PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Anyone who has made a recent visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art may have noticed a new structure at the foot of the building’s iconic front steps. It’s a new satellite location for the Philadelphia Visitor Center — and there’s a lot more available there than tourist maps.
“We were already thinking that we really should have a presence here,” said Katherine Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center.
She says, in addition to their Independence Mall location, the Art Museum is an excellent second location for tourists.
“The Rocky statue is, we believe, the second-most visited tourist attraction in the city next to the Liberty Bell,” she said.
“Anecdotally, it's really obvious when you drive by any time of day or night — it can be 2 o'clock in the morning, and there are people out there getting their picture taken in front of the Rocky statue.”
The outpost is also a store. In addition to selling Philadelphia-themed swag, they partnered with actor Sylvester Stallone to sell his “Rocky”-branded merchandise, attracting tourists like Paul from as far away as Germany.
“I think all the merch is pretty cool,” he said.
“The ‘Rocky’ theme drew me in. And it's my first time in Philadelphia. I'm a big ‘Rocky’ fan.”
Despite “Rocky” being nearly 50 years old, the movie is still popular abroad.
“Yeah, of course,” said Paul. “‘Rocky’ is still a big thing in Germany as well.”
Lovell suggests that “Rocky” is just one more historical detail about the city that Philadelphians may take for granted. “But I think, globally, the brand of ‘Rocky’ is stronger than it's ever been.”
The store might be small, but Ott Lovell says there are many reasons to check it out.
“We also have all the other services that we provide. You can come and get discounted tickets here. You can get Phlash tickets here. You can get Big Bus tickets here. Maps. We can direct you to other things to see.”
But if you’re there on a “Rocky” pilgrimage, Philadelphia native Mark Smith has this gentle reminder:
“You better run them steps.”
Smith quickly clarified he did not run the steps that day.
(Did we mention the movie came out almost 50 years ago?)
“No, I actually did a walk,” he said. “Yeah, but the walk was great. The walk was great.”