Philadelphia

Home to the first brick house erected in the United States, not to mention the first hospital, first public library, first public school and first daily newspaper, Philadelphia is a city of firsts, through and through.

So when you see National Parks Service rangers nearby, it’s understandable if you suddenly feel as if you’re in Yellowstone National Park, way on the other side of the country. But there they are, right on the street, garbed in their traditional grey shirts with arrowhead emblems, sporting their iconic campaign hats with Sequoia cone pattern-imprinted hatbands and looking totally incongruous in an urban setting.

Then you are reminded you’re in a city of parks. While the honour of “America’s First Park” doesn’t go to Philadelphia – that goes to the Pennsylvanian city of Wilkes-Barre, with its River Common park legally recognised in 1809, the first parks laid out in North America were on the plans for Philadelphia, back in 1683.

These days, Philadelphia proudly boasts over 75 neighbourhood parks, a number that doesn’t include the 63 parks that make up Fairmount Park, one of America’s largest city parks. Abundant with recreational activities, works of art and historic mansions, Fairmount is also the site of Bartram’s Garden (America’s oldest living botanical garden).

What keeps the rangers in town, however, is America’s most historic Square Mile: the 20 city blocks of Independence National Historic Park. Less a park and more an embodiment of history, with the cracked Liberty Bell proudly on display. Tour Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and pay a visit to the homes of Benjamin Franklin, who gave the world the first lightning rod among other inventions, and Edgar Allen Poe, who crafted the world’s first modern detective story.

When you have had your fill of sightseeing, and photo ops with the rangers, return to the Hotel. Find your way to The Lounge and savour a cocktail prepared by mixologist Michael Haggerty, with views overlooking the stunning bronzes and playful water jets of Logan Square, itself one of the aforementioned 63 parks.