Walking walking – as above. Best way to prepare for or to recover from a flight, by far. Girlahead has even walked round and round airports in the night (and thank you to security guards at Frankfurt and Tromsø airport for not making arrests).
The best industry conferences are those with walks thrown in, say getting from place to place at FAIRMONT MAYAKOBA for TFest or at HALF MOON JAMAICA for the global gathering of Preferred last week (at both venues there were also a plethora of golf buggies and somewhat-treacherous city bikes)
Walking is hot news anywhere, everywhere, any day, every day. Philadelphia was named Best Walkable City in the USA in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It was selected by a panel of travel experts and won based on reader votes for the 20 finalists. Gregg Caren, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, confirms that is easy to navigate on foot, from river to river.
Stay at the Norman Foster-designed FOUR SEASONS PHILADELPHIA AT COMCAST CENTER – its 213sq m Presidential Suite, on Level 56, has two corner windows with north and south views over the city, showcasing the best of Philadelphia (there’s a working fireplace and dining for 10).
Hotel GM Cornelia Samara is a walker. At weekends she strolls with her four-legged companion Rosie to Rittenhouse Square Park, where there are farmers markets on weekends and music performers exuding lively energy on weeknights. The park is a ten-minute walk from the hotel and has some of her favourite restaurants and cafés dotted along the route’s perimeter (she especially likes Friday Saturday Sunday). On a quiet weekend afternoon, she strolls northeast, admiring runners on the Rocky Steps and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At The Barnes she immerses herself in art and history for a couple of hours.
Yes, she says, the walkability of Philadelphia is a big attraction for both locals and visitors, and each neighbourhood is distinctly recognized with its own charm, culture and character.
