Thursday, July 1, 2010

Megabus Review

For my birthday, we decided to go to Washington D.C. However, Matt was going to stay for a week and I needed to return the following morning. Originally my plan was to drive back, but decided last minute that it wasn't a good idea. I looked at prices for Amtrak, the east coast rail line, and for $46 I could get from Union Station in D.C. to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

However, I was reminded by Matt that MegaBus just opened a hub at 30th Street Station, and, while I would have to leave much, much earlier in the morning, I could do the same trip for $3.

Also, right now, MegaBus is doing a a special, where some tickets are FREE when you use the coupon code "LUVPHL" on megabus.com.

I was very impressed with MegaBus, even for leaving at 5:30 a.m., the driver was very nice. The bus was quiet, and when I woke up, I had FREE wi-fi to check my e-mail and get directions back to home.

Each pair of seats has an outlet, so if you are on long bus rides, you can charge phones and laptops. Also, some of the seats are quads, where two seats face two other seats with a small table in the middle. This is great for traveling with children or in groups, as those traveling together can play games or work together.

The buses are also double decker, which gives lots of seats, so buses take longer to fill up.

I HIGHLY recommend MegaBus for your next journey - especially if you can find a cheap ticket. It is almost impossible to beat their prices - flying, with Amtrak, or driving.

In the coming months, Better Than a Travel Guide will be using MegaBus a lot - going to State College and to Pittsburgh. And, believe me, this is NOT the last time you hear about MegaBus!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

First Bank of the United States

This bank was chartered by the U.S. Congress all the way back in 1791 and lasted only 20 years until 1811. The building, located in Old City, is the oldest bank in America. Unfortunately, today, the building is not open to the public. There is talk of converting this historic structure into a Civil War Museum for Philadelphia, however, with the current economic issues being faced by the city and state, this project has been postponed indefinitely.


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Washington Square, Magnolia Garden, Rose Garden, 18th Century Garden and Welcome Park

Despite most large American cities having a reputation of not having much in the way of green space, Philadelphia does keep up public gardens and squares to help people try to escape that big-city feel.

This past weekend, we visited a few of these, starting with Washington Square. This square is basically a small park centrally located in the Society Hill section of Philly. The most famous portion is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives during the American Revolutionary War.


A short walk from here is the Magnolia Garden. Unfortunately, when we came only 2 Magnolia flowers were still in bloom. This garden felt quite plain otherwise.



Across the street from this is the Rose Garden, where we saw absolutely no Roses, which was quite disappointing. It seems the maintenance on these 2 gardens is quite minimal, which is unfortunate since there is so much potential for them.


Further down the street is the 18th Century Garden, which was definitely the nicest and most up-kept of the three. Despite being small in size, this garden does have a very peaceful and simple tone to it that makes it quite enjoyable to see.


The final section we visited on this trip was Welcome Park, which I honestly don't think should even qualify as a park.  While a nice statue of William Penn is centered in the park, it's basically all concrete, and unfortunately features some of Philadelphia's homeless as its regular residents (at least that is what we saw when we visited on a Sunday morning).  

Monday, June 28, 2010

Canal Day 2010 - Joust Championship

Check out the Joust Championship collage video from Canal Day 2010



Credit:
Canal Day National Canal Joust via The Phoenix

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Canal Day 2010

Every year, the last Sunday in June, the Schuylkill Canal Association (SCA), based in Montgomery County's Mont Clare, hold's Canal Day - a day to honor and enjoy the Schuylkill Canal with music, tours and games.

The highlight of the day is the National Canal Joust Championship - where opponents face off with Q-tip-like jousts along a one-foot board over the Canal.

Unfortunately for you, reader, Canal Day was June 27. However, keep it in mind next year.

This was their 28th Canal Day - which featured music by local bands and tours of the Locktenders House. Throughout the day, the SCA also opens Lock 60 - the actual canal.

There are also kayak and canoe demos as well as a used kayak and stuff sale.

New this year, SCA set up a flea market and business expo at St. Micahel's Picnic Ground in Mont Clare.

Each year, the Mont Clare Fire Company, if not pre-occupied with firemen duties, do a demo and water spray.

For more on the Schuylkill Canal Association: http://www.schuylkillcanal.org/

For more about The Schuylkill Canal: http://bit.ly/cJd1nF

For more about The Locktenders House: http://bit.ly/dDk8Bz

There's lots and lots to do along the Schuylkill River - including the Schuylkill River Trail, which follows along the Schuylkill River from Schuylkill County to Berks County.