Old-city charm – but not old-fashioned – the spirit of Philadelphia is alive in the pageantry of the Mummer’s Parade, the steam rising from a warm soft pretzel, a shopkeeper’s smile and the clip-clop of carriages on cobblestone streets. The birthplace of American democracy remains a living, breathing portrait of the faces and ideals that shaped the nation. Today, the simple yet timeless phrase “We the People” is explored in the brand-new National Constitution Center. The surrounding streets and neighborhoods display the ideals that the world has brought to Philadelphia. Sample the city’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity amongst the stands of the Reading Terminal Market, Chinatown, and South Philly’s Italian market.

Philadelphia was founded as a place of welcome for settlers seeking freedom, fulfillment and new opportunities. That welcome rings true today.