The “Swat Bubble” is lovely. It has trees older than our parents, a creek, several a cappella groups, and a dining hall where someone is always having a very intense conversation about philosophy over a bowl of Graham Central Station ice cream. Many of us arrive here and quickly discover that we can go an entire week without crossing Chester Road.
This makes sense. Our friends, our classes, and the Scott Arboretum are all within walking distance. The bubble isn’t a flaw — it’s a feature and a large part of what makes Swarthmore feel like home. But even the best campus benefits from the occasional field trip, and the college has made that easy for us.
Somewhere in your backpack, maybe beneath a crumpled problem set, is a SEPTA Key card. Swarthmore provides one to every student, giving access to the public transit network of one of the largest cities in the country. I’ve observed that, for many people, it spends most of the semester unused.
Here’s how it works in practice: the Swarthmore station is a short walk from campus and sits on SEPTA’s Media/Wawa Regional Rail line. Trains run into Center City Philadelphia, and the ride takes roughly half an hour. Most Center City trips end at one of three stops: Suburban Station, near City Hall and Rittenhouse Square; Jefferson Station, closest to Reading Terminal Market and Chinatown; or 30th Street Station, the best choice for West Philly and the museums along the Parkway. Check the current schedule before you head out, since weekend and evening trains may run less often than weekday ones, and it helps to know when the last train back leaves.
That’s no car, no rideshare, and no parking. Just a train, a card, and an afternoon.
So, here’s a very incomplete list of reasons to go:
Eat some different food: Reading Terminal Market has been operating since 1893 and houses dozens of vendors selling everything from soft pretzels and roast pork sandwiches to donuts and Pennsylvania Dutch specialties. Chinatown, just a few blocks from Jefferson Station, is a good bet for dumplings, noodle soups, and bakeries, and most spots are affordable on a student budget.
Get cultured, unironically: The Philadelphia Museum of Art holds a collection spanning thousands of years, and climbing its front steps, made famous by the movie Rocky, is an unofficial rite of passage. The Institute of Contemporary Art on Penn’s campus rotates through new exhibitions throughout the year. Many museums offer student-specific pay-what-you-wish hours, so it’s worth checking before you buy a ticket.
Walk through history: Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was debated and adopted in 1776, is part of Independence National Historical Park, along with the Liberty Bell and several other sites in Old City. A short trip north brings you to Eastern State Penitentiary, which opened in 1829 and pioneered a model of solitary confinement that influenced prisons around the world. Today it operates as a museum, and its crumbling cell blocks are as haunting and fascinating as they sound. For students at a school that cares deeply about history, Philadelphia is a good place to find some.
Find the weird and wonderful: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, created by the artist Isaiah Zagar, is an immersive mosaic made of mirrors, bicycle wheels, tile, and found objects that covers entire walls and passageways on South Street. The city is also home to thousands of murals, thanks in large part to Mural Arts Philadelphia, one of the largest public art programs in the United States. You can find them in nearly every neighborhood, and many are visible from the train itself.
Catch a show: Between concerts, theaters, comedy clubs, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, there is almost always something happening. Student discounts are common at larger venues, so look for them before paying full price. You should always plan around the train schedule so you aren’t stranded afterward. Falling asleep on the ride back is a rite of passage; just make sure you wake up at Swarthmore.
Just wander: Some of the best Philly days start with no plan. Pick a neighborhood and walk until you find a coffee shop that looks good. Fishtown is known for its cafes and music venues, and Rittenhouse Square is one of the best people-watching spots in the city. Philadelphia is compact and walkable, so it’s easy to cover a lot of ground on foot.
But wait, isn’t the bubble great? Absolutely. Nobody is suggesting the bubble is something to escape. One of the best things about Swat is that it feels like a real home, a place where people know your name and your niche hobbies.
But a home is even better when you have somewhere to go and somewhere to come back to. Some of my favorite Swat moments in my brief time here started with a spontaneous “Wanna go to the city?” text and ended with a group of friends, sore feet, and a very good story. The campus will still be here when you get back. The Crum will still be pretty. Your bowl of Graham Central Station will still be waiting.
There is also a practical case for getting out more. After graduation, some of us will move to cities much larger than a few hundred acres of arboretum. Learning how to read a transit schedule, budget your time, and find your own favorite spots are useful skills, and Philadelphia is a relatively easy place to practice them. Many students find that spending time off campus also gives them a fresh perspective on academic work and campus life, since a change of scenery has a way of making both feel less overwhelming.
Here’s my challenge for you: before the semester ends, do one thing in Philadelphia you’ve never done before. Just one. Grab a friend, check the train schedule, and go. Try a new restaurant, visit a museum, get slightly lost, and come home with a pretzel in your hand and a new favorite neighborhood in your heart. The bubble isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the train. Find your SEPTA Key, hop on, and let the city show you what you’ve been missing.
