Planning trip to Philadephia (Washington, Franklin: how much, home, high school)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

Warmdaddy looks good. What is the name of the other establishment?

How would you plan a day in Germantown?

As I wrote in that other post, the name of the other place is "South." It's at 640 North Broad Street, just outside Center City.

As for planning a day trip to Germantown, I'd take a look at that "Historic Germantown" website I posted in an earlier post. I'd figure out what places I wanted to make sure were open when I came up - not all of them are open every day - and then check their admission policies and prices. (Historic Germantown offers a pass for $25 that covers admission fees to every one of the various historic attractions (not all of which charge admission, by the way, but the pass gets you into all the ones that do). It's good for a year from the date of purchase, so if you decide you can't see what you want in one visit, you can always come back later.)

The places I'd definitely hit are the Johnson House, which is near the north end of the historic stretch of Germantown Avenue (a station on the Underground Railroad with living history exhibits), the Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, about a block to the south of the Johnson House (the place where the first recorded protest against slavery in the United States was written), and Cliveden, one block north of the Johnson House, where you can learn about the slaves the Chew family kept - it's also the site where most of the action took place during the only Revolutionary War battle fought within the present-day Philadelphia city limits.

If you want to grab a bite while you're up, the places I'd recommend are:
--Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books, 5445 Germantown Avenue. This is the place Marc Lamont Hill opened right on Market Square. It has light fare (sandwiches, soups, pastries) and great coffee and tea in a chill environment. It's almost always busy.
--Rose Petals Cafe, 322 West Chelten Avenue. This is a popular coffeehouse and cafe that serves a full menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, many Southern-inspired. The staff is very friendly, the portions ample, and the prices reasonable. You may experience a wait to get your food, depending on how busy the place is.
--Chatkharay Indian and Pakistani Grill, 306 West Chelten Avenue. This is an Indian/Pakistani restaurant with minimalist decor and decent fare. The one meal I had there was good, and the service reasonably friendly, but many Yelpers warn people away from this place.
--B&B Breakfast and Lunch, 5601 Germantown Avenue (at Armat). This breakfast and lunch place hits the trifecta: good, cheap, and great atmosphere. Nothing on the menu is over $10 (except maybe the steak and eggs), the service is friendly and efficient, and the place looks like a Starbucks, which proves that good design and low prices for the neighborhood do not have to be mutually exclusive.

If you want a little more variety and are willing to hop the bus up Germantown Avenue, you can add the restaurants and pubs in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill to your list. You'll find a wider range of cuisines to choose from, more places that serve dinner and some classier establishments to boot. You can even get a Bynum Brothers jazz fix in "CHill": they co-own Paris Bistro & Jazz Cafe at 8229 Germantown Avenue along with its eponymous chef, Al Paris, and they program its jazz lounge downstairs.

(By the way, I didn't think this needed saying, but the Bynums are African-American and have run the city's best jazz venues since opening Zanzibar Blue (now gone) in Washington Square West in the early 1990s. They own one more restaurant in West Oak Lane that has a Sunday brunch to die for - and live jazz, of course.)

There are a couple of places in Chestnut Hill that I'd recommend you visit, but that's a subject for another time - we're focusing on African-American history here.

[goodlife36]

The trip will be three days and two nights in May. I am going to stay in Center Center. The itinerary is as follows:

Liberty Bell
African American Museum
Barnes Foundation
Philladephia Magic Garden
Betsy Ross Home
Spruce Street Harbor Park
The President House: Freedom and Slavery in the making of a New Nation
Elfreth Alley
Mother Bethel Church
Colored Girl Museum
Penn Landing
Belmont Mansion

Maybe
Independence Hall
Reading Terminal Market

Dinner

Warm Daddy
South

Unfortunately, I do not believe I will be able to make it Germantown.

What do you think? I think it is a nice mix.

I saw a Airbnb studio but I do not know. I feel safer in a hotel.

[Pilot1]

Since you will be at the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall is a no brainer.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

The trip will be three days and two nights in May. I am going to stay in Center Center. The itinerary is as follows:

Liberty Bell
African American Museum
Barnes Foundation
Philladephia Magic Garden
Betsy Ross Home
Spruce Street Harbor Park
The President House: Freedom and Slavery in the making of a New Nation
Elfreth Alley
Mother Bethel Church
Colored Girl Museum
Penn Landing
Belmont Mansion

Maybe
Independence Hall
Reading Terminal Market

Dinner

Warm Daddy
South

Unfortunately, I do not believe I will be able to make it Germantown.

What do you think? I think it is a nice mix.

I saw a Airbnb studio but I do not know. I feel safer in a hotel.

I'm not sure Spruce Street Harbor Park will be in place before Memorial Day. And it's part of Penn's Landing, so count those two as a single item on your itinerary.

As for not making it to Germantown: Why limit yourself to one visit here? You can always come back.

[goodlife36]

That is true. I am going to limit my sightseeing to Center City. There is more than enough to entertain myself. Yay!

Thanks for your input.

[goodlife36]

I may be visiting Germantown after all. There is a museum I very much would like to visit. Someone did a story on it and I am very intrigued.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

I may be visiting Germantown after all. There is a museum I very much would like to visit. Someone did a story on it and I am very intrigued.

Which one?

[goodlife36]

The Colored Girls Museum. The museum is in someone's home. Tours are only given in groups. I am going to try to see if I can tag along with a group. Fingers crossed.

[Redddog]

Don't forget Christ Church if you're going to elfreths and Betsy Ross. Don't know much about church but I'm told that's the one all the Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin types used to go to.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

The Colored Girls Museum. The museum is in someone's home. Tours are only given in groups. I am going to try to see if I can tag along with a group. Fingers crossed.

That one, I think, flies under the radar: I'm not sure it's even listed on the Historic Germantown website. If it is, I must have overlooked it. Tell me more.