Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-25
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
The Reason Philadelphia Looks Dull
on a Holiday 10 That Most phiia.
delphIans Have Gone to
the Country
BY SARAH ID. LOMRIE

exist. l always probed the matter, only to
i,nd ana that they knew new nowhere to 60 but out
City or the River drive in the Park, while
in meant either their apartments or lode-
ings or the corridor Of one Of the big hotels
surely dumb dull and likely to give
Philadelphia reputation that even the
Desert of Sahara could not rival.
Certainly the town has very few surface
attractions that would make the Hog Island
war worker or the dollar year war volun.
teer OF the government crowd feel eShilarated
at being alive in order to participate In the
joyous doings. The place was not invented
by Penn nor continued by the colonists nor
further ,ampi6ed by the later settlers to
Of pleasure and spending. New York spe-
cializes in enticing strangers, Atlantic City
caricatures New York to the verge of lesc
majeste; but stranger can nevertheless
find amusement and some joyous impressions
in Philadelphia II only he knows how to put
himself in the way. of them.
A Nd most places are like that. There are
"A highways that are dull and byways that
are very full of happenings even in cities
Riviera from Cannes to Genoa. for in.
stance. ] am thinking of that wholly tourist
center, Nice. while ] write. discovered
Nice-the Nice of the Niceois-after we
had left the hotels and gone to the unfash-
ionnble native part Of the environs and lived
in an old villa whose gardens were given
over to the market gardeners and whose 81 n
To Let had been passed unseen by the
winter visitors because 1t was in a quarter
unpatronized by the agents catering to for
eigners From it as starting point we
learned Nice few foreigners dreamed of
paths instead of roads. gardens instead of
parks, whole valleys of flowers instead of
flower markets, shrines and hillside chapels
instead OF the theatrical show churches of
the lower city, remote towns reached by
grass grown Roman roads instead of the
show villas of the sea drive. And from the
friar who brought US our salads to the gay
little coachman who drove us about in a
mite of a victoria the neighbors whom we
dwelt with were actually neighbors--real
people OF the place, not the imported riff raft
of the big hotels.
Ever since that experience I have realized
that tourists point of view is likely to be
as far removed from the realities of the spot
as the hotel he stops at is unlike the private
house in the next block. Unless he sees the
cannot judge it. Now, hearty as is the
American hospitality for foreigners, il is
very lackluster for fellow compatriots, es.
pccially fellow compatriots who are on the
for life but only during the period of a
special mission. Hence II comes about that
young man coming here with his wife for
part of year finds us often dull on the sur
face and impenetrable as to the core.
DERHAPS this cannot be helped, since life
l. is strenuous and hospitality is not SO
easy to practice generously and haphazardy
as of yore; but at all events intelligent and
adventurous strangers who do not 30 much
desire our society as a chance at our recrea-
tions ought to be able to eat of the crumbs
that fall from our tables to the extent at
least of food for holiday once n week.
During the war days | made out about half
young married folk who wanted outings that
permitted OF lunch somewhere out of town,
yet not too far out of town TO involve either
expensive Tt carfare or long car rides.
:, There was. for instance, Valley Forge;
the station hack to the Washington Inn or
the Memorial Chapel. There il the
AQUARIUM, a canoe ride Memorial Hall Mu-
and the forest walk UP the Wissahickon
river to the Valley Inn--all in Fairmount
Park the trip back to town from Chestnut
Hill or Germantown by trolley or by rail-
road. There is the University Museum and
Bartram's Gardens, and then out on the
trolleys or trains toward Wallingford to
Crum creek for picnic lunch and walk
along that delectable stream. There is Rose
valley and that creek by the Pennsylvania
Railroad to Moylan station. There is the
York road trolley line out past the biz
Stetson, Elkins, Widencr. Jay Cooke, Wana.
maker places to side road near Willow
Grove. where road to the right leads over
20 bH tne hrs Gwes second street pike at Bryn
~
denborgian cathedral is being built, and
then home by train or trolley from Bryn
Athyn station.
There is the trolley or the electric or the
pennsylvania Railroad trip out to Haverford
College. then over to Bryn Mawr College,
then across country roads past charming gar
dens to Mill creek and down that by n
country road to the Schuylkill river, to cross
Reading Railway. On that trip the Bryn
Mawr teahousc would be the place to lunch.
There is the trip out to Villanova by train
and the walk over to the Moro. Phillips cs-
rish views of n distant little town from one
wndswept hill and of country places old and
new from another.
There is the city golf field out by Cobbs
street: the Delaware river boat trip to Hog
Island. the navy yard at League Island:
and there is the Zoo!
THE noted private gardens of the town or
l. it's environs or the picture collections con
those can be got through the right sources.
The Widener gallery, the Franklin Nc.
Fadden gardens, the Wanamaker place are
the most worth while private possessions to
those in the Park. especially the Benedict
Arnold house, the Hamilton house in Wood
lands Cemetery, the Chew house at German
town and the Logan house on the edge Of
the CITY are loVeiy types ne Ferris books
on the old stage roads are a great help for
seekers after fine old Colonial places. And
many of the roadside inns are as pleasant 70
stop at as in coaching days just as the old
churches and meeting houses Of the last years
Of the eighteenth and the early years Of the
nineteenth century are still filed with wor.
shippers on n Sunday morning.
IF ONE has motor then the possibilities
/ for such excursions are doubled Chester
county, with its wonderful farms: rho
Schuylkil valley. or rather the country 70
the east or west of it up to Lebanon valley.
the hunting country this side of Media, thr
Brandywine river road. the Whitemarsh
valley roads toward Bethlehem, the Old York
road to the Delaware beyond Trenton,
When the stranger In our midst gets il
into his head that we are a country. loyino
lot here in town, and that we turn naturaliT
to out of door sports and recreations, he
will really get the gist of us. He will find
us In the squares. in the parks, on the golf
linLs or hnating. Or riding nr nardnnH...