Visitor Information

Accommodations:

Forum participants will enjoy discounted hotel rates. Please contact the following hotels directly to make arrangements for your stay. Mention “ARDF” to receive the discounted rate upon booking. A limited number of rooms will be held under ARDF’s room block only until 9/22/08; please book early.
Note: The rates below do not include applicable taxes, currently 7% hospitality tax and 7% city tax.

Independence Park Hotel (Best Western)
235 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: 800-624-2988 or 215-922-4443
Fax: 215-922-4487
Discount rate: $174/night for queen room, $184/night for king room, includes continental breakfast
Distance from Forum (Chemical Heritage Foundation): 1 block

Omni Hotel at Independence Park
401 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: 215-925-0000
Fax: 215-925-1263
Discount rate: $199/night
Distance from Forum (Chemical Heritage Foundation): 1 block

Getting There:

Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: 215-925-2222
Travel/Directions
http://www.chemheritage.org/about/about-nav8.html

Sightseeing in Philadelphia:

Come early or stay late! Take this opportunity to visit the historic sites of the “City of Brotherly Love,” including the nearby Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the American Philosophical Society. For more information on these sites and more, visit: www.historicphiladelphia.org.

For more information on things to see in and around the greater Philadelphia area, including restaurants and entertainment, visit www.gophila.com.

More information on historic Philadelphia

Independence Hall—Chestnut Street, between 5th and 6th Streets, 215-965-2305 Built between 1732 and 1756, this is the famous location where George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and the design of the American flag was agreed upon.

Liberty Bell Center—Market Street, between 5th and 6th Streets, 215-965-2305 See the official bell that rang at the Pennsylvania State House before it was cracked in the mid 1800s. The Center offers video and photo exhibits, and tickets are free of charge.

Betsy Ross House—239 Arch Street, 215-686-1252 Visit the home of the famous seamstress who created the first official American flag.

More information on Philadelphia museums

Philadelphia Museum of Art—26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100 Current exhibits at the museum Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt; and Multiple Modernities: India, 1905—2005.

Rodin Museum—22nd Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215-568-6026 With 124 sculptures, this museum is the largest collection of Auguste Rodin’s work outside of Paris.

Mütter Museum—19 S. 22nd Street, 215-563-3737 Not for those with weak stomachs, this museum tells a disturbing tale about the history of medicine. The collection includes 2,000 objects extracted from people’s throats, a cancerous growth removed from President Grover Cleveland, and the preserved body of the “Soap Lady.” (NOTE: The Mütter Museum is located in the College of Physicians, which is the venue for the 10/23/08 ARDF 15th Anniversary Celebration.)