If any Penn student is looking to write a third-grade history report or training to become a professional tourist, I urge that student to take a tour of City Hall as soon as possible. For everyone else, the tour is good for a dull afternoon or at least a good-natured laugh.
Free City Hall tours depart weekdays at 12:30 from room 121 and last approximately an hour-and-a- half.
Tours include a brief session on the building's history and a walking tour of the site complete with architectural tidbits, and culminate with a visit to the observatory beneath the statue of William Penn, at the very top of the building.
When I arrived in Room 121 at 12:15 p.m., I was greeted by an elderly woman dressed entirely in different shades of purple, who asked me to sign-in please and take a seat in the waiting area.
Though I was initially worried that I would be joined by school groups -- or worse -- people knowledgeable about the building, my nerves were calmed when I saw that my fellow tour-mates were mostly families with young children and older couples.
At exactly 12:30 p.m., our tour guide Robert took the carpet. He spent 20 minutes explaining the context of City Hall and cracking awkward Charles and Camilla jokes at the expense of a British man who was with us.
During this time, I learned that out of the 1,000 men who worked to build City Hall, only five died during construction. I also learned that William Penn had three children from his second wife and that their names were Margaret, Richard and Dennis.
Next, we slipped out of the waiting area into a courtyard outside to visit the keystone of Benjamin Franklin and other sculptures.
Did you know that the statue of William Penn faces north because he lived north of City Hall?
We then climbed one story of an incredible seven-story spiral staircase that stands with no support.
Robert said that though there are 700 rooms in the building, only five of them -- including the Mayor's reception room, which we saw, -- are nice.
I skipped out while we were in the reception room to take the elevator ride to the top.
After two minutes of riding in an elevator that resembles the Tower of Terror ride at a Disney amusement park, I arrived at William Penn's feet. The view was unbelievable. It made the entire trip.
And though our campus is blocked by buildings, the rest of the city is visible. There is an especially clear view of the Art Museum and the various bridges that span the Delaware River.
After 10 minutes stranded on top of what was once the city's tallest building, I was ready to get back to the ground. But when it came time to hail a cab, I was surprisingly sad to leave.
