Last night, some GT staff members had the pleasure of spending the night at a function hosted by our good partners at the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia. We work closely with the organization, and each of their members are also subscribers to Global Traveler.

The WTCGP helps local companies develop business internationally. There are 336 World Trade Centers in 93 countries, linking businesses to more than 750,000 other businesses.

The event was held at the Hyatt at the Bellevue, a historic building in Philadelphia. Located at the corner of Broad and Walnut streets, it was formerly and still is commonly known as The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, opened in 1881. It has always been a hub for Philadelphia’s social, cultural and business activities.

As we were driving to the event last night, I noticed, for the first time in my life, that City Hall is two different stone colors. I was inspired to research the building further and try to find out why. Had construction been halted by a war or other economic disruption? I can’t seem to find a reason why, other than that construction took 30 years to complete, which may account for the variant. It’s interesting, though, to delve further into the history of a building you know well. I learned a lot of new information about the building William Penn sits atop, including:

• City Hall is the largest municipal building in the United States
• The statue of William Penn on top of the building is the tallest atop any building in the world
• By the time construction was completed, the French Empire style of the building was already outdated
• From 1901 to 1909, it was the tallest inhabitable building in the world
• Each of the four entrances is themed with a different geographical region, including Europe, Africa, Asia and North America

All in all, an informative and enjoyable evening.

— Kim Krol, eFlyer USA editor, circulation and public relations executive