This route explores the north central Philadelphia waterfront, focusing on what remains of this historic locale after the installation of Interstate I-95 in the 1970s, and relating (among other things) how early Quaker settlors lived in caves along the waterfront.

Keep in mind that this area was where wheeling and dealing went on to encourage local, regional and national enterprise. It was where early American capitalists made their fortunes. It was where the individual American colonies were crafted into a nation. And it was also where terrible urban contagions began.

I am a historian and writer about Philadelphia, as well as a tour guide for the city, and have collected what is likely the largest private collection of books about the City of Brotherly Love: about 2700 titles, new and old. I'm also a founding/certified member of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides and have lived at Pier 3 Condominium at Penn’s Landing since 1997, where and when my fascination with Philadelphia’s waterfront district began. I regularly give walking tours and presentations on this and other unique yet unappreciated parts of the city for various groups. I'm a graduate of La Salle University (1986) and Temple University School of Law (1993) and was once an officer in the U.S. Army Field Artillery.