7 hour stop over in Philadelphia from Dublin

Old Jan 31st, 2010, 05:50 PM
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7 hour stop over in Philadelphia from Dublin

We will be traveling to Ireland this spring, and our return flight from Dublin to Denver makes a stopover in Philadelphia. I have read that we will clear U.S. Customs in Dublin, and that our luggage will be sent straing through to Denver. I have also read that we will need to collect our baggage in Philadelphi, clear customs and then recheck our baggage for our final leg.

Anyone have any clarification on that?

Also, we would like to take a quick city tour while we are in Philadelphia. The "Ducks" depart at 4:00 pm, and our flight arrives at 1:40pm. Are we being pretty unrealistic thinking that we can maybe catch that tour in that time frame and be back to the airport to catch an 8:40 pm flight to Denver? If so, any suggestions on how to see some of the historical sites in a rather quick manner and be back to the airport in time to clear security?

Thanks!
worldtravelerwannabe is offline  
Old Jan 31st, 2010, 06:22 PM
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What day of the week? I think you will have plenty of time to get to the ducks but the ride back to the airport may be a little tight if its rush hour.
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Old Jan 31st, 2010, 06:59 PM
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Philadelphia's airport is very close to Center City Philadelphia, a 10 to 15 minute ride during non-rush hour time. Personally I think you have time do plenty of things while in Philly and if it were up to me I would do a lot of other things besides the Ride the Duck tours. You have independence mall, the constitution center, the Art Museum of Philadelphia, and many other things. If you are set on the Ducks, then I think you have plenty of time.

If history/culture is not your thing then consider a tour of Eastern State Prison, where Al Copone was housed in the '30s, try one of the great restaurants.
egrose is offline  
Old Jan 31st, 2010, 07:11 PM
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> Anyone have any clarification on that?

I presume you're a U.S. citizen, so your passport control should go fairly smoothly (just remember that border patrol agents have NO sense of humor). Then you pick up your bags from the airline and go through customs patrol. There you'll have to describe what you purchased (if anything) while in Ireland. As long as you didn't purchase Cuban cigars or something expensive overseas, you (again) should have no problem. You give your bags back to the airline, and they take it from there. You'll have to haul your bags a few dozen meters, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Now as to your visit to my fair city:
For a seven hour layover, don't bother with the Ducks Tour -- or really with any other tour. Not that any are bad or a rip-off, it's a matter of time well spent. After you get your bags back to the airlines, exit your terminal, and ride the R1 Train into Center City.
www.septa.org/schedules/rail/pdf/air.pdf
Get off at the Market East Station, and IMMEDIATELY head for the Reading Terminal Market. Grab some food before it closes: a real Philly cheese-steak, a whoopie pie, Bassett's Ice Cream ( www.bassettsicecream.com/history.html ), some Philly pretzels, etc.

Now that you're too full to walk six blocks, get to the Market Frankford Subway Line (aka "Blue Line")
www.septa.org/maps/transit/mfl.html
on Market Street. Buy tokens at any vending machine (cash ONLY) and ride the subway east, towards Frankford. Get off at 5th Street and, as you go up the stairs, as yourself the following questions:
1) what do Americans celebrate on July 4th?
2) where did this occur?
3) when you give an oath of allegiance in the U.S., to WHAT do you swear to "protect and defend?"
4) where was this written?
5) what document guarantees that no U.S. government agency can hassle you solely for the political beliefs you express or the religious views you hold?
6) where were these adopted?
Then as you reach street level, take a look at the answer to questions 2,4,and 6.

You probably won't have time to take a tour of the inside of Independence Hall, but you can at least look at it. You can get inside the building with the Liberty Bell simply by gonig through a security check, and then get to within a couple meters of it.

Depending on your available time after that, you can wander about the Historic District for an hour or so. Then take the Blue Line back to Market East Station, the R1 back to the airport, and then on to your flight to Denver.
PaulRabe is offline  
Old Jan 31st, 2010, 07:27 PM
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I failed to mention that we will- have a 4 year old in tow. That is the reason I was thinking the duck tour. Seond, is there a place where we can store carry on luggage- lockers, etc?
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Old Feb 1st, 2010, 03:44 AM
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There are great walking tours that will show you more than the Duck Tour. Make the Visitors Center you first stop so you can see all that is offered.
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Old Feb 1st, 2010, 09:34 AM
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For a four year old, events like this

http://historicphiladelphia.org/day/...l-performances

will likely be more interesting than a Duck Tour. After all, you can take a "duck" tour in many places -- but where else can you meet Ben Franklin and George Washington?

You can also go to this URL
www.visitphilly.com/events-calendar
click on "Advanced Search"
clicking on the calendars, make the date of your visit the start date and the end date.
pull down the "Category" Menu, and select "Kids"
pull down the "City" Menu, and select "Philadelphia"
and then click on the [Search] Button.

> is there a place where we can store carry on luggage

The only place I'm aware of is at the 30th Street Amtrak Station.
www.taphilly.org/stationfaq.html
It's $3 PER ITEM, so try to stuff everything you won't be needing into one bag. Also, this service is supposed to be only for Amtrak customers, but some people report they've done so without showing a ticket.
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Old Feb 1st, 2010, 11:44 AM
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Does your flight land in Shannon, after Dublin? In Shannon you definitely go through US customs, and would not have to do so in Philly. It's a little different than most foreign airports.

I'm not certain, but I don't believe Dublin has the same setup. It's quite particular to Shannon. And I remember when we boarded in Shannon, there were folks who had boarded that same plane in Dublin and had to get off and go through US customs in Shannon then get back on the plane.
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