The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau clearly has a heavy hitter in its corner as it promotes its destination.

Bureau president Greg Caren says that New York native Sylvester Stallone is enamoured with the city that served as the setting of his hugely popular movie Rocky, with the city having reciprocated its appreciation of the actor by placing a statue of Stallone character Rocky Balboa at the base of the exterior steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky’s training regimen famously had him running up the 72 steps.

Caren — who has a picture of himself and Stallone by the statue — says Stallone “fell in love with” Philadelphia during the filming of Rocky and the city in turn is looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie in 2026.

But he added that there is another milestone anniversary coming up for what he labeled a particularly historic city. 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, with festivities actually slated to begin later this year in Philadelphia, which Caren reported hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774, a pivotal moment in the movement for American independence.

“The 4th of July is big every year but that will be the biggest,” Caren said of the 2026 celebrations during a Toronto Blue Jays home game reception hosted by his bureau.

Caren labelled Philadelphia “one of the most historic cities in North America” and said those exploring its old quarter will find cobblestone streets and buildings dating back centuries, creating a “European feeling.”

The city’s tourism slogan — Come for Philadelphia, Stay for Philly — reflects the city’s having numerous “unknown surprises” that Caren said visitors will be certain to appreciate, including over 4,000 murals, prompting Caren to label it “the world’s largest outdoor art museum…

“The arts and culture is extraordinary,” he continued, citing the likes of the “world-renowned” Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a collection that covers 2,000 years, and other museums include the Rodin Museum, home to one of the largest collections of works by famed sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Another artistic highlight is the Barnes Foundation, which displays “one of the world’s most important collections of post-impressionist and early modernist art.”

Caren also praised his city’s “extraordinary” restaurant scene, which he said has received particularly favourable attention from the culinary world’s James Beard Awards.

Caren — whose hometown Philadelphia Phillies were playing the Blue Jays during the bureau event — noted it has numerous professional sports teams, adding the bureau believes “in diplomacy through sport.”

Tourism officials welcomed American Airlines decision to provide summer service between Quebec City and Philadelphia that will continue through Nov. 4, and Caren noted during the Toronto visit his destination is 8 hours by car from the Ontario capital and an hour by air, with Toronto and Philadelphia being linked by both Air Canada and American Airlines.