run up the "rocky steps" in philly

On a whim tonight a buddy and I (in Philly for the week on business) decided to run up the steps. Our hotel is just over a mile away. We ended up running to the museum, going up the steps, posing for pictures, then running along the river, up Race to City Hall, on to the Liberty Bell, and then to the Comcast Building lobby before heading back to the hotel.

It sounds goofy, but after going up the steps, we felt invincible (yes, another Philly-movie pun) and just kept going on to the other sites.

If you’re at all nostalgic or sentimental for the movie, don’t pass up the opportunity if you get it.

Did it yesterday. I just moved to Philly and my brother came for a visit. We went to the museum and took pictures by the Rocky statue. Then, I had him photograph me as I ran up. It was pretty exhilirating at the top. I heard the Rocky soundtrack in my head for the rest of the day. Oh, and the museum was pretty nice, too. Lots of great art.

So, that long and people keep doing that. It must have some kind of power, romance, sense of fullfilment or just fun.

Funny how most people know ‘Rocky Steps’ but don’t know where they are. I am visiting Philly breifly in November and I will be running the steps in my limited time there instead of going to Independence Hall or the Franklin Institute

While I was there, a German guy in a grey sweatshirt enthusiastially ran up the steps, cheering and waving his arms when he got to the top. It was hilarious!

I’ve done this tons of times when I lived in Philly. I’ve seen plenty of tourists do the same thing. It’s quite funny. But it gets old after a while.

I grew up in South Jersey, right across the river…I think the first time I ran up the steps, I was in Elementary School. They were WAY more difficult back then. These days, I live in Center City in Philly, right on South Street. It’s still a pain, but I try to run the steps at least once a year, usually when I get finished doing the Hunger Walk in April each year. For those who don’t know, they’re the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the end of the Ben Franklin Parkway, right where Fairmount Park begins at Kelly Drive. If you’re a tourist in town looking to do this, first you gotta find City Hall. It’s simple…it’s the geographic center of the original city, and there’s a buncha public transportation near there. And besides, if you’re a tourist, chances are your hotel is near there anyway. But I digress…once you’ve found City Hall, walk around the outside of it till you see the LOVE fountain. You know the one…they used to make stamps with that LOVE sculpture on em back in the 70s and 80s. Beyond that is the Ben Franklin Parkway, which heads diagonally across the city checkerboard of streets past most of the museums: the Franklin Institute, Please Touch Museum, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Rodin Museum, Academy of Natural Sciences, etc etc. At the midpoint is Logan Circle…and at the far end, right in front of the Art Museum you’ll see another circle known as Eakins Oval. (Named after the famous artist Thomas Eakins.) Make sure to throw your fists above your head and pump them a bit, Rocky-style…after running that far, you’ve earned it!

I did this on a visit to my best friend’s apartment while he was living in Philly.

I only say this isn’t worth it because at the time I was blatantly out of shape and I wasn’t in the condition to be doing it. Man, did that hurt. Don’t bother doing it if you’re out of shape.

However, I do have to say it was fun trying. Throwing a couple of goofy punches and taking the steps on slower rather than faster (which is probably what I did) might make it easier.

I, unfortunately, cannot vouch for this personally being a positive experience for me at all, though.

I used to live in Philly. When I was on the track team, our coach (her name was Lurline—I have the worst memory but almost 20 years later I still remember) had us run downtown and up the Art Museum steps. Yep, I thought about Rocky.

I run to the art museum almost every day now – and it’s nicer in the morning. During the day you see people do it, feel all weird about it, and self concious about it. In the early morning, you see the most fun people who even jump when they hit the top and do all the punching. Less people = more fun.