Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Getting Around
From wiki.travel.com
Get aroundBy footPhiladelphia is one of America's most walkable cities. This has been taken advantage of and Philadelphia is marked extremely well by Walk! Philadelphia signs that are placed on each block, sometimes only several feet apart, that guide visitors toward shopping, dining, gallery perusing, cultural enjoyment, local must-sees and public transportation should it need to be taken. The city has two very walkable shopping districts as well as the walkable Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is home to many museums, including the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art that was made famous in the Rocky series of movies. By trainCommuter railSEPTA Regional Rail [1] regional commuter rail trains stop in Center City at underground commuter rail tunnels. The two major center city stops, Suburban Station and Market East Station, will drop you off right in the middle of it all. Suburban Station is near City Hall, the shopping district, the financial district, and many cultural attractions; Market East Station connects to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, shopping at The Gallery (Four blocks long, four stories high!) and the Reading Terminal Market, a famous local marketplace. Traveling within Center City is considered a Zone 1 fare and will cost $3.00. New Jersey Transit RiverLINE [2] is a lightrail line serving 20 stations between Trenton and Camden, NJ. The line connects with DRPA's PATCO Hi-Speed Line as well as SEPTA's R7 Regional Rail line between Philadelphia and Trenton. RiverLINE travels North-South along the Delaware River entirely in New Jersey. One-way fare between Trenton and Camden, NJ is $1.35. There are reduced fare options for senior citizens, children and families. Monthly passes are available. SubwaySEPTA operates two subway lines and a Subway-Surface line that serve Center City Philadelphia as well as the smaller neighborhoods on the city's fringe. Cash fares are $2.00, but one can buy tokens at the rate of two for $2.90 (as of 6/1/08). Broad Street (Orange) Line - sometimes called the Orange line - runs North-South underneath Broad Street, one of Philadelphia's two major streets. It serves Temple University, City Hall, the Sports Stadium Complex and everywhere in between. The BSL also has a spur called the Broad-Ridge Spur that serves Chinatown and 8th & Market Streets in Center City. Free transfers from the Broad Street Line to the Market-Frankford Line can be made at City Hall Station (BSS) to 15 St. (MFL); a free interchange with Subway-Surface Lines can be made at the City Hall station. Transfers from a subway to a bus or from a bus to a subway cost $0.60 and must be purchased before the bus or train leaves the station. This transfer is also required from the 8th St. Ridge Avenue spur to the 8th MFL station. Market-Frankford (Blue) Line - sometimes called the Blue line or the El - runs North-South from the Frankford Transportation Center in Northeast Philadelphia to 2nd and Markets St., then East-West between 2nd and Markets St. and 69th Street Terminal in West Philadelphia. The line runs underground beneath Market Street from 2nd to 45 Streets within Center City, Old City, and University City, and is elevated elsewhere. An interchange with the Broad-Ridge Spur is available at 8th Street Station; an interchange with SEPTA's Regional Rail is available at 11th St. to Market East Station, 15 St. to Suburban Station, and at 30 St. to the 30th Street Amtrak Station; a free interchange with the Broad Street Line is available at 15th Street Station. A free interchange with the Subway-Surface Lines is at 13 St. Station. Subway-Surface Lines - sometimes called the Green line is actually a set of five streetcar lines: 10 (Lancaster), 11 (Woodland), 13 (Chester), 34 (Baltimore), and 36 (Elmwood). Each runs along a different Avenue in West Philadelphia, but all meet at a subway portal at 40 St. and Woodland Avenue (except the #10, which joins the subway at a portal at 36th St.) to run in a streetcar subway under the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University to 30 St., then under Market Street from 30 to Juniper St, near 13 St. It shares 30th, 15th, and Juniper/13th St. stations with the MFL, but is the only subway stopping at 19th and 22nd Streets along Market St. There is a free interchange between the lines at all three shared stations. There is no cross platform interchange because the MFL has high platforms, and the Subway-Surface has low platforms, and these have to be on the right side of the streetcar. PATCO Hi-Speed Line [3] operated by the Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, travels between 16th and Locust Streets past 8th and Market Streets in Center City Philadelphia and Lindenwold Station in Southern New Jersey. PATCO runs underground in the city and rises above ground to cross over the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. It then runs underground in the center of Camden, then is above ground through the rest of its trip in New Jersey. There is no free interchange between SEPTA's subways or regional rail and the PATCO service. The PATCO line is the easiest way to access Camden, NJ's waterfront attractions, including the New Jersey State Aquarium and the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront concert venue. Fees for the service are based on the distance of travel. Those rates are as follows:
By taxiTaxis are regulated by the Philadelphia Parking Authority and display a medallion license on their hood. All taxis are metered. Rates are $2.70 at flagfall and $2.30 per mile. For trips from the airport, a flat rate, including fuel surcharge, of $26.25 applies. Tipping for good service is common. By carPhiladelphia is also home to PhillyCarShare [4], where, after registering, you can book vehicles by the hour or day for significantly less than a rental car. PhillyCarShare has vehicles including Toyota Pruises, Volkswagen Beetles and Mini Coopers stationed at various locations called 'pods' around Philadelphia. You first book online, and then use your personal key to unlock the vehicle and away you go. Rental is $5.90 to $7.90 per hour, or approximately $50 for a full day, plus a few dollars booking fee and $0.09 per mile traveled. |
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