Philadelphia's role in the 17th and 18th Century history of the United States sometimes overshadows its continuing importance in the country. Philly is the fifth largest city in the United States, with some 1.6 million residents. It has always been an industrial and manufacturing city, yet its economy has also diversified to make it an important center of the banking, publishing, and pharmaceutical sectors. Culturally, Philadelphia is awash with universities, museums, and performing arts centers (see the new Kimmel Center below).

As with many U.S. cities, Philadelphia has continued to suffer from racial tensions. This friction is perhaps best symbolized by the 1985 incident in which Philadelphia's Police Department dropped a bomb on a city block in an attempt to root out a black, anti-government group called the MOVE, members of which resided in the area and had entered into a gun battle with the police. The bomb missed its target and started a fire that resulted in 11 deaths and the destruction of an entire block of rowhouses in the predominantly black neighborhood. City police and fire officials were accused of intentionally letting the fire burn, and in 1996, the city's former Police and Fire Commissioners were found guilty of using excessive force to dislodge the MOVE, and the city was ordered to pay some $1.5 million in damages.

While everyday relations in Philadelphia are by no means this extreme, the 1985 tragedy does illustrate the troubles that can arise from the clash of poverty, wealth, race, class, and power present in many U.S. cities to this day.

The Monkey poses by Philadelphia's Masonic Temple, seat of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania. The secretive fraternal society of Freemasons has had an active hand in the running of Philadelphia since its earliest days. The Temple in Philadelphia even houses artifacts belonging to early members Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, both of whom were instrumental figures in the founding of the U.S. state.

Inside, the Masonic Temple features seven grand halls in a variety of ancient, medieval and pre-modern architectural styles. The Freemasons themselves describe the seven halls as follows: Oriental, Gothic, Ionic, Egyptian, Norman, Renaissance, and Corinthian. Despite the legendary secrecy of the Masonic order, many parts of the facility are open to visitors.

The Monkey digs the Federalist digs in Philly's Independence Hall National Park area.

One of Philadelphia's newest cultural highlights is the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Home to the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kimmel Center was designed by the New York-based, Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly and opened its doors in 2001. Inside, the Kimmel Center houses two freestanding concert halls unified by the complex's signature glazed barrel-vault roof, which creates a sense of spaciousness in the interior while also allowing plenty of natural light to enter the facility. The Monkey couldn't stay for a concert, but he hears the building's acoustics are great, too.

Just before leaving Philadelphia, the Monkey took one last glance down one of the graceful Georgian streets of the Society Hill district.

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