my mobile: "We have your camera, Mr Krause."

A security camera had captured images of the person taking the camera, and they had tracked down the culprit. "You guys are good," I told him. "Just doing our job," he said.

By the way, the Rare Book Department offers a rare treat: the William Elkins room installed as it was in 1947, with major collections of Oliver Goldsmith, Dickens and various American literary treasures. Like the Free Library itself on Logan Square, it's a wonderful place for people who love books.

Also on Logan Square is the Franklin Institute, a science museum where the kids can get hands-on experience with such subjects as the heart, animation and electricity (the institute is named after famed Philadelphian Benjamin Franklin, who became an expert on electricity by flying a kite during a thunderstorm).

Then you can walk up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Rodin Museum, dedicated to the master sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Then it's a pleasant stroll to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the third largest of its kind in the US, and the only one with people jumping up and down at the top of its numerous steps.

They are emulating Sylvester Stallone, who did it 30 years ago in the first Rocky movie. Rocky Six is due out later this year, the latest and hopefully the last of the Rocky films, based on a Philly journeyman fighter, who has provided inspiration for thousands of sporting teams and individuals.

Five blocks north of the Art Museum is the world's first true penitentiary, Eastern State, home to notorious crooks Willie Sutton and Al Capone.

Then hop on a Philly Phlash bus – a dollar a ride or $4 a day – which stops at 20 prime tourist venues from the Art Museum all the way to the historic Old City. A trip to Philadelphia has to include a visit to the Independence Hall area, which includes the Liberty Bell Centre, the National Constitution Centre and City Tavern.

Go to the Independence Visitor Centre by 9am (any later and you might have to wait a day), and pick up your free tour tickets to Independence Hall, the birthplace of the US, which includes the original inkstand used to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Make your first stop the Liberty Bell Centre, but be prepared for a security check. A block away, the Constitution Centre has a terrific performance, beginning with the opening words of the constitution: "We, the People."

After the show, go up to the second floor and learn all about American history in more than 100 entertaining interactive exhibits. Then walk over to the City Tavern, and have a beer as they did in revolutionary times – the restaurant is a faithful reconstruction of the "most genteel" tavern in America.

Which brings up the subject of food: Philadelphia is renowned for its restaurants. From the best and most expensive – the Fountain (French-American) in the Four Seasons, the number-one hotel in the city, and Le Bec-Fin (French) – to the moderately priced Cafe Habana (Cuban) and Branzino (Italian), and downright cheap Azure (International) and Ten Stone Bar (American).

My favourites were The Fountain, with world-class elegance, food and service; the Cafe Habana with great mojitos (white rum, sugar, mint and lime) and oxtail stew, and Azure, with spicy fried calamari and jalapeno peppers.

No piece on Philly is complete without a mention of cheesesteaks. They were celebrated in the Rocky movies when Sly and his mates went for a late-night munch at Pat's Steaks in South Philly. Italian roll, thinly sliced steak, melted cheese, peppers, onions, it's a meal in itself. You can pick up a version at the original Pat's, or at a family restaurant, Rick's Steaks, in the large farmers' market at Reading Terminal in the city. You can also get the other acclaimed Philly sandwich here, known as the Hoagie: Italian roll, oil, oregano, salami, ham, provolone, onions, peppers.

If you are a real history buff, you'll have to go to Valley Forge, where General George Washington spent a severe winter with his Continental Army in 1777-78 and turned them into a force capable of beating the British in the War of Independence.

And last, but not least, you can tour one of the best baseball stadiums in America in South Philadelphia. Citizens Bank Park is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and arguably the worst fans in the world (they booed the players' kids when they came on to the field for a birthday party). The tour is only $8 and gets you on to the field, the dugout and the clubhouse.

The whole trip to Philly was a home run for me, but I lived in the city when it was closed and dangerous. Now that it's open and safe, I suggest you visit the City of Brotherly Love, where you can see and hear history – sitting on storytelling benches in Independence Park, listening to tales about how a nation began.

The Sunday Telegraph