City Hall hasn’t been Philly’s tallest building since One Liberty Place went up in 1987, and its observation deck has been almost literally overshadowed by others. But I decided to go for an old school Philly experience and take the City Hall Tower tour.
The tour starts by purchasing an $8.25 timed ticket at the gift shop located in the east portal. The back of the ticket has detailed instructions, which include going through security at the entrance by the John Wanamaker statue, taking an elevator then an escalator, and finally winding up at the waiting room.
The waiting room is bare bones, but has displays about City Hall.
Only four people plus the operator can fit in the elevator. And that’s four small people.
The ride up is through the interior of the tower.
Exiting the elevator is not an auspicious start.
This is an old fashioned observation deck. No souvenirs, food or even protection from the elements.
It’s all about the views, and they are incredible.
You can get an upskirt shot of Billy Penn.
And have other visitors take your picture with a skyline background.
After about a 10 minute visit, the operator takes everyone back down. Not much time to linger, but enough to take in a 360 degree Philly view from what was once one of the tallest structures in the world.
That Philly Life: Urban Exploring in Philadelphia 