PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Last year's Memorial Day weekend was overshadowed by the pandemic. This year, the cold, rainy weather won't allow for any barbecues either.
But despite the weather, Independence Mall saw a sizable turnout as tourism and activities seemed to be crawling back to some type of normalcy.
"We're here from New York on a hockey trip, so my son's playing hockey," said Mike Branon. He and his son Darcy weren't exactly bothered by the poor weather since hockey is indoors.
The outcome, on the other hand, proved bothersome. "I just got eliminated from the tournament so it really sucks for my dad right now," said Darcy.
They still made the best of their trip to the city.
"We went up the Art Museum steps," Darcy said. "Me and my dad just watched Rocky at our hotel room and he's always wanted to do it, so we did it."
Dozens of other masked tourists took the holiday weekend to enjoy the food and historic attractions the city has to offer. Some, like Erica and Mike, just wanted to see what all the Philly grit was about.
"We tried coming here in 2019, and we took the Greyhound from Port Authority in New York City, and the bus was late so we only got to spend maybe 2-3 hours," said Erica. "This time we decided to drive and that's why we're here."
After more than a year inside, people were pretty optimistic to be out, despite the weather.
"We're making the best of it," said Mike. "It's not 20 degrees. It's still cool walking weather."
