ONE day in Philly

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Four-way tie:

Joe's Steaks and Sodas, on Torresdale Avenue in Tacony and at Frankford and Girard in Fishtown
D'Alessandro's, Henry Avenue above Walnut Lane, Roxborough
Max's, Broad/Erie/Germantown (Nicetown, North Philly) and Five Points in the Northeast
(some will disagree with me on this last one) Jim's, three locations: 60th and Vine (original), 4th and South, Bustleton and Cottman in the Northeast

Joe's Fishtown and Jim's at 4th and South will probably be the easiest ones for you to visit on a one-day swing, but if you can manage to get one of the other two places in, you will be suitably impressed.

Actually, four locations. The one I go to, which I happen to think has cheesesteaks that taste way better than the ones made at 4th and South, is located on Baltimore Pike in Springfield: Jim's Steaks | Springfield

[PHLondoner]

With due respect to these posters - if you have a trip to Philly - don't head down to Point Breeze or up to Roxborough or out to Fishtown - just stay in Center City. A million walkable options.

Lunch options - any of the spots by Michael Solomonov (James Beard winning chef) are awesome, cheap, and great vibes/energy: Dizingoff (hummus), Federal Doughnuts (amazing fried chicken sandwiches), Goldie (unreal Falafel), Rooster Soup Kitchen. All are on the same street: Sansom

Hit up Reading Terminal Market as another poster mentioned - dozens of awesome lunch options/food vendors/ anything you could possibly imagine - also great atmosphere.

For dinner hit up dollar tacos at El Rey (5 - 6:30) or find something along 13th Street's restaurant row.

In terms of what to do? Stroll the River Park up to the art museum, pop across the river and up to Cira Green for epic views of the skyline and the river for free, if the weather is nice hit up some beer gardens. Get lost in Society Hill, wander around Pine Street Church and visit 3 Bears park. Or, do what I do when I vacation to new cities - find a good cafe, grab a beer and people watch for 3 hours.

Anyways, Philly isn't really grimy anymore - hopefully you still like it!

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by PHLondoner

With due respect to these posters - if you have a trip to Philly - don't head down to Point Breeze or up to Roxborough or out to Fishtown - just stay in Center City. A million walkable options.

But the OP did ask:

If I could see one urban neighborhood, what would it be and why?

I think that most of us here take that as an invitation to suggest stuff beyond the city core.

Granted, no one's answered that question head-on yet, and certainly, if the OP wants to take in as much as possible in just one day, sticking to Center City will be the best way to do that. But if he does want to get some feel for the city as a whole, I at least would recommend venturing outside it if time permits.

If I had to choose that one urban neighborhood outside the city center, it would be East Passyunk (here meaning Passyunk Square and East Passyunk Crossing combined). In addition to "Cheesesteak Corner," you will encounter the 9th Street "Italian" Market, the oldest continuous curb market in the country, the East Passyunk Avenue restaurant and commercial strip and a passel of Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants, mostly along Washington Avenue.

For a future visit, though, I would recommend visiting this site to coordinate schedules (not all the sites are open every day, and some are open by appointment only) and planning a visit to Germantown. It's the second-most-historic neighborhood in the city after the Historic Square Mile itself and also the site of the only Revolutionary War battle to take place within the present-day city limits. (If he's really astute, he will check the calendar and plan a visit on the Saturday in October when the Battle of Germantown is re-enacted on the grounds of Cliveden.) For food, Mt. Airy (where Cliveden is actually located, just barely) has plenty of choices in its central business district. You might want to take the 23 bus to it rather than walk, as it's about a mile or so north of Cliveden and includes a hill climb, but it's doable in a day.

[eureka1]

One day is not enough for anything. Just stay in Center City, and take the on-off bus , which will take you
to the major sights. Have great time!

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by PHLondoner

With due respect to these posters - if you have a trip to Philly - don't head down to Point Breeze or up to Roxborough or out to Fishtown - just stay in Center City. A million walkable options.

Lunch options - any of the spots by Michael Solomonov (James Beard winning chef) are awesome, cheap, and great vibes/energy: Dizingoff (hummus), Federal Doughnuts (amazing fried chicken sandwiches), Goldie (unreal Falafel), Rooster Soup Kitchen. All are on the same street: Sansom

Hit up Reading Terminal Market as another poster mentioned - dozens of awesome lunch options/food vendors/ anything you could possibly imagine - also great atmosphere.

For dinner hit up dollar tacos at El Rey (5 - 6:30) or find something along 13th Street's restaurant row.

In terms of what to do? Stroll the River Park up to the art museum, pop across the river and up to Cira Green for epic views of the skyline and the river for free, if the weather is nice hit up some beer gardens. Get lost in Society Hill, wander around Pine Street Church and visit 3 Bears park. Or, do what I do when I vacation to new cities - find a good cafe, grab a beer and people watch for 3 hours.

Anyways, Philly isn't really grimy anymore - hopefully you still like it!

Agreed. And to add what others have said, the Phlash bus is a good way to get around the downtown area and the museum parkway.