As a diehard NY Mets fan, I must admit that it pains me slightly to introduce a blog about the home of the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. While not a rivalry on par with Yankees-Red Sox, the Phillies and Mets have battled for National League supremacy for the last few years...with the Mets recently ending up with the short end of the stick more often than not.
But I digress. As we've already done with Charlotte, San Francisco and Minneapolis-St. Paul, our Philadelphia blog continues our series on cities where Wells Fargo and Wachovia have significant histories. And as you're about to find out, Philly's got plenty of history. So without further ado, I'll turn it over to my colleague Jim Baum. While Jim now makes his home in the burbs of Philly, he's lived in and around the city for the last 22 years, loves the Phils, and knows all the good cheesesteak spots.
Being home to 42 Wachovia stores, with even more out in the suburbs, Philadelphia can now boast over 7,000 combined Wachovia and Wells Fargo team members in its metropolitan area. Truth is, we've been a part of the community here for over two centuries — some of our more notable financial ancestors are Fidelity Bank, Philadelphia National Bank, First Pennsylvania Bank and the Pennsylvania Company.
The deep roots laid down by our banking ancestors (some begun by the founding fathers of our country!) brought us expertise in commercial finance, maritime lending and international banking — a department that's still headquartered here in Philadelphia. And today, as Wells Fargo and Wachovia join together, we continue to use that expertise to help you.
Just as the United States got its start as a country in Philadelphia, so did our banking system. In fact, Wachovia's heritage stretches back to the first commercial bank in the United States — the Bank of North America 
— which was founded here in 1781. In 1863, another bank, The First National Bank of Philadelphia, was the first to be granted a Federal Bank charter. This isn't the first time Wells Fargo has been to Philadelphia, either. We opened our first express office here in 1914. So all told, you can say our family tree has a branch that started growing 228 years ago!
Philadelphia is really an incredible place. It's one of the world's most historic and walkable cities, and is also the hub of a region with almost 6 million people. The area has undergone an amazing transformation since World War II, as it's moved from being a center of heavy industry to becoming a place where the latest advances in biotech and pharmaceutical research are created.
There are also 88 colleges and universities here, though I have to admit I'm partial to Temple University. After all, it's where I earned my MBA and where I still have season tickets for one of the most...well, "character-building" football teams in NCAA Division 1.
See, for a long time Temple football wasn't just bad — it was mind-numbingly awful. Being on the losing end of scores like 56-7, 35-0 and 42-3 were common when they played a Big East schedule. Oh the memories...the pain! But I'm happy to report that, under head coach Al Golden and a member of the Mid-America Conference, we now play close to .500 football. I hope Temple football has turned the corner and that my long-suffering allegiance will someday be rewarded with a bowl game....
While the city's future may lie in biotech, its past belongs to all of us. Hopefully, we all remember learning about Ben Franklin , Betsy Ross , the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence in grade school?
Well, when you come to Philadelphia, you should absolutely tour "America's Most Historic Mile." Start with a visit to the Liberty Bell , then walk across the street to Independence Hall , where the Declaration was signed and one of the original copies still exists.
There's something surreal about Independence Hall. It is such an iconic structure that I feel like I'm on a movie set every time I go by. It is still the first place I take out-of-towners — and no matter where they are from, they feel the sense of immense pride when walking through the doors of this magnificent building.
(Not to mention there's a Wachovia office half a block away!)
For the record, our regional headquarters building at 123 South Broad Street has some history of its own. In the Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places , that was our building that starred as the headquarters of Duke & Duke — they shot many exterior and interior scenes of the movie taking place here.
Aside from Philadelphia's history and sports teams — the Phillies, Eagles, 76ers and Flyers — our city is probably best known for two things: Rocky and cheesesteaks. Since I'm probably way over my word count, here are my quick thoughts on both.
Obviously Rocky Balboa isn't a real person, but he embodies the toughness and resilience that characterizes this city and its people — and we're proud of him. Even today, 32 years after the first Rocky film appeared, you can go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art any time of day, and you'll see people of all ages and backgrounds make the run up the "Rocky" steps (all 72 of them).
As for our cheesesteaks, they are one of the best tasting, bad-for-you foods on the planet. Made from cheap ribeye, provolone cheese (Cheese Whiz is also acceptable), smothered in fried onions and served on a long Italian roll, a typical cheesesteak will set your diet back about 3,000 calories and give you enough cholesterol to get you a frequent customer discount at your local heart specialist. All that said, take one bite and you'll be hooked for life. When you come to town, skip the tourist cheesesteak places and head straight to Mama's in the suburb of Bala Cynwyd — best cheesesteaks in the world .
Well that's it for now — a really small peek at this great city and its deep and rich history. If you have any questions about Philadelphia, please comment and I'll try my best to give you my opinion!
As a long term Wells Fargo and super long term Wachovia account holder.I must say Wells Fargo recently let me down in a huge way and I am afraid that is how business will be at Wachovia, so I am thinking I must liquidate my three wachovia accounts.
Just because the Wachovia name is changing doesn't mean our commitment to service is going anywhere. Hope you'll reconsider and stick around to see the benefits of being a part of the new Wells Fargo.