City Prepares For Pope's Visit To Philadelphia For World Meeting Of Families
By Natasha Brown
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There is an electrifying excitement in the air in Philadelphia just hours after an historic announcement.
"The Pope is coming to Philadelphia," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.
"As soon as you hear something big like that is official, you start making a new to-do list really quickly," said Visit Philadelphia President & CEO Meryl Levitz.
The to-do list at Visit Philadelphia will be lengthy with visitors from around the world flocking to Philadelphia during the five-day World Meeting of Families. Security will be tight, thousands of media representatives from around the globe will be present, and hotel rooms will be in high demand with some hotel already reporting that they're sold out.
"There are probably around 45,000 rooms in the tri-state area and this really is a tri-state event. Any big event like that is. There's also a family program, so people will be hosted by area families," said Levitz.
"There is a way for families within our region to sign up to be host families because without that, we cannot accommodate all of our visitors coming from all over the world," said Executive Director of the World Meeting of Families Donna Farrell.
Pope Francis will spiral along the same route Pope John Paul II did during his visit to Philadelphia 35 years ago. For many it will be a glimpse at a world leader from a city thrust into the world's spotlight.
"This will be the largest event in the city's modern history. Philadelphia, the big city for big events," said Nutter.
The manager at the Embassy Suites along the Parkway tells Eyewitness News the hotel is completely booked for the week during the Pope's visit.
For more information on becoming a host family, visit: http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/.
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