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The FIFA World Cup begins Thursday in Mexico and while Philadelphia will have to wait till Sunday for its first game down in South Philly, we can expect an influx of soccer fans around East Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill.
On the busiest of the FIFA Fan Festival’s 39 days of operation, that could mean traffic snarl-ups on Kelly Drive and other streets around the park and time spent frustratedly trying to find — legal — parking nearby.
But there’s lots of other options beyond driving to the fest.
The Circuit Trails Coalition wants to remind residents of Greater Philadelphia of, and introduce visiting World Cup fans to, happier trails.
Justin Dennis, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition and New Jersey program director with Trust for Public Land, said that the region’s trail system can be used by all for headache-free paths to Philly’s World Cup hotspots, while offering a chance to enjoy the rest of the city’s splendor.
“What we’ve found is that people don’t know about trails in their own backyard,” he said. “And often they do know of their local trail but might not understand the regional connectivity of their local trail.”
For Lemon Hill, the adjacent Schuylkill River Trail offers a walk or bike path 120 miles long, from as far as South Philly to the south and Bucks County to the north.
“It’s really, in my modest opinion, a world class destination that we don’t see in a lot of other cities,” Dennis said. “It ranges from deep urban to the Kelly Drive stretch, which is a little bit more scenic, and then gets really into some nice more suburban and rural experiences as you get further north. So folks do have a chance to hop on a bike, by foot, get down to Lemon Hill, get up to Lemon Hill.”
Down at South Street, the SRT then connects across the city via Spruce and Pine streets to the Delaware River Trail. A toll-free trek across the Ben Franklin Bridge pedestrian walkway, or a ride on PATCO, can take you into the Camden riverfront, where you’ll get the best views of Philly’s skyline and the city’s own soccer festival happening from June 25 to 27.
We’re not telling — or expecting — everyone to hike down from Chestnut Hill for the fan fest. As budget-strapped as SEPTA and regional rail have been in recent years, it can still get you to a convenient hub like 15th Street/City Hall Station or 30th Station.
The stadium’s a relative dead zone for the trail network, but that’s where SEPTA’s increased and still inexpensive service (especially compared to other World Cup cities) can get you across the goal line.
Dennis said the two biggest barriers to the trails for locals and visitors are a lack of awareness and, particularly for visitors, a stigma about the perceived safety of walking around parts of Philadelphia.
But he said that safety isn’t an issue on the SRT.
“In our peak months, we’re seeing 200,000, 300,000 people using the trail every month. That’s not an underutilized space, that’s not an unsafe space,” Dennis said.
He added that one of the added perks of taking the trails is the ability to see and access more of the city than you could if you were stuck in traffic or searching for parking.
“Don’t just come to use the trail. Part of the benefit of Philadelphia’s trail network is that there are great coffee shops and delis and ice cream spots that you can access with a 5 or 10 minute detour. So really take advantage of Philadelphia’s great food scene, great bar scene. Come in early, stay late.”
Dennis’ advice for those new to the SRT: stay right, let bikes and scooters pass you on the left, be aware of your surroundings, pack snacks and water and take care of yourself and each other.
Dennis, currently a Fairmount resident, is a sports fan, and will be walking and using public transportation to check out the soccer festivities. He estimated that the walk to Lemon Hill with the SRT takes him under half an hour, at a leisurely pace, while public transport to the Linc takes less than an hour. He said he also plans to check out the festivities in Camden.
He said he’s excited for what’s to come, given what he saw from the international soccer fans who came to Philly last year.
“The Club World Cup was such a beautiful appetizer for what this can be,” Dennis said. “Getting on a bus full of people in their country’s gear at nine in the morning was such a profoundly impactful experience for me. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
